Zagdim Reader Desk · Japan Highly Skilled Professional visa

Japan Highly Skilled Professional visaPoints assessment and application

If you want to know how many points your education, experience and annual income earn, start by confirming the work you will do in Japan. The Zagdim Reader Desk first establishes your background, then shortlists suitable administrative scriveners in Japan to check your points, your evidence and the right way to apply.

Book a free 20-minute call See what the service covers

Who it is forProfessionals, researchers and business managers assessing their points

Handled byAdministrative scriveners in Japan

LanguagesEnglish or Japanese; other languages on request

Reader Desk feeFree of charge

Immigration Services AgencyImmigration Services Agency

01 · About the status

Japan’s Highly Skilled Professional visa: are enough points all you need?

Japan’s points system for the Highly Skilled Professional status (高度専門職) is divided by type of activity: academic research, specialised or technical work, and business management. The basic threshold is 70 points, and you must still meet the requirements of the status of residence for the activity you will carry out. The specialised/technical and business management categories also require an annual income of at least ¥3 million (about US$19,000).

How education, relevant experience, annual income, age and bonus items are scored differs by category. A specialist checks, item by item, the evidence you can use and the items that cannot be counted twice. Changes to the system are still under discussion, and the assessment is made on the current points and conditions.

Basic threshold: 70 points

Reaching the score is not enough on its own: you must still meet the requirements for the activity you will carry out in Japan.

Income test for two categories

Annual income of at least ¥3 million; other points cannot make up for it.

Category first, then points

Research, technical work and business management are scored on different items.

Bonus points need evidence

Items such as Japanese language ability and designated universities must be verified, and some combinations cannot be counted twice.

Shortened route to permanent residence is examined separately

The three-year route at 70 points and the one-year route at 80 points carry further conditions, including continuous residence in Japan and maintaining your points.

Proposed changes are still under discussion

The direction of discussion is not treated as a new threshold already in force.

Office towers and traffic on a Tokyo business street — The activity category is determined from the work you do in Japan

Documents sorted with coloured clips beside a pair of glasses on a desk — Education, experience and remuneration records are checked item by item

02 · Who it suits

Who a points assessment suits

Whether you already work in Japan, are preparing to take up a post there, or plan to run a business, you can start by setting out your background.

Taking up a post in Japan

You want to know whether you have enough points

Suits: You have a degree and professional experience, and are considering a position in Japan.

What to prepare: Provide your education, relevant work history, the planned role and remuneration details.

Already holding a work status

You want to move from a work visa to Highly Skilled Professional

Suits: You already work in Japan and want to compare your current status with an application for Highly Skilled Professional status.

What to prepare: Your current status of residence, role, annual income and usable evidence for bonus points are checked.

Business management

You want your points assessed on running a business

Suits: You are preparing to run, or already run, a company in Japan and want to understand how the business management category is scored.

What to prepare: Besides points, the business management requirements on capital, employment, Japanese language ability and business premises must also be checked.

Long-term residence planning

You want to understand Highly Skilled Professional status and permanent residence

Suits: You have already spent some years in Japan and want to know whether the shortened residence period for permanent residence available to highly skilled professionals applies to you.

What to prepare: The period of residence, your points over time and the other permanent residence conditions are checked separately; the score alone does not determine the outcome.

People with similar education and experience can reach different point totals where their activity category and evidence differ.

Zagdim Reader DeskWe listen to your situation first, then arrange a professional

03 · Reader Desk

How the Zagdim Reader Desk helps

The Reader Desk first establishes your education, work and plans for Japan and organises the information a points assessment needs. It then shortlists suitable administrative scriveners (行政書士) in Japan to calculate the items you can use and check the application conditions. The administrative scrivener handles the application in accordance with the law.

English or Japanese

Handled by an administrative scrivener in Japan

01
Understanding your background
Education, experience and your work in Japan.
02
Setting the direction
The activity category and the purpose of the application are identified.
03
Shortlisting a professional
Points and the supporting evidence are calculated and checked.
04
Handling and follow-up
Once the approach is confirmed, the application documents are prepared.

04 · Costs and timing

Official fees and professional assessment fees, set out separately

Official fees

At the official rateBy type of application and the rules that apply

Fees for a new application, a change of status or an extension are confirmed separately; translation and certificate costs are listed separately.

