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Japan Job Seeker Visa 2023
Special Highly Skilled Professionals Visa (J-Skip) & Future Creation Individual Visa (J-Find)
“Designated Activities (Future Creation Individual Visa; J-Find Visa)” 特定活動（未来創造人材）
Candidate
Reference Link:
University List
Nessesary Documents
How Can I Apply J-Find Visa? (Very Important)
My Opinion
What is a benefit to hire a lawyer in Japan?
Our advantage
Reference page
Other Question?

Japan Job Seeker Visa 2023

Special Highly Skilled Professionals Visa (J-Skip) & Future Creation Individual Visa (J-Find)

On February 17, 2023, at a meeting of relevant cabinet ministers, the Japanese government began considering the establishment of a new framework for residence status in order to attract talented overseas personnel and increase the number of foreign high-level personnel working in Japan. The Japanese government hopes to implement the measure in April after public comments.

To achieve this, the following two new systems will be established as immigration control measures:

1. Japan System for Future Creation Individual Visa (J-Find): Foreign nationals who have graduated from one of the top 100 universities in the world university rankings will be granted “Designated Activities (Future Creation Individual Visa),” (特定活動（未来創造人材）) a status of residence that allows them to engage in job seeking activities in Japan for a maximum of two years. (Chinese site ->)

2. Japan System for Special Highly Skilled Professionals (J-Skip): A system will also be established whereby researchers and others with annual incomes of 20 million yen or more can obtain permanent resident status within one year.

The annual income requirement for the original Highly Skilled Professional Visa (HSP visa) currently in operation in Japan is based on the estimated annual income for one year in the future after the applicant’s arrival in Japan.

Please refer to: What is the Japan’s new policy “J-Skip” Visa?

“Designated Activities (Future Creation Individual Visa; J-Find Visa)” 特定活動（未来創造人材）

J-Find visa COE (Designated Activities No. 51)

The “Designated Activities (Future Creation Individual Visa)” :特定活動（未来創造人材）status of residence is an epoch-making system that changes the current “Temporary Visitor” period of 90 days for graduates of top-ranked universities in the world university rankings, allowing them to stay in Japan for job hunting. It also establishes a “Human Resources for Future Creation” category in the “Designated Activities” status of residence, allowing them to stay in Japan for up to TWO(2) years.

As competition to attract talented young people from Japan and abroad intensifies, countries in Southeast Asia and Europe have systems in place to attract them to their countries by offering preferential treatment. In Japan, on the other hand, graduates of overseas universities have been granted only a “Temporary Visitor”(短期滞在) status including visa waiver scheme of 90 days at most when they try to find employment. With this new system, the Japanese government aims to create an environment in which capable individuals can take the time to evaluate Japanese companies before settling down.

Specifically, graduates of universities ranked in the top 100 in two or more of three different university rankings issued by the world institutions will be eligible. They will also be allowed to work, which will enable them to participate in paid internships. During the two years of their stay in Japan, they will be able to prepare for job hunting and entrepreneurship. They will also be allowed to work for a period of time until they find a job, and they will be allowed to bring their family members with them. The students must be within five years of graduating from an overseas university, and there is no age limit.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had announced that he would “promote reforms, including the creation of a new system of world-class standards,” regarding the acceptance of highly skilled human resources from overseas. The goal is to bring in talented people from overseas to improve the competitiveness of Japanese companies.

Reference page: J-Find Visa (Future Creation Individual Visa) FAQ

Candidate

Japan accepts applicants who have graduated from world-class universities with the aim of accepting high-potential human resources who are expected to play an active role in Japan. To that end, Japanese govenment grants “Designated Activities”(J-Find visa) status to those who have graduated from world-class universities (Future highly skilled talent) within 5 years of their graduation, on the condition that they have enough funds to support themselves during their initial stay in Japan, and allow them to engage in preparatory activities for employment or entrepreneurship for a maximum of 2 years. Additionally, family members (spouse and children) of the J-Find visa holder will be allowed to accompany them.

