How do Japan's Highly Skilled Professional points work before you accept a job?

How do Japan's Highly Skilled Professional points work before you accept a job? The Immigration Services Agency of Japan awards the status of residence "Highly Skilled Professional" to people who already fit a work status and who score at least 70 points on the official points table. A job offer on its own is not the status. For advanced specialised or technical activities, and for advanced business management activities, there is also a minimum annual salary of 3 million yen. If that minimum is not met, the Agency's official Q and A says you are not recognised as a highly skilled professional, even if other items would take the total above 70.

This guide was written by the Dev Global Jobs Team. Dev Global Jobs (devglobaljobs.com) is a free list of international vacancies. The site is not the employer. This page is not legal or immigration advice.

You can keep the country and the named source in view on Dev Global Jobs, then complete the official checks below.

What are the three official activity types?

The official points explanation page, checked on 11 November 2026, splits the activities into three types, matching Highly Skilled Professional 1(a), 1(b) and 1(c):

• advanced academic research activities, such as research, guidance or education under a contract with a Japanese institution
• advanced specialised or technical activities, using knowledge or skills in the natural sciences or the humanities
• advanced business management activities, engaging in the management or administration of a business

You calculate points only for the type that matches the work you will do. The official English Points Calculation Table (PDF) is the source. It awards points for academic background, professional experience, annual salary and age, plus listed bonus items. Read the live table for your type, not a blog version of the numbers. Examples from that official table include 30 points for a doctor's degree in academic research activities, and 15 bonus points for Japanese Language Proficiency Test N1, or an equivalent such as a score of 480 or more on the Business Japanese Proficiency Test. Other official bonus items are also on the table. You only need to prove enough items to show a total of 70 or more.

What preferential treatment does the official Q and A describe?

The Agency's points Q and A, stated as current at April 2026 and checked on 11 November 2026, describes the immigration benefits if you are recognised.

For Highly Skilled Professional 1, those include permission for combined activities that would otherwise need extra permission, a residence period of five years (the longest period in law, and it can be renewed), and faster processing targets. The Agency aims to process a certificate of eligibility within 10 days of accepting the application, and a change or extension within 5 days, except in incomplete or complex cases. If the official conditions are met, a spouse may work, and in some cases a parent or domestic worker may accompany you.

The usual stay before a permanent residence application can also be shorter: three years if you have 70 points, or one year if you have 80 points, in the official cases set out in the Q and A. Highly Skilled Professional 2 is for people who have already carried out Highly Skilled Professional 1 activities for three years. It has an indefinite period of stay and wider permitted activities, and still requires 70 points or more at the time of the change.

You do not have to keep 70 points at every moment during your stay. An extension will not be granted, however, if the total is below 70 at renewal.

What should you write down before you resign?

Ask the employer which of the three activity types they will use, what annual salary they will declare (the official Q and A says bonuses count, and overtime does not), and which documents they will give you for the points table. Complete the official table yourself and keep the PDF and the check date.

Frequently asked questions

If my points look strong, can I ignore the 3 million yen minimum?

No, not for specialised or technical activities, or for business management activities. The official Q and A says the minimum still applies.

Should I pay a fee to apply for the job?

No. Never pay a fee to apply.

Is this legal advice?

No. Check the official Agency pages and the English points table before a decision about your own case.

Disclosure: I work on Dev Global Jobs. This guide was written by the Dev Global Jobs Team.

Sources: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, Points evaluation, https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/resources/newimmiact_3_evaluate_index.html; Points Calculation Table (English PDF), https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001398882.pdf; Highly Skilled Professional points Q and A (April 2026), https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/resources/newimmiact_3_qa.html; Highly Skilled Professional status page, https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/status/designatedactivities02_00004.html, all accessed 11 November 2026.

Dev Global Jobs Team