Graduating in 2027? Changing from Student to Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa, step by step

If you are an international student graduating in March 2027 and you have a job offer from a company in Japan, you will need to change your status of residence from Student (留学) to a work status before you start working. For most office jobs, that status is Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (技術・人文知識・国際業務, often shortened to “ESI” or “Gijinkoku”).

Every year, many students start this process too late or discover a problem only after they apply. This article explains the process step by step: when to apply, what immigration looks at, and what to avoid in the months around graduation.

The timeline at a glance

For April hires, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) asks students to apply between December 1 and the end of January. This is its busiest season. If you apply in February or later, the result may not arrive in time for your start date.

Step 1: Check that the job matches what you studied

The ESI status covers work that requires knowledge from your field of study, such as engineering, IT, law, economics or business, or work based on a foreign culture, such as translation, interpreting or overseas sales. Simple labour, like working on a production line or in a restaurant kitchen, is not covered.

How strictly immigration compares your major with your job depends on where you studied:

• University graduates (including graduate school and junior college): ISA’s guideline says it judges the connection between your major and the job flexibly. It does not need to be an exact match.
• Graduates of a certified vocational school course (認定専修学校専門課程): ISA also judges the connection flexibly for these graduates. These are courses certified by the Minister of Education (under the Program for Promoting Career Development of International Students, 外国人留学生キャリア形成促進プログラム) because they offer practical training in cooperation with companies and an environment that helps students understand Japanese society. ISA considers that graduates of these courses have received high-quality education and can apply what they learned. Ask your school whether your course is certified.
• Other vocational school (senmon gakko) graduates with the senmon-shi title: in principle, ISA requires a considerable connection between the subjects you studied and the job. It may also look at your courses as a whole to see whether you gained the knowledge the job needs. Even so, a graduate of a hotel management course applying for a job as an accountant, for example, is likely to have difficulty.

Immigration looks at what you will actually do, not only at your job title. Titles such as “general staff” (総合職) are common in Japan, so ask your employer to describe your duties concretely in the documents.

If your job does not match your studies

If you graduated from a Japanese university (including graduate school and junior college) or a certified vocational school course (認定専修学校専門課程), and you have high Japanese ability (JLPT N1 or BJT 480 points or more), you may qualify for Designated Activities (No. 46) (特定活動46号) instead. This status allows a wider range of work that uses Japanese in communication, including some customer service work that the ESI status does not cover.

Step 2: Check your own record as a student

Immigration reviews how you have lived in Japan as a student. The most common problems are:

Working more than 28 hours a week

With Permission to Engage in Activities Other Than Those Permitted (資格外活動許可), students can work up to 28 hours per week (up to 8 hours a day during long school holidays). ISA’s guideline states that a student who regularly works more than 28 hours a week is not considered to have good conduct. In one refusal example, a student had worked over 200 hours a month for more than a year.

The limit is the total of all your part-time jobs. Your hours can be checked through the employment reports your employers submit, and your income appears on your tax records. Since April 2026, Japanese language schools are also required to check their students’ part-time work every three months.

Attendance and grades

Low attendance or failing to graduate on time can also count against you. And if you do not graduate, your application cannot be approved.

Taxes, health insurance and pension

Make sure you have paid your resident tax and National Health Insurance premiums. For the National Pension, students can apply for the student payment exemption (学生納付特例) instead of paying. If you have not paid and have not applied for the exemption, it will appear as unpaid. Fix any unpaid amounts before you apply.

Step 3: Check your employer and your contract

Immigration also reviews the company and the terms of your job:

• Pay: your salary must be at least equal to what a Japanese employee receives for the same work. In one refusal example, the foreign graduate’s salary was lower than that of Japanese graduates hired at the same time.
• A real business: the company must actually operate at the address stated, and the contract must be genuine.
• Enough work of the right kind: the company must have enough work within the ESI status for you to do.

Language requirement for interpersonal work (since April 2026)

Since April 15, 2026, applicants who will do interpersonal, language-based work, such as interpreting or front-desk work, for Category 3 or 4 employers (mostly smaller companies) must submit proof of language ability equivalent to CEFR B2. Even with a Category 1 or 2 employer, immigration may ask you for this proof. You are treated as having this level if you have JLPT N2 or higher or BJT 400 points or more, or if you graduated from a Japanese university or completed a vocational school course in Japan. In that case, submit a document that shows this, such as your JLPT certificate or your graduation certificate. This mainly affects students whose degree is from outside Japan and who are studying at a Japanese language school. See our article ESI visa 2026: key changes at a glance.

