Work visa – Designated Activities (Japanese university graduates; customer service work also possible)

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What is “Designated activities No.46” visa?
Work that you can engage in,
Examples of specific work
Requirements
NOTICE
About their family’s visa
Required documents (at the time of determination of visa)
Documents prepared by Applicant
Documents prepared by the company.
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What is “Designated activities No.46” visa?

The status of residence “Designated activities No.46” was newly established on 30 May 2019 to enable foreign students working part-time to continue working after graduation. This visa allows foreign students with high Japanese language skills who have graduated from a Japanese university or graduate school to work after graduation in simple labour (on-site work) in the manufacturing industry or in service industries such as restaurants and retail shops, where they were previously not permitted to work. However, they must not only do simple work but must also concurrently engage in work that makes use of their language skills.

The term “Designated activities” refers to activities that are not permitted under other statuses of residence, and for which the Ministry of Justice grants special permission to stay in Japan.
The “Designated Activities No. 46” (Notification of Designated Activities No. 46) is also known as a ‘customer service visa’, as it is a visa suitable for inbound customer service.

Work that you can engage in,

“Operations requiring smooth communication using the Japanese language.” In other words, you are eligible for this visa if your work involves not only passive tasks such as receiving instructions from a supervisor and performing simple tasks, but also work that has a “translation and interpretation” element between Japanese and a foreign language, or work that requires communication with someone using Japanese. If the work has this element, it is possible to work even if the main work is general service work or manufacturing work, which is not permitted under the “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” visa.

Previously, foreign students who worked part-time and wished to continue to be employed after graduation could not obtain a work visa for customer service work such as in restaurants, but thanks to this new system, it is now possible to obtain a work visa.

However, it is no longer possible to engage in work that is legally required to be carried out by a qualified person or in work related to the entertainment industry.

Examples of specific work

Employed by Restaurant to manage the shop and serve customers (or to serve Japanese customers), as well as to act as an interpreter. It is not permitted to work only in the kitchen, washing dishes or cleaning.
Work on a factory line, in which the trainee communicates and instructs the technical interns and other foreign employees in a foreign language on the work instructions received from the Japanese employees, while also entering the line and carrying out the work himself/herself. It is not permitted to engage only in the work instructed on the line.
In retail shops, customer service and sales work (or customer service and sales work for Japanese), including purchasing, product planning and also acting as an interpreter. It is not permitted to only display products or clean the shop.
In hotels and inns, public relations work such as setting up and updating websites in foreign languages with translation work, or as bell staff or doormen who also act as interpreters (guides) for foreign guests (or can also provide customer service to Japanese). *Only cleaning rooms is not permitted.
Taxi drivers who plan and organise for tourists (attracting visitors) and provide tourist information as well as interpretation at taxi companies (can also drive as a regular taxi driver). *To drive a taxi, a separate Class II driver’s license (Dai 2-shu Untenmenkyo) must be obtained.
Care work in nursing homes, providing guidance to foreign employees and technical trainees, using Japanese language.
Work in a food production company where the employee is engaged in the planning and development of products while communicating in Japanese with other employees, while also entering the product production line himself/herself. Simply entering a product production line, receiving work instructions in Japanese and engaging only in the work instructed is not permitted.

Requirements

Must fall under “work in which you can engage” as described above.
Receive remuneration equivalent to or greater than the remuneration received by Japanese nationals when engaged.
Must be employed as a full-time employee (full time). Short-time part-time and part-time jobs are not eligible. In addition, the employee may not carry out work activities at the client company as a temporary employee.
Education criteria: graduates of a four-year university in Japan or those who have completed a postgraduate course and have been awarded a Bachelor degree. Graduation from a junior college (Tandai: Tanki-Daigaku) or special training college (Senmon-gakko), graduation from a foreign university or completion of a postgraduate course are not eligible. You do not have to currently hold a “Student” visa.
Japanese language proficiency criteria: those who meet one of the following conditions;
- Passing the JLPT N1 (also “Level 1” of the old examination system),
- BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test score of 480 or above,
- Graduated from a university in Japan or a university/graduate school abroad with a specialisation in “Japanese”. This means that the applicant has enrolled in a faculty, department or graduate school related to Japanese language studies, Japanese language teaching, etc., and has specialised in Japanese language studies.

NOTICE

If you change company, you must apply for and receive permission to change your status of residence again.

About their family’s visa

If a person is granted a visa for designated activities (Japanese university graduates), a visa is also granted for his/her dependent family members (spouse and children) to stay in the country.

Required documents (at the time of determination of visa)

Documents prepared by Applicant

Specific and filled out application form
Photo (H 4cm * W 3cm) A clear, clear, hatless, background-free photograph taken from the front within three months before the application.
Passport and Residence Card
Diploma (copy) or certificate of graduation from a Japanese university or other institution (only if the degree can be verified).
Documents certifying Japanese language proficiency: transcript (copy) of JLPT N1 or BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test score of 480 or above. For those who majored in Japanese at a foreign university, a diploma (copy) or certificate of graduation from the university (must show the faculty, department, graduate school, etc.).
Taxation and income certificates (if applying for a visa due to a change of employment)

Documents prepared by the company.

Copy of the notice of working conditions or employment contract
Statement of reasons for employment (if required) *This must be prepared by the company and stamped with the name of the organisation and the name of the representative.
Company business documents: company brochure, copy of website, certificate of registration, etc.