Professional fees

As quoted by the professionalPoints assessment and application confirmed item by item

The scope of the assessment, document preparation and application service is set out before work begins, and nothing starts until you confirm it.

Zagdim Reader Desk

No charge at this stageOrganising information and arranging a professional

The Reader Desk does not charge readers at this stage.

When should you start calculating your points?

Once you are considering a position in Japan or a change of status of residence, you can begin organising your education, experience and remuneration records. Planning for permanent residence also means looking back at your past points and your time in Japan, not only today’s score. How an application progresses depends on the documents in your case and on the immigration authorities’ review.

Tokyo Tower and the city skyline lit up at dusk

JAPAN · CAREER AND RESIDENCE

Establish your points first, then plan your next step in Japan

Set out your professional background clearly so that a specialist can confirm which application routes are open to you.

05 · Getting started

Ask Zagdim to shortlist the right professional for your assessment

Send a message setting out your highest qualification, years of relevant work experience, your planned or current role in Japan, and your remuneration. If you are already in Japan, also give your status of residence and the application you have in mind.

WhatsApp Email the Reader Desk

The Zagdim Reader Desk handles contact and follow-up.

Fill in the assessment form (about 2 minutes)

If a messaging app is not convenient, leave your details and the Zagdim Reader Desk will reply by WhatsApp or email.

01Which activity category applies to you
02How many points your education and experience earn
03How to evidence bonus points for Japanese and university
04How the application and permanent residence planning are separated

06 · Common questions

Japan Highly Skilled Professional visa: common questions

Can a professional handle the Highly Skilled Professional application for you?

Yes. The Zagdim Reader Desk can first shortlist a suitable administrative scrivener in Japan to assess your points and the application conditions. The administrative scrivener sets out the scope of service and the fee, and work begins only after you confirm.

If you have 70 points, do you automatically qualify?

Not necessarily. You must also meet the activity requirements, and the specialised/technical and business management categories require an annual income of at least ¥3 million. Each item of points must also be supported by evidence that meets the rules.

Can you apply directly without an offer from a Japanese company?

Points alone do not settle this. Start by setting out the activity you plan to carry out in Japan. The conditions for employment, research and business management differ, and the administrative scrivener confirms the arrangement with the receiving organisation and the corresponding status.

Do overseas income and work experience count?

Provide the source of your remuneration, your planned role in Japan and your work history first, so that a specialist can check each separately. Relevant experience is scored by activity category; you cannot simply add up every year of work on your CV. How far overseas remuneration can be counted is confirmed separately.

Do patents earn bonus points?

Provide the patent and related evidence first. A specialist confirms, by activity category and against the current points table, whether it meets the conditions for research achievement points; the number of patents is not treated as usable points in advance.

Can you move from a work visa to Highly Skilled Professional, or plan directly for permanent residence?

This can be assessed on your current status and documents. The shortened period for permanent residence at 70 points requires, among other conditions, continuous residence in Japan of three years or more; the 80-point route requires one year or more. Holders of other statuses of residence also have a route based on proving their points at the time of application and at the earlier reference date, and the other permanent residence requirements must still be met.

The threshold is reportedly going to rise. How are points assessed now?

The changes are still under discussion. The assessment follows the current points and conditions, the applicable rules are checked again before filing, and figures that have not yet been announced are not used.

Confirm the points you can use first, then decide how to apply.

Ask Zagdim to shortlist the right professional

Applications for Highly Skilled Professional status and for permanent residence are examined separately by Japan’s immigration authorities. The Zagdim Reader Desk helps to organise information and arrange a professional; applications are handled in accordance with the law by suitably qualified professionals in Japan. This page is general information and is not legal advice on any individual case. Information checked to 28 October 2026.

Japan Highly Skilled Professional visaPoints assessment and application

Japan’s Highly Skilled Professional visa: are enough points all you need?

Who a points assessment suits

You want to know whether you have enough points

You want to move from a work visa to Highly Skilled Professional

You want your points assessed on running a business

You want to understand Highly Skilled Professional status and permanent residence

How the Zagdim Reader Desk helps

Understanding your background

Setting the direction

Shortlisting a professional

Handling and follow-up