From vocational school to Specified Skilled Worker (i): what graduates need to know before changing from Student

More and more international students who graduate from a vocational school (専門学校, senmon gakko) in Japan are starting their careers on the Specified Skilled Worker (i) status (特定技能1号, often shortened to “SSW (i)”), not on the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status (技術・人文知識・国際業務, “ESI”).

There are good reasons for this. The SSW (i) status does not require your job to match what you studied, and it covers hands-on work, such as in hotels, care facilities and food factories, that the ESI status does not. But it has its own requirements and limits, and some fields are currently closed to new applicants.

This article explains who the SSW (i) status suits, what you and your employer must prepare, and the mistakes to avoid when you change from the Student status.

ESI or SSW (i)? The main differences

If your job fits the ESI status and your studies match it, ESI is usually the more flexible option in the long term. SSW (i) is a good choice when the work you want is hands-on work in one of the designated fields, or when your studies do not match an ESI-type job. See our article Graduating in 2027? Changing from Student to Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa, step by step for the ESI route.

First, check that your field is open

SSW (i) is available only in designated fields, such as care, building cleaning, industrial product manufacturing, construction, accommodation, agriculture, food and beverage manufacturing and food service. Each field has its own skills test and its own cap on the number of workers.

Food service is currently closed to new applicants

Many vocational school students work part-time in restaurants and hope to continue in the same field. However, the food service field (外食業) reached its cap, and since April 13, 2026, the ISA has in principle refused applications to change to SSW (i) in food service. Applications for certificates of eligibility from overseas are also not being issued. The main exceptions are people who already work in the field on the SSW (i) status and are changing employers.

The suspension continues until the situation changes, for example, if the cap is raised. If you were planning to work in food service, check the latest ISA notice before you prepare, and consider a different field such as food and beverage manufacturing or accommodation.

Check the test schedule

Skills tests are held separately for each field, and dates can be limited. Check the test schedule for your field early, so that you can pass both tests before your student status expires.

Requirements for you

Skills test and Japanese test

You need to pass:

• The skills test for your field, and
• A Japanese test: generally the Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese (JFT-Basic) or JLPT N4 or higher. Some fields require more.

Care field: you need to pass the Specified Skills Evaluation Test for the care field (介護分野における特定技能評価試験), which consists of two tests: the Nursing Care Skills Evaluation Test (介護技能評価試験) and the Nursing Care Japanese Language Evaluation Test (介護日本語評価試験). In addition, you need to pass a general Japanese test (JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 or higher).

Students in Japan can take these tests in Japan. The operation guidelines state that anyone staying in Japan with a status of residence can take the tests held in Japan. (Nationals of a few countries that do not cooperate with deportation procedures cannot take the tests in Japan.)

Technical intern trainees can be exempted from the tests, but students cannot. You must pass the tests yourself.

A good record as a student

The operation guidelines give, as an example of a case where a change of status is not normally permitted, a Student status holder whose enrollment record at their school was poor, unless there was a good reason for not studying.

In practice, immigration checks:

• Your attendance and whether you actually graduated
• Your part-time work: working more than 28 hours a week in total (8 hours a day during long holidays) counts against you, as it does for any work status

Taxes, health insurance and pension

Unlike a change to the ESI status, a change to SSW (i) requires you to submit proof that you have paid your taxes, health insurance and pension. The ISA’s document list asks for the following:

• National tax: a tax payment certificate (Form 3) (納税証明書（その3）) from the tax office. The ISA notes that if you have more than one part-time job, you need to file a tax return (確定申告) first.
• Resident tax: your resident tax payment certificate for the most recent year whose payment deadlines have all passed, and your resident tax certificate (課税証明書) for the same year
• National Health Insurance: a certificate of payment of your National Health Insurance premiums (tax) for the most recent year
• National Pension: your pension record (被保険者記録照会回答票), and either your payment record (被保険者記録照会（納付Ⅱ）) or copies of your pension payment receipts for the 24 months up to two months before the month you apply. (If you submit the receipts, the pension record is not needed.)

