The government of Japan has issued a new law for the new “training & employment” program and the Japan Immigration Act was revised on June 14, 2024. There is not an English name for this new program as of yet, and the details of the program will be released in upcoming supplementary regulations.
Key Changes
- The current Technical Trainee program will be discontinued and the new program will begin within 3 years from the date of legislation.
- The Japan Immigration Act has also been revised in the following areas:
- Punishment for abiding illegal work has become more severe: The 3-year imprisonment of the company representative and/or JPY3 million fine has increased to a 5-year imprisonment and/or JPY5 million fine.
- Permanent Residency can be revoked if not fulfilling duties such as tax payment, etc.
- A new visa type “Intra Company Transfer (ii)” has been established for office-worker training purposes within group entities. Details of this visa is to be regulated by upcoming supplementary regulations.
| Current | New | |
| Objective of the program | Transfer skills to the trainee’s home country | Nurture and secure human resources for necessary industries through job training |
| Length of visa | 1 – 2 years depending on industry | Up to 3 years, renewable for additional 1 year if there is certain reason (e.g. Failure at exam for promoting to SWW) |
| Employer change | N/A | Available when,
Or
|
| Step up to SSW | After 5 years of training | After 3 years of training |
| Transition from the current trainee program | Those under the current Technical Trainee program are eligible to apply for status change to an upgraded visa in the new program E.g. Technical Intern Training (i) -> New program (ii) Technical Intern Training (ii) -> New program (iii) |
|
| Limit to number of visa issues | N/A | Limit will be set |
| Supporting organizations | A registered organization is responsible for matching and supporting trainees’ visa and employment | A new type of organization is regulated. The organization must have an external auditor. |
| Working industries | Not all matches with the industries for SSW | Matches with industries for SSW |
Erickson Insights and Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.