Citizeo
Pathway

Japan Highly Skilled Professional Visa

Japan Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

HSP combines a qualifying Japan activity with an evidence-backed points score. It offers preferential treatment but does not make permanent residence automatic.

Activities
Academic research, specialized/technical work, or business management
Points
At least 70 on the activity-specific official table
First skilled status
The first Highly Skilled Professional status is valid for five years
Indefinite skilled status
A separate indefinite Highly Skilled Professional status is available after at least three qualifying years and continued eligibility
Permanent-residence exception
Three years at 70 points or one year at 80 points, subject to all other permanent-residence rules
Salary requirement
Points-based; a JPY ¥3 million floor applies to two Highly Skilled Professional categories

Summary

Japan's Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) system gives preferential immigration treatment to a person who will carry out one of three highly skilled activities in Japan and can document at least 70 points under the table for that activity. It is not a free-standing score: the person also needs a real qualifying role, contract, appointment, or business activity in Japan.

The three HSP(i) categories are advanced academic research, advanced specialized or technical activity, and advanced business management. Points differ by category and may be awarded for education, relevant career, expected annual pay, age, research achievements, Japanese ability, and specific listed bonuses. The official table—not a generic online calculator—controls.

HSP(i) receives a five-year period of stay and specified benefits. HSP(ii) is a separate status with an indefinite period of stay and broader work permission; it generally requires at least three years carrying out qualifying HSP activity, at least 70 points, good conduct, and a finding that the person's stay serves Japan's interests. HSP(ii) is not permanent residence.

Pathway fit check

Eligibility

First choose the activity. The application must fit one of these groups:

Then use the matching points table. At least 70 points must be documented. Important features include:

Expected annual pay is generally the pay from the principal Japan activity used for the application, not the applicant's worldwide household income. A bonus or salary figure should not be counted unless it fits the official definition and can be documented.

A qualifying Japan activity is still required. The accepting organization or business, contract or appointment, duties, expected pay, and company or institution documents must support the chosen HSP category. An applicant with 70 theoretical points but no qualifying Japan activity does not qualify.

Business-management applicants face an additional current-law issue. Since 16 October 2025, an HSP(i)(c) or HSP(ii) applicant whose activity is business management must also account for the revised Business Manager criteria. Those include the JPY ¥30 million scale, qualifying full-time employee, applicant background, B2 Japanese ability held by the applicant or a full-time employee, Japan office, and reviewed-plan rules described in the official reform guidance.

HSP(ii) is a later status. Its current requirements include an HSP(ii) activity, 70 or more points, at least three years in Japan carrying out qualifying activity under HSP(i) or the earlier highly skilled Designated Activities status, good conduct, national interest, and no adverse impact that makes the proposed activity inappropriate. A person does not receive HSP(ii) merely because three calendar years have passed.

What This Route Allows

HSP(i) provides a five-year period of stay, permission for approved multiple related activities that would ordinarily cross more than one work category, priority processing targets, and access to specified family benefits.

Those family benefits are conditional:

HSP(ii) has an indefinite period of stay and allows nearly all employment-status activities alongside the qualifying HSP work. It also continues specified family benefits. Because it remains a status of residence, it is legally different from permanent residence.

The permanent-residence guideline has a separate highly skilled exception. A person with at least 70 points may qualify for the residence-history exception after three continuous years with the required score. A person with at least 80 points may qualify after one continuous year. The applicant must prove the score at the application date and the relevant historical date and must satisfy the guideline's other conduct, public-obligation, current-status, health, guarantor, and national-interest requirements. A high score changes when the person may apply; it does not guarantee PR.

What This Route Is Not

HSP is not an invitation-ranked system in which 70 points alone produces a visa. It is a criteria-based status tied to approved activity and evidence. It is also not limited to people with a master's degree or a salary above a rough dollar amount; some applicants score through other combinations, while some high earners still fall below 70.

It is not the same as J-Skip, Japan's separate Special Highly Skilled Professional system. A person who meets J-Skip's education/career and income criteria may use that separate framework rather than the points calculation, and should review its official page independently.

HSP(i) is not portable in the same way as a general permission to work anywhere. The accepting organization is part of the approved status. The Immigration Services Agency states that an HSP(i) holder changing to a different organization must apply for a change of status, not merely report the new employer.

The family benefits are not unrestricted invitations for parents, spouses, or domestic workers. Each person requires the appropriate status and must meet the detailed conditions.

Next Steps

  1. Match the intended duties to HSP(i)(a), (b), or (c). If the role does not fit, identify the correct ordinary status before calculating points.
  2. Download the current English points table from the official evaluation page. Calculate only the chosen activity and note the evidence beside every claimed line.
  3. Confirm the accepting Japan organization, contract or appointment, duties, and expected annual pay. Check the JPY ¥3 million floor for specialized/technical or business-management activity.
  4. Collect diplomas, transcripts, career certificates with exact dates and duties, pay documents, research records, patents, qualifications, Japanese-language results, and bonus-category evidence.
  5. For HSP(i)(c), complete a separate current Business Manager review rather than relying on points to replace the revised management criteria.
  6. Prepare the Certificate of Eligibility or change-of-status application with the accepting organization and the current HSP document list. Do not submit unsupported points merely to reach 70.
  7. After approval, keep records of salary, role, organization, points, taxes, pension, insurance, address, and travel. Apply for the required status change before moving an HSP(i) role to a different accepting organization.
  8. For HSP(ii) or permanent residence, calculate the relevant historical score using the officially permitted method and verify every additional requirement; do not treat either later status as automatic.
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