Changing jobs on a work visa: the 14 day notice and the 3 month rule

A foreign resident on a work visa who leaves a job, or starts a new one, has to notify the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) within 14 days each time. Whether they also need new permission depends on the status: most Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services holders do not, while Specified Skilled Workers need a change of status first. And three months or more without doing the activity the status is for can make it liable to cancellation.

The 14 day notice to immigration

Article 19-16 of the Immigration Control Act requires mid to long term residents to report changes in the organization they belong to. The ISA's page on notices about contracting organizations (in Japanese) lists the statuses that report a contract: Highly Skilled Professional, Researcher, Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, Nursing Care, Entertainer (when working under a contract), Skilled Labor and Specified Skilled Worker. A notice is due within 14 days when a contract ends, for example through resignation, and another within 14 days when a new contract is signed.

The worker files the notice, not the employer. There are three ways to do it: the ISA's online notification system, open around the clock with no supporting documents needed; in person at a regional immigration office with the residence card; or by mail to the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau with a copy of the card. When one job ends and the next one starts, a single combined form (reference form 1-7) covers both.

Statuses tied to an institution rather than a contract, such as Professor or Student, use a separate notice about the activity organization, with the same 14 day limit.

Engineer/Humanities holders: the certificate of authorized employment

For this status, changing employers does not by itself require new permission, as long as the new job is still work the status covers. The risk appears later. If the new duties do not fit, the problem tends to surface at the next renewal, by which time the person has been working outside their status for months.

The ISA offers a way to check in advance: the certificate of authorized employment (shuro shikaku shomeisho, page in Japanese), issued under Article 19-2 of the act. Someone whose employer or duties have changed since their last permission applies with documents about the new job. The fee is 2,000 yen, or 1,600 yen online, paid only when the certificate is issued. It is optional, but it gives the worker and the company something in writing before the first renewal. Our article on which jobs qualify for this visa covers the duties side.

Specified Skilled Workers need a change of status first

A Specified Skilled Worker's permission names the receiving organization. The ISA's Q&A on the system (PDF, in Japanese) says that a job change involving a new receiving organization or a new field requires an application for change of status, and that changes are allowed within the same work category or between categories whose skill level has been shown to overlap through tests. The new employer should not put the person to work until the permission is granted. The same goes for graduates in Designated Activities (No. 46), whose designation also names the employer. The employer's side is covered in our Specified Skilled Worker guide.

Time between jobs and the three month rule

The ISA's explanation of status cancellation (Article 22-4, in Japanese) lists, among other grounds, a holder of a work, study or similar status who has not carried out the activities of that status for three months or more in a row. A legitimate reason is an exception, and before any cancellation an immigration inspector hears the person, who can state their case and submit evidence. If a status is cancelled on this ground, the person is given up to 30 days to leave Japan.

So the gap between jobs is not open ended. Anyone out of work should keep searching, keep a record of applications and interviews, and stay away from work their status does not allow in the meantime. Doing other activities while not doing the status's own work is a separate ground for cancellation.

Moving for the new job

A new job often brings a new address. According to a Kawasaki City FAQ (in Japanese), people moving into the city register at the resident affairs section of the ward office where they will live, within 14 days of starting to live there. Some counters also open on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm, for moves in and out. Bring the residence card. The Immigration Control Act's cancellation grounds also include a mid to long term resident who leaves their registered address and does not report a new one within 90 days without a legitimate reason.

For the company hiring mid career

Hiring someone who is changing jobs takes the same checks as any foreign hire: the status on the card, whether the new duties fit it, and whether the card is valid. Reporting the hire to Hello Work is the company's own duty, explained in our Hello Work notification guide. The immigration notice is the worker's, but one line about it in your onboarding checklist keeps it from being forgotten.