J-Find Visa refers to applicant who meet the following qualifications:

Graduated (including Bachelor, Master or Doctor degree) from a university listed in the top 100 in two or more of the three major world university rankings.
Five (5) years have not passed since the date of graduation from a university.
Have a savings account with a balance of at least 200,000 yen (1460 US dollar).
Engaged in activities related to job hunting and preparation for starting a business in Japan.
To engage in daily activities in Japan as the spouse or child of the applicant.

The revised notification was published in the Official Gazette on 14 April 2023.

Designated Activities No.51　特定活動51号

Activities to search a job or secure a place of business and preparatory activities necessary to start a trade or other business in Japan (hereinafter in this item referred to as “preparatory activities for starting a business”) by a person aged 18 or over who falls under any of the following categories and who stays in Japan for a period not exceeding TWO years. Activities to receive remuneration to the extent necessary to supplement the funds required to carry out these activities and activities to receive remuneration incidental to preparatory activities for starting a business (excluding adult entertainment business activities).

a) At the time of application, the indicators listed in Annex 13 (all of which must be the most recent) Graduated from a university listed in the top 100 in two or more of the indicators listed in Annex 13 (all of which must be the most recent), or completed a postgraduate course at a university and received a degree or a professional degree (a professional degree as defined in Article 5-2 of the Degree Regulations, including equivalent degrees awarded in a foreign country). Five years have not elapsed since the date of conferment of the degree or professional degree (professional degrees as defined in Article 5-2 of the Degree Regulations, including equivalent degrees conferred abroad).

b) At the time of application, the applicant’s savings account must amount to at least 200,000 Japanese yen.

Annex 13

QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) by the Center for World-Class Universities (CWCU), Graduate School of Education of Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Designated Activities No.52

Daily activities performed as a dependent spouse or child of a person whose residence is designated for the activities listed in the preceding item.

Reference Link:

J-Find Visa (Future Creation Individual Visa) FAQ

University List

Brown University ブラウン大学
California Institute of Technology カリフォルニア工科大学
Carnegie Mellon University カーネギーメロン大学
City University of Hong Kong 香港城市大学
Columbia University コロンビア大学
Cornell University コーネル大学
Delft University of Technology デルフト工科大学
Duke University デューク大学
Erasmus University エラスムス大学
Fudan University 復旦大学
Georgia Institute of Technology ジョージア工科大学
Harvard University ハーバード大学
Heidelberg University ハイデルベルグ大学
Imperial College London インペリアル・カレッジ・ロンドン
Institut Polytechnique de Paris パリ工科大学
Johns Hopkins University ジョンズ・ホプキンス大学
Karolinska Institute カロリンスカ研究所
King’s College London キングス・カレッジ・ロンドン
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology 韓国科学技術院（KAIST）
KU Leuven ルーベン・カトリック大学
Kyoto University 京都大学
LMU München university ルートヴィヒ・マクシミリアン大学(ミュンヘン大学)
London School of Economics and Political Science ロンドン・スクール・オブ・エコノミクス
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) マサチューセッツ工科大学
McGill University マギル大学
McMaster University マックマスター大学
Monash University モナシュ大学
Nanyang Technological University 南洋理工大学
National University of Singapore シンガポール国立大学
New York University ニューヨーク大学
Northwestern University ノースウェスタン大学
Paris-Saclay University パリ第11大学
Peking University 北京大学
Princeton University プリンストン大学
PSL Research University Paris パリPSL研究大学
Seoul National University ソウル大学校
Shanghai Jiao Tong University 上海交通大学
Sorbonne University ソルボンヌ大学
Stanford University スタンフォード大学
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne(EPFL) スイス連邦工科大学ローザンヌ校
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich スイス連邦チューリッヒ工科大学
Technical University Munich ミュンヘン工科大学
The Australian National University オーストラリア国立大学
The Chinese University of Hong Kong 香港中文大学
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 香港理工大学
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 香港科技大学
The University of Edinburgh エディンバラ大学
The University of Glasgow グラスゴー大学
The University of Hong Kong 香港大学
The University of Manchester マンチェスター大学
The University of Melbourne メルボルン大学
The University of New South Wales （UNSW Sydney）ニューサウスウェールズ大学
The University of Queensland クイーンズランド大学
The University of Sydney シドニー大学
The University of Texas at Austin テキサス大学オースティン校
The University of Tokyo 東京大学
The University of Western Australia 西オーストラリア大学
Tsinghua University 清華大学
University College London ユニバーシティ・カレッジ・ロンドン（UCL)
University of Amsterdam アムステルダム大学
University of Bonn ボン大学
University of Bristol ブリストル大学
University of British Columbia ブリティッシュコロンビア大学
University of California, Berkeley カリフォルニア大学バークレー校
University of California, Irvine カリフォルニア大学アーバイン校
University of California, Los Angeles カリフォルニア大学ロサンゼルス校
University of California, San Diego カリフォルニア大学サンディエゴ校
University of California, Santa Barbara カリフォルニア大学サンタバーバラ校
University of Cambridge ケンブリッジ大学
University of Chicago シカゴ大学
University of Copenhagen コペンハーゲン大学
University of Groningen フローニンゲン大学
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaignイリノイ大学アーバナ・シャンペーン校
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ミシガン大学
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ノースカロライナ大学チャペルヒル校
University of Oxford オックスフォード大学
University of Pennsylvania ペンシルバニア大学
University of Science and Technology of China 中国科学技術大学
University of Southern California 南カリフォルニア大学
University of Toronto トロント大学
University of Washington ワシントン大学（州立）
University of Wisconsin – Madison ウィスコンシン大学マディソン校
University of Zurich チューリッヒ大学
Utrecht University ユトレヒト大学
Vanderbilt University ヴァンダービルト大学
Washington University in St. Louis ワシントン大学（私立）
Yale University イェール大学
Yonsei University 延世大学校
Zhejiang University 浙江大学