Step 4: Prepare the documents

The documents you need depend on the category of your employer (Category 1 to 4, based mainly on company size and tax records). Larger companies need fewer documents. In general:

From you:

• Application form for change of status of residence
• Photo (4 cm × 3 cm)
• Passport and residence card
• Certificate of expected graduation (卒業見込証明書) or your degree certificate, and your résumé

From your employer (mainly Categories 3 and 4):

• Employment contract or notice of working conditions
• Corporate registration certificate and a description of the business
• Latest financial statements
• A document showing the employer’s category (for example, the summary of the withholding tax record for the previous year)

Immigration may also ask for additional documents, such as your resident tax certificate, during the review.

Fewer documents for some applicants (since December 2025)

Since December 1, 2025, some students can omit certain employer documents, such as the employment contract and corporate registration. This applies if you fall under one of the following:

1. You have graduated, or will graduate, from a Japanese university (including graduate school and junior college)
2. You graduated from a top overseas university that ranks in the top 300 of at least two of three major world rankings
3. Your employer currently employs a former student who changed from the Student status and has renewed their status at least once while working there

To use this, you must attach an explanation form stating which condition applies. Please note:

• The review criteria do not change. Immigration may still ask for the omitted documents later.
• A false explanation about why documents were omitted may be treated as a fraudulent application.
• Vocational school graduates are not covered by condition 1.

Step 5: Apply between December 1 and January 31

Apply at the regional immigration office that covers your address, or online through the ISA’s online application system.

One exception: if your Student status expires on or before January 31 and you are still studying after that date, do not apply for a change of status between December 1 and January 31. You must first apply to extend your Student status. Check the expiry date on your residence card now.

If your current period of stay expires while your application is being processed, you may stay in Japan until the decision is made, or until two months after the expiry date, whichever comes first.

Step 6: After approval, graduate and collect your new card

When the result is ready, you will receive a notice. But you cannot collect your new residence card until you have graduated. After graduation, take the following to the immigration office:

• Your graduation certificate (or degree certificate)
• Your passport and current residence card
• The notice you received
• The fee

From October 1, 2026, the fee depends on the period of stay you are granted: for example, ¥33,000 for one year or ¥64,000 for three years if you pay at the counter. For online applications, you pay by convenience store or bank transfer. See our article Paying the new visa fees from October 1, 2026 for details.

What not to do after graduation

The weeks between graduation and your start date are when many problems happen.

• Don’t keep your part-time job after graduation. Your permission for part-time work is tied to your activity as a student. Once you graduate, your student activity ends, and you can no longer work part-time under that permission, even if your residence card has not expired yet.
• Don’t start working before you receive your new card. This includes paid training (研修) before your official start date if it is full-time. If your card is not ready by April 1, ask your employer to delay your start date.
• Don’t assume approval. Until you hold the new residence card, you are not permitted to work under the ESI status.

If you don’t have a job offer yet

If you graduate without a job offer, you may still be able to stay and look for work:

• Designated Activities for job hunting (継続就職活動): graduates who were already job hunting while studying can usually stay for 6 months, with one extension, for up to about one year, with a recommendation letter from their school.
• Designated Activities while waiting to start work: if you receive a job offer, you may be able to stay until your start date, provided you will be hired within one year of the job offer and within one year and six months of graduation.

In both cases, you can apply for permission to work part-time up to 28 hours per week.

Summary checklist

• ☐Your job duties are connected to your major (strictest for graduates of non-certified vocational school courses)
• ☐Your part-time work has never exceeded 28 hours a week in total
• ☐Your resident tax and National Health Insurance premiums are paid, and your pension is paid or covered by the student payment exemption
• ☐Your salary is equal to that of Japanese employees
• ☐You have checked whether you can use the simplified documents
• ☐Your Student status does not expire before January 31 (if it does, extend it first)
• ☐You will apply between December 1 and January 31
• ☐After graduation, you will stop part-time work and collect your card with your graduation certificate

This article provides general information and is not legal advice. It is based on information published by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan as of September 2026. The application period and required documents for the 2027 season may be updated, so please check the ISA website before you apply.