Each residence status allows a defined set of activities. Someone who wants to do something their status does not cover, such as a student who has accepted a full-time job or a dependant who wants to work full time, must apply to the regional immigration bureau to change status. The application is made in Japan, with the same kind of evidence as a new visa: for a work status, the employer's documents, the employment contract and proof that the person's background fits the job.
Timing is the main constraint. The application must be filed before the current period of stay ends. If the decision has not come by then, the applicant may remain lawfully until the decision or until two months after the original expiry, whichever is sooner, but may not start the new activity until the change is granted. Changes from the Temporary Visitor status are allowed only in exceptional circumstances; a person who comes as a visitor and receives an offer normally has to go through the certificate of eligibility route and enter again.
Fees rose sharply on 1 October 2026. A counter application now costs between 10,000 yen, for a period of three months or less, and 75,000 yen, for five years, with 33,000 yen for one year; online applications are cheaper. The fee was 6,000 yen before.
What it means for a foreign employer
- Graduate hires need a change, not a new visa. International students finishing a Japanese degree apply to change to a work status before their student status expires. Start in the autumn for an April start.
- The new job cannot start early. Until the change is granted, the person may not work in the new role, even if their old status is still valid.
- Budget for the fee. At up to 75,000 yen per application, many employers now cover immigration fees for hires and their families.
- Hiring a visitor takes longer. Someone in Japan on a short-term visit usually has to leave and come back on a certificate of eligibility, which can take one to three months.
Sources
- Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Article 20; Article 67 and the Order for Enforcement on fees, as amended in 2026.
- Immigration Services Agency, fee tables for applications from 1 October 2026.