Immigration Procedures After Changing Jobs in Japan
更新日：2 日前
[Advertising Disclosure]
This article contains affiliate links. Our office may receive a referral fee if you apply for a listed service. Referral fees do not affect our explanations or conclusions.
Target readers
This guide is for foreign residents who changed jobs in Japan, those planning a job change, and employers hiring foreign nationals.
Conclusion
After a job change, confirm that the new duties fall within your current status of residence. For statuses subject to affiliation notifications, report leaving and joining an organization within 14 days after each event occurs. If the new work falls outside the current status, obtain a change of status before starting that work. Filing a notification does not itself authorize the new duties.
1. Three checks to make first
Check the status, period of stay and work restrictions on the residence card. Compare the old and new employment agreements and detailed job descriptions. Then place the resignation date, start date, notification deadlines and residence-card expiry on one timeline. Statuses without work restrictions are treated differently from activity-based work statuses.
2. The 14-day notification
Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services and certain other work statuses are subject to notifications concerning the contracting organization. A resignation and a new appointment are generally reported separately within 14 days of the relevant event. A future event date cannot be reported in advance. Filing is available online, by post or at the immigration office. If the deadline has passed, do not ignore the omission; file promptly and retain evidence of submission.
3. When a change of status may be required
A change is required when the main duties are not permitted under the present status. Assess the actual work rather than the job title, including required expertise, the relationship to education or experience, remuneration and work arrangement. Highly Skilled Professional (i) requires particular care because the designated organization matters. Do not begin work outside the permitted scope while an application is pending.
4. Certificate of Authorized Employment
Where the new duties appear to remain within the same status but uncertainty remains, a Certificate of Authorized Employment may be considered. It is not mandatory in every job change and does not guarantee a future extension, but it can clarify the scope of permitted paid activities.
5. Documents to retain
Keep employment agreements, working-conditions notices, detailed job descriptions, employer information, payslips, withholding records, resignation documents and notification receipts. Names, dates, duties and remuneration should be consistent across the documents.
6. Using a recruitment service
A label such as “foreign applicants welcome” does not guarantee employment, immigration eligibility or approval. Check the eligible status, duties, location, language level and experience for each vacancy.
Related recruitment service
Factory Job Folder may include vacancies open to foreign applicants. Conditions vary by vacancy.
Suitable and unsuitable cases
Recruitment services suit applicants who already understand their eligible occupations. If the relationship between the new duties and the current status is unclear, obtain professional advice before accepting the position.
Consult our office
For a change or extension of status, affiliation notifications or a Certificate of Authorized Employment, contact our office with the employment agreement and detailed job description. The contact form is in Japanese. Please include the procedure you need help with and your planned timing.
FAQ
Q. Does filing the notification authorize the new job?
A. No. It only reports the changed facts.
Q. Can I file after 14 days?
A. File promptly rather than leaving the omission unresolved.
Q. Is a change unnecessary when the job title is the same?
A. Not necessarily. Actual duties determine the assessment.
Q. Does a recruitment company guarantee immigration eligibility?
A. No. Recruitment and immigration procedures are separate.
Written and Reviewed by
Mitsunobu Administrative Scrivener Office
Mitsunobu Matsuda, Administrative Scrivener / Licensed Real Estate Transaction Agent
Disclaimer
This article provides general information. It does not guarantee job placement, eligibility for a particular status of residence, or approval of an immigration application. The requirements and outcome depend on the individual circumstances and the relevant authorities.