Engineer/ Specialist in Humanities/ International Services

Engineer/ Specialist in Humanities/ International Services is one of Japanese visa status. This status is the most popular visa status of Japan. It is for workers who work in the office and engineer, in short.

This status used to be two different statuses, “Engineer” and “Specialist in Humanities/ International Services”.  And these statuses were integrated into one status, because increasing applicants fell under both of statuses. Then the name of  this status is long.

Within this status “Engineer” and “Specialist in Humanities” are similar  to each other, and  “International Services” is different from them in requirement of applicants.

Requirement of Engineer/ Specialist in Humanities/ International Services

There are requirement about followings matters to get this status.

  • Having degree of university or Japanese vocational school, or work experience
  • Nature of work
  • Receiving salary not cheaper than that of Japanese employees of employer company

Degree of university or Japanese vocational school, or work experience

Basic requirement

Most of holders of this status are university degree holder. The degree must be connected to the work duty. For example, with literature degree, they can’t work as engineer.

With degree granted from some of Japanese vocational schools, you can get this status as well. But not all of vocational schools’ degree are available for this status. Some school can give degree, called “Senmonshi“. Only this degree is available for this status.

Without either of university degree or vocational school’s degree, this status can be obtained with at least 10 years experience.

Shorter requirement for International Services

If the work duty is one of the followings, with 3 years experience, this status can be obtained.

  • translation or interpretation
  • language instruction (typically English teachers)
  • public relations
  • overseas transactions
  • fashion
  • interior design
  • product development

Easier requirement for translation, interpretation, and language instruction

If applicant has university degree, they can get this status regardless of their majors. For other works, they must study something about their duty as described above.

Nature of work

Duties of Engineer/ Specialist in Humanities

Their duties under “Engineer/ Specialist in Humanities” in this status must be related to what they have studied at their university, and it must require certain level of knowledge about:

  • technology, physical science, engineering or other natural scientific fields, or
  • jurisprudence, economics, sociology or other human science fields.

For example with this status, they can’t work at restaurants, or work as construction worker.

Duties of International Services

For translation, interpretation, language instruction, public relations, overseas transactions, fashion or interior design, or product development, it falls under duties of International Services, and easier requirement applies to applicants. Under immigration law, the duties of International Services are defined as “duties require ways of thinking or sensibilities that have their foundations in a foreign culture”, technically.

Salary

The receiving salary must not be cheaper than that of Japanese employees of same company. There is no fixed required amount of salary. It’s said that 200,000 JPY is one of criteria.