Nessesary Documents

Application form
One photograph (a photograph that meets the required standard must be prepared and submitted with the application)
Documents proving that the applicant has graduated (or completed) from a university or graduate school with a bachelor’s degree or higher (a certificate of graduation (copy) from a university or graduate school or a certificate of graduation (or completion))
Curriculum Vitae
Description of intended activities
Documents showing the current balance of a bank or other savings account in the applicant’s name (copy of savings book, etc.)

How Can I Apply J-Find Visa? (Very Important)

There are TWO (2) possible cases for an overseas resident (not in Japan) to apply for a J-Find Visa;

(1) You enter Japan on a tourist visa or other short-stay temporary visa (短期滞在), meet with me to confirm your status, and we, our firm will submit the application to the Immigration Bureau on your behalf. You do not need to stay in Japan until the result of the examination.

Under current regulations and the Immigration Bureau’s internal review criteria, it is virtually impossible to choose a person to act as your application proxy and submit your application in the name of the application proxy when you are not in Japan. The scope of “application proxy” as defined by the Immigration Bureau is much narrower than we would like to think. It is very difficult for foreigners to understand, but we, Gyoseishoshi immigration lawyer, can only represent you, the applicant, while you are physically in Japan. You cannot appoint us as your representative from abroad online.

After you return to your home country, we will negotiate with the immigration officer and mail the COE (Certificate of eligibility) to you in your home country after it is approved.

Note that it is not permitted to change directly from a “Temporary Visitor” (short-stay visa, or Visa Waiver scheme) to a J-Find visa. You have to always apply for a COE before obtaining a J-Find visa.

