Invited from overseas

Entertainment visa

Entertainment visa is to be required to make entertainment activities such as theatrical, musical and sports activities in Japan. Mainly fashion model, singer, dancer, athlete are applying for Entertainment visa, so it is also known as “Talent Visa”. In reality, Talent visa has been criticized as “hotbed of slave trade” as we got a lot of reports that people who entered Japan with Talent visa claimed they were forced to work at pub, hostess bar and even prostitution at low wages.
As a countermeasure, the Ministry of Justice made a drastic review for Entertainment visa standard in June, 2006. The reform tightened the standard for the applicant / organization who are trying to invite foreigners to Japan. Meanwhile, a certain standards were eased such as an application from public organization, a large scale event…etc.

Inviting foreign musicians for a music festival, Promotion for new products with foreign models, sports athletes with their trainer for sports event, symposium gathering eminent scholar……Entertainment visa is required in various cases. Because of the reform of the regulation in 2006, it took more time to check the conditions, procedures, paper works than ever. Application for Entertainment visa requires good preparation on arranging documents and procedures, otherwise it takes more time to be authorized and even the application could be refused.
We are offering support for application of visa for those who are holding the event inviting foreigners. We do make every effort to ease the burden imposed on the person who is in charge of visa application and to make the application authorized surely and quickly.
　
　

Specialist in Humanities / International Service visa

Specialist in Humanities / International Service visa is for trading business, translator / interpreter, marketing business, travel agencies. Following is definition of the activity.

“Activities, based on the contract with private and public Japanese organization, are required a knowledge of a field of the humanities (so called a field of arts including a field of social sciences), and are required consideration and sensitivity of foreign culture.” However, it excludes residence qualification comes under “Professor”, “Art”, “Journalism”, “Investment / Administration”, “Law / Accountancy”, “Medical care”, “Research”, “Education”, “Intra-company Transferee”, “Entertainment”.

Nowadays it gets more difficult to obtain the visa only for translator / interpreter and more detailed material are to be required.

According to complexation for the form of employment these days (i.e. temporary employee or individual owner-manager who has multiple sources of income from several companies), clients who are consulting us labor management problem are increasing.
　

Job description for Specialist in Humanities / International Service visa

“Specialist in Humanities” means the task requires the knowledge of the humanities field such as the person who engages in trading practices.

Meanwhile “International Service” means the task requires consideration or sensitivity of foreign culture such as…..1. Translator / Interpreter, 2. Foreign language instructor, 3. Public relations or overseas business, 4. Accessories/Dressing, or Interior designer, 5. Product developer….and so on.

Visa standard of authorization for each of ”Specialist in Humanities” and “International Service” is different, likewise, required materials are also different depending on the feature of the applicant.
　

Renewing visa for Specialist in Humanities / International Service

Renewing the visa has to be done with care. Especially people who obtained the visa for trading practices and are in charge of purchase clerk, they might need to stay in the country most of a year. As longer they stay in foreign country, it gets more difficult to have the visa to live in Japan.
　
　

Engineer visa

Engineer visa accounts for a percentage of 25% in foreign registrant on working visa, it is popular visa after Specialist in Humanities / International Service visa. It is for an engineer such as program developer, system engineer, web designer. Activities field for Engineer visa authorized by Immigration Control Act in Japan is as following.

Activities, based on the contract with private and public Japanese organization, are required a knowledge or skills of science, engineering. In short, it is the visa required for activities which are needed a knowledge or skills of science, engineering or any the natural sciences (field of sciences in general) making a contract of employment (including mandate, consignment, part-time) with Japanese companies.
In general, it is the residence qualification to get a job in Japan by students who graduated the university majoring in science course. To obtain this qualification, it is required to prove the compatibility with the task at the company where the applicant is working for and the applicant’s major in his/her university or an operational experience.

According to complexation for the form of employment these days (i.e. temporary employee or individual owner-manager who has multiple sources of income from several companies), clients who are consulting us labor management problem are increasing.
　

Borderline between Engineer visa and Humanities / International Service visa

It is getting vague on the borderline of above two visas. Person who graduated the University of Arts gets a job with Engineer visa and vice versa. Actual case is that an overseas student who graduated with bachelor of General Policy was authorized the visa for translating Japanese software to Chinese making use of the knowledge of programing studied in the university.

Also, bridge system engineer who combined foreign company and Japan (i.e. China, Vietnam, India) was authorized Engineer visa even he graduated the university of Arts. It is because task as translator and system engineer overlap each other.
　

Skilled Labor visa

It is for the activity for the task requires skilled ability which belong to particular industrial field, and executed based on the contract with Japanese organization. The applicant need to possess skilled ability created by accumulation of experience.
From this point of view, it is different from unskilled labor which doesn’t require particular skills or judgments on its work.

Occupation corresponds to Skilled Labor visa is being established by law. Following occupations are applicable and there is no exception.

① Chef
② Building Technician　
③ Producer/Repairer of particular foreign products
④ Producer of jewelry, noble metals, furrier　
⑤ Animal trainer　
⑥ Boreholes and excavations for oils/ Earth Geothermal.　
⑦ Pilot　
⑧ Sports instructor　
⑨ Wine appraiser
　

3. Chef

Most popular applicants for Skilled Labor visa are Chef. The person who engages in cooking or producing foods created in foreign country and it has to be rare in Japan.

It required 10 years operational experiences. However, in case of Chef in Thailand, 5 years operational experience will work due to EPA treatments between Japan and Thailand.