Japan is finally starting work visas for Pakistanis. The special thing about the new visa scheme is that less educated and even under matric people can also apply. The confirmation comes from a press release of the Japanese embassy in Pakistan on December 23, 2019. “The basic level of Japanese language knowledge plus skills test passing can make you through the process”. The good news is that, as on Monday, the Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, H.E. Mr. MATSUDA Kuninori, and Federal Secretary of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, H.E. Mr. Aamir Hasan, signed the Memorandum for Cooperation at the Ceremony. H.E. Mr. SONOURA Kentaro, Special Advisor for Foreign Affairs to President ABE Shinzo of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP), who was in Pakistan on a two-day visit also witnessed the signing ceremony along with Mr. Zulfi Bukhari.
Which countries nationals are eligible?
Pakistan now joins 9 other countries including the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Mongolia, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh to be eligible for the new immigration and work visa policy of Japan announced back in April 2019.
What is the work visa policy?
Japan launched its new so-called ‘Specified Skill Visa’ (tokutei ginou, 特定技能) immigration policy on 1st April 2019. According to this new law, Japan will accept a large number of foreign workers. As an estimate, *345,150 international workers will be able to move to Japan to serve its labor market.
Important requirements
According to the Japanese Ambassador, the only important thing for interested applicants to get the visa is to learn the Japanese language. Furthermore, the candidates successfully completing their first five years of the visa in Japan will be able to bring their families too.
There is no maximum age requirement set aside by the Japanese government. Anyhow, the applicant must be at least 18 years of age at the time of applying. The new immigration program could be a copy of South Korea. That already is recruiting a labor force from Pakistan through success in the Korean language proficiency test. The same will be true in this new scheme. It is likely that candidates will have to pass the test of the Japanese language organized by the Japanese government and then selected through a proper procedure.
Job profession categories
The Japanese Ambassador also added that Japan has opened recruitment for 14 working sectors which are: 1. agriculture 2. materials processing 3. nursing care 4. shipbuilding 5. restaurants 6. airport ground handling & aircraft maintenance 7. food and beverage 8. hotels 9. industrial machinery 10. electronics and electric machinery 11. building cleaning 12. construction 13. vehicle maintenance 14. fishery
Industry-wise list of visas distribution
| Sector Name | Number of Visas Allocated |
| Nursing care | 60,000 |
| Restaurants | 53,000 |
| Construction | 40,000 |
| Building cleaning | 37,000 |
| Agriculture | 36,500 |
| Food and beverage | 34,000 |
| Hospitality | 22,000 |
| Materials processing | 21,500 |
| Shipbuilding | 13,000 |
| Fishery | 9,000 |
| Automotive Parts Manufacturing | 21,500 |
| Industrial Machinery | 7,000 |
| Electronics and Electrical equipment | 4700 |
| Aviation | 2200 |
- Read here the full press release of the Japanese embassy here.
- Read here for full details of Japan’s new immigration policy announced in April 2019.
- Learn the Japanese language online for free here.
Types of work permits introduced
According to the law, the work permit category has been distributed into 2 types of permits: Visa type 1 and Visa Type 2.
Visa Type 1 (Specified Skills Visa 1- SSV1)
Foreigners with Japanese language proficiency and industry-specified skills can apply for this 5 years visa. This work visa type will allow international workers to work in above mentioned 14 sectors of a middle and lower level of labor skilled jobs. The applicants of this visa type will have to pass a Japanese language test and technical exams. Furthermore, they should also hold good work experience in the intended workstream. This visa will be awarded at first for five years. Unfortunately, workers will not be able to bring their family members with them. It allows limited-time visa renewals and cannot be extended until changed into visa type 2. The government has planned to give first-year 47,550 work visas and then over the time of 5 years this number will be more than 345,150. Surprisingly it includes 60,000 work visas for the nursing care sector. The Japanese government will hold a Japanese language test for visa type one in 10 countries including Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, Cambodia, China, and Pakistan.
Visa Type 2 (Specified Skills Visa 2- SSV2)
Workers staying on visa type 1 can apply for visa type 2 (starting in 2021) if they have acquired higher levels of specialization in their fields. Currently, applicants can only apply for 2 streams, construction, and shipbuilding. It allows visa holders to bring their family members with them and also allows unlimited visa renewals and could possibly allow them to apply later on for permanent residency (that is given normally after 10 years of continuous stay in Japan) too. The quota has not been announced for this visa category. For this category, candidates do not need to show the language proficiency tests, instead, they will be tested in an exam against their skills. So first, work continuously, obey laws, and pay your taxes, and you will be then able to apply for this SSV2. One excellent action was taken by the ‘Justice Ministry’ is that it has issued an ordinance requiring employers to pay wages equivalent to or higher than those of Japanese nationals. The wages will be paid directly to the bank accounts of workers. To make sure the quality of this program and support foreigners in Japan, the government will open 100 consultation centers across the country addressing issues of employment, medical services, and child-raising in foreign languages. Visa conversion processes seem to be straight away starting from April 2019 for those who are already living in Japan and want to apply for this new ‘Specified Skill Visa’ stream. *Students from the ‘Technical Intern Training Program’ are also eligible to apply for this new visa.
Introduction of new japanese language test
Japan has introduced a new Japanese language proficiency test named Japan Foundation Japanese Basic Test (国際交流基金日本語基礎テスト). For both visa categories 1 and 2, the set aside required level of Japanese language proficiency is at the N4 level. However, some industries may ask for a higher score if they want. The ones with completing 3 years of practical training will be exempt from this requirement.