If you are granted a COE while you are staying in Japan, you can convert your Temporary Visitor visa to a J-FIND visa. However, it is NOT known whether you will be granted a COE while you are in Japan. If you entered Japan with a 90-day’s Temporary Visitor visa and plan to stay in Japan for a couple of months, such a visa conversion may be possible. Changing from a Temporary Visitor to another visa, not just a J-FIND visa, requires various precautions. Please refer to: Complete Guide: Change of status from Temporary Visitor (Tourist) Visa to Spouse Visa and Other Visas

(2) You can apply directly to the Japanese Embassy in the country where you currently reside. However, although we can review your documents, you must make the application at the Japanese embassy yourself. The Japanese embassy may not accept your application. In fact, we have heard that certain consulates in the US will not accept J-Find visas without a COE. This is probably because there is still low awareness of this visa in the field. This case may change in the near future. Since we are not in your country, it is difficult for us to negotiate with the Japanese embassy. However, some Japanese embassies and consulates in China have confirmed cases of J-Find visa applications being accepted without a COE. If you are applying at the local Japanese embassy or other Japanese consulates, our firm can still provide support, such as preparing a Legal Opinion Letter by Gyoseishoshi immigration lawyer.

My Opinion

As for the “Special Highly Skilled Professional” System, this could be achieved by modifying the point calculation and other aspects of the existing “Highly Skilled Professionals (i)” status of residence, or by slightly changing the criteria for moving to “Highly Skilled Professionals (ii)”. Creating a new type of residence status would require a legal amendment, which should be avoided.

On the other hand, the system for “Future Creation Individual Visa” will be established as a type of residence status called “Designated Activities”, which can be thought of as a kind of “other” visa status. Therefore, this will also only require a change in the public notice and will not necessitate a legal amendment. This approach is being taken to enable the new system to be implemented in a short period of time.

The two-year stay for those in the top 100 of the world ranking is very similar to the “Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)” introduced in Hong Kong. The purpose of this scheme in Hong Kong is also to attract talented individuals with extensive work experience and excellent academic backgrounds from around the world to explore opportunities in Hong Kong.

Applicants who wish to apply for a visa under this system in Hong Kong do not need to secure an offer from an employer in Hong Kong at the time of application.

It is a significant change in this new system in Japan that visas will be granted on a non-sponsor basis, meaning they will be secured by the receiving Japanese company. Under Japan’s residency system, there are very few visas that can be applied for without a sponsor. J-Find visa is one of a few exception.

As an expert in immigration law, I was very concerned about what an application agent for a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) should look like. In practice, the procedure is inconvenient, as the applicant has to enter Japan once to apply for CoE. I believe that it should be a little more convenient. However, at the moment there is no other way.

What is a benefit to hire a lawyer in Japan?

Since you have to come to Japan to apply for the COE actually, why don’t you just go to the immigration office and apply for it yourself while you are in Japan?

Indeed, that is one way to do it. You may be able to go to the Japanese Immigration Bureau yourself, and within a day, you can submit your application to the Immigration Bureau in plenty of time.

However, please think about it carefully.

Do you really understand what documents you need to submit to the immigration bureau?

Do you have a fixed contact address in Japan? If the immigration inspector has any doubts about your application, who should he/she ask?

The Japanese Immigration bureau does not contact persons who are in a foreign country.

If your COE is issued, it will only be mailed to the Japanese address. An electronic COE system has been introduced, and the COE application for this J-Find visa is subject to electronic application. However, the awareness of electonic COEs is still low at Japanese embassies and consulates outside Japan, and at their proxy application centres. And there are still many of them who know nothing about this new “J-Find visa” and have never seen it.

In this situation, obtaining a “paper COE” is very reassuring and avoids unnecessary problems. So, you still need a Japanese contact address.

These are tremendous benefits to be entrusted to an immigration specialist.

Japan’s COE (Certificate of Eligibility) Digitalization

Our advantage

With the new J-FIND visa policy coming into effect on 24 April 2023, YOKOYAMA LEGAL SERVICE OFFICE already has several successful cases of COE approvals coming down. We highly recommend that your important application is made by an experienced professional legal adviser. In particular, when you are applying for this visa, I recommend you to ask your immigration adviser whether they have applied for J-FIND visas before, how many applications they have applied and what their success rate is.

We also provide assistance if you are unable to come to Japan and apply for a J-Find visa CoE, directly to the Japanese embassy or consulate in your country. Our lawyers will review all your documents and prepare a legal opinion.