The Intra-company Transferee status covers people sent to Japan by their own employer group. The sending and receiving offices must be linked: a head office and its branch, a parent and subsidiary, or companies within a defined affiliate relationship. The work in Japan must fall within the same kinds of activity as the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status, and pay must be at least what a Japanese employee in the same role would receive. About 18,000 people held the status at the end of 2024, a small number next to the main professional work visa.
Two conditions set it apart. The employee must have worked at the overseas office, in qualifying work, for at least one year continuously and immediately before the transfer; separate stints that add up to a year do not count. In exchange, there is no requirement for a degree related to the job, or for ten years of experience, which is often the sticking point for the standard work visa. Periods of stay are five years, three years, one year or three months, and the status assumes a transfer for a defined period rather than a permanent move.
The status belongs to the transfer, not to the person. It does not let the holder change to another employer in Japan; a new job outside the group needs a change of status.
What it means for a foreign employer
- It solves the no-degree problem. A strong regional manager without a relevant degree may not qualify for the standard work visa, but can come in this way if they have a year at the overseas entity first.
- The one-year clock matters. Hiring someone abroad and sending them to Tokyo after eight months does not work under this status. Plan the sequence, or use a different visa.
- Decide who employs them. The transferee may stay on an overseas contract or sign with the Japanese entity. That choice drives payroll, social insurance and tax, and needs settling before the application.
- It is a temporary status by design. For an expatriate expected to stay, the Highly Skilled Professional route may offer a faster path to permanent residency.
Sources
- Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, Appended Table I(2) (Intra-company Transferee), and Ministry of Justice landing permission criteria.
- Immigration Services Agency, statistics on foreign residents by status, end of 2024.