Pay any unpaid amounts before you apply. If you have used the student payment exemption (学生納付特例) for your pension, check how that period appears on your pension record at a pension office before you apply.

Health

You must be in good health. If you are changing status from within Japan, you can submit a medical certificate from a doctor in Japan issued within one year before the application.

You must be 18 or older

Requirements for your employer

Your employer (the “specified skilled worker accepting organization”) must also meet strict requirements. The main ones are:

• Direct employment. You must be employed directly by the company. Dispatch work is allowed only in agriculture and fisheries.
• Equal pay. Your pay must be at least equal to that of a Japanese employee doing the same work.
• Membership in the field’s council. The company must join the council (協議会) for its field.
• A support plan. The company must provide support, such as an orientation, help finding housing, opening a bank account and learning Japanese. It can outsource this to a registered support organization (登録支援機関). From April 2027, outsourcing will be allowed only to registered support organizations.
• No deposits or penalties. Neither the company nor anyone else may make you pay a deposit, or sign a contract with penalties, in connection with your job.

The documents you need

The list is longer than for the ESI status. In general:

From you:

• Application form for change of status of residence and a photo
• Passport and residence card
• Skills test and Japanese test certificates (pass certificates)
• Medical certificate (within one year)
• National tax, resident tax, National Health Insurance and National Pension documents (see above)
• Documents signed by you, such as the employment contract and working conditions, in a language you understand

From your employer:

• Documents about the company, such as registration and tax and social insurance payment records
• The support plan, or a contract with a registered support organization
• Field-specific documents, such as proof of council membership

Depending on your nationality, additional procedures required by your home country may also apply.

Timing: plan backwards from your graduation

Unlike the ESI route, there is no fixed “December to January” application window for SSW (i). But you still need to plan carefully:

1. Pass both tests while you are still a student.
2. Sign an employment contract with your future employer.
3. Collect your documents, including your tax and pension records.
4. Apply for a change of status well before your student status expires.

After graduation

• Don’t keep working part-time. Your permission for part-time work ends when your student activity ends, even if your residence card has not expired yet.
• Don’t start working before you receive your new residence card.

If you are not ready in time

If you cannot complete the application before your student status expires for a good reason, you may be able to apply for Designated Activities for preparing to move to SSW (i) (特定活動・移行準備). You need to have passed the tests and have a contract with your future employer. You can stay for 6 months (renewable once, in principle) and work for that employer in the same kind of work. This period counts toward your 5-year limit.

After you get the SSW (i) status

• The 5-year limit. Your total time on the SSW (i) status cannot exceed 5 years. Time spent on the preparation-period Designated Activities status counts toward this.
• Changing jobs. You can change employers within the same field, or to another field if you pass that field’s tests. Each time, you need a new change of status permission before you start working for the new employer.
• Family. Your spouse and children cannot join you on the SSW (i) status.
• The next step: SSW (ii). If you pass the higher-level test for your field, you may be able to move to SSW (ii) (特定技能2号). SSW (ii) has no limit on renewals, and your family can join you.

Summary checklist

• ☐Your field is open (food service is closed to new applicants since April 13, 2026)
• ☐You have checked the test schedule and passed the skills test and Japanese test
• ☐Your attendance and enrollment record are good
• ☐Your part-time work has never exceeded 28 hours a week in total
• ☐Your national tax, resident tax, National Health Insurance and pension (24 months) are paid, and you have the certificates
• ☐You have a medical certificate issued within one year
• ☐Your employer offers direct employment at equal pay and has a support plan
• ☐You will apply well before your student status expires
• ☐After graduation, you will stop part-time work and wait for your new card before starting work

This article provides general information and is not legal advice. It is based on the Immigration Services Agency of Japan’s operation guidelines for the Specified Skilled Worker system and related notices as of October 2026. Requirements differ by field and may change, so please check the ISA website before you apply.