Hiring a Specified Skilled Worker: what the employer takes on
Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) is the status of residence Japan created in April 2019 for fields that cannot fill jobs with domestic workers. According to the Immigration Services Agency's overview of the system (in Japanese, updated September 29, 2026), 425,961 people held SSW type (i) status and 18,295 held type (ii) at the end of June 2026 (preliminary figures).
The fields, and type (i) versus type (ii)
Type (i) covers 19 fields: nursing care, building cleaning, linen supply, industrial product manufacturing, construction, shipbuilding and marine industry, automobile repair and maintenance, aviation, accommodation, automobile transport, railway, logistics warehousing, agriculture, fishery, food and beverage manufacturing, food service, forestry, wood industry, and resource recycling. Automobile transport, railway, forestry and wood industry were added in March 2024; linen supply, logistics warehousing and resource recycling were added in January 2026 (the last two start once preparations are complete). Type (ii) covers 11 fields.
| Item | Type (i) | Type (ii) |
|---|---|---|
| Skill level | Considerable knowledge or experience, confirmed by exam (waived for technical intern training (ii) graduates) | Proficient skills, confirmed by exam |
| Period of stay | Renewed in periods of up to 3 years, with a cumulative cap of 5 years (6 years with good reason) | Renewed in periods of 3 years, 2 years, 1 year or 6 months, with no renewal limit |
| Japanese | Exam at A2.2 level or above (waived for technical intern training (ii) graduates) | Exam at B1 level or above (the ordinance takes effect April 1, 2027) |
| Family | Generally not allowed | Spouse and children may accompany, with conditions |
| Support | Required, from the employer or a registered support organization | Not required |
| Acceptance cap | Set per field: 805,700 in total through March 2029 | None |
The ISA publishes how full each field is (in Japanese): at the end of July 2026, 432,016 type (i) workers were in Japan, 53.6 percent of the cap.
What an accepting organization must meet
A company that employs an SSW worker is an "accepting organization" and has to satisfy four conditions: an appropriate employment contract (pay at least equal to a Japanese worker in the same role), an appropriate company (no immigration or labor law violations in the past five years), a system to support the worker in a language they understand, and an appropriate support plan.
After the hire, the company must carry out the contract as written, deliver the support, and file notifications with the ISA. Some are filed as events happen, such as changes to or termination of the contract, changes to the support plan, and signing or ending a support outsourcing contract. One is annual: a report on acceptance, activity and support for April 1 to March 31, filed by May 31 of the following year. Not filing, or filing false information, is penalized.
There is no headcount cap except in nursing care and construction. Worker dispatch, on the other hand, is allowed under the SSW system only in agriculture and fishery; in every other field the company employs the worker directly.
The support plan and registered support organizations
For type (i) workers, the employer prepares a support plan covering work, daily life and social life, and submits it with the residence application. The ordinance lists 10 items: pre-arrival guidance, transport on entry and departure, help with housing, a bank account, phone and utilities, a life orientation, accompaniment to public procedures, Japanese learning opportunities, consultations and complaints in a language the worker understands, exchange with Japanese residents, job change support if the company has to let the worker go, and interviews at least once every three months with reporting of labor law violations.
All or part of this can be outsourced to a registered support organization; if all of it is, the company is treated as meeting the support system condition. Registration with the ISA lasts five years and costs 28,400 yen new and 11,100 yen to renew. A registered organization cannot subcontract the work.
The support requirements change on April 1, 2027 (in Japanese). From that date a support manager and support staff must be chosen from full time officers or employees at each office that provides support, only they may carry out support work, and support managers must attend a training course.
What to check on the residence card
At hiring, confirm that the status field reads Specified Skilled Worker (i) or (ii) and that the work restriction field reads "work permitted only within the status of residence". The ISA's leaflet for employers (in Japanese) adds that for SSW holders you also check the designation document (shiteisho), which records the activity approved for that person.
Cards issued on or after June 14, 2026 no longer print the period of stay; the ISA card reader app shows it. See our article on the new card.
Hiring someone already in Japan
For a resident already in Japan, such as a technical intern training (ii) graduate or an international student, the path is: pass the skills exam and a Japanese exam (the Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese or JLPT N4 or above), sign the employment contract, prepare the support plan, and apply for a change of status of residence.
Sincero Global is licensed for worker dispatch and fee charging job placement. Because dispatch is not allowed for SSW workers outside agriculture and fishery, we introduce SSW candidates through placement, check each candidate's status and designation document, and prepare the accepting organization paperwork with your company. Reach us by phone at +81 90 7841 8887, by email at info@sinceroglobal.jp, or on LINE.
