“We want to hire foreign nationals, but we don’t know where to find them.” This is a consultation we often receive from owners and general affairs staff of construction companies. Where to look for people, immigration procedures, procedures with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), social insurance and daily-life support after hiring: many parties are involved, and in practice it is hard to see whom to ask for what. In this article, based on official materials, we set out how the different ways of finding workers differ, the flow from hiring to the start of work, and who is responsible for what.
Sources: MLIT, “Acceptance of Foreign Skilled Workers in the Construction Field” (overview material) / MLIT, “Application Guide, Forms and System Operation Instructions [Specified Skilled Worker System (Construction Field)]” / MLIT, “Online Application for the Construction Specified Skilled Worker Acceptance Plan [New]” / Ministry of Justice and MLIT, “Operational Guidelines for the Acceptance of Specified Skilled Foreign Nationals in Specific Fields: Standards for the Construction Field” / “Policy on the Operation of the System for the Specified Skilled Worker Status of Residence and Policy on the Operation of the Employment for Skill Development System in the Construction Field” / Immigration Services Agency of Japan, “Operational Guidelines for the Acceptance of Specified Skilled Foreign Nationals” (August, Reiwa 8 (2026)) / Immigration Services Agency of Japan, “Country-Specific Information on Specified Skilled Worker” / Immigration Services Agency of Japan and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “About the Technical Intern Training Program for Foreign Nationals” (revised August 14, Reiwa 8 (2026)) / Immigration Services Agency of Japan, “Approval Procedures as a Filing Agent” / e-Gov Law Search, “Administrative Scriveners Act,” Articles 1-3 and 19; “Employment Security Act,” Article 32-11
Construction companies’ concerns, handled one-stop. Hiring foreign nationals involves many parties: immigration, MLIT, Hello Work and JAC. As an administrative scrivener (gyoseishoshi) office, we prepare and file everything from status of residence application documents to the MLIT acceptance plan application as your agent and the notification documents required after acceptance. Concerns about labor, social insurance, tax and legal matters are also received at our office’s single point of contact, in cooperation with our partner professionals.
First Decide: What Work, and Under Which Status of Residence
Before you look for people, hiring foreign nationals starts with deciding what work they will do. This is because the status of residence (the qualification needed to work in Japan) that can be used depends on the nature of the work.
| Work you want done | Main status of residence | Key points |
|---|---|---|
| On-site construction work (formwork, rebar, scaffolding (tobi), interior finishing, piping, electrical work, etc.) | Specified Skilled Worker (i) (特定技能1号) | The person must pass the construction field skills test and a Japanese language test, or have satisfactorily completed Technical Intern Training (ii) (技能実習2号) |
| Technical work such as construction management and design | Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (技術・人文知識・国際業務) | The work must relate to what the person studied at university or a similar institution. Jobs centered on on-site work are not eligible |
| Any type of work | Permanent Resident (永住者), Spouse or Child of Japanese National (日本人の配偶者等), Long-Term Resident (定住者), etc. | Statuses of residence with no restrictions on work. Hire after checking the residence card |
Most construction companies that want foreign nationals for on-site work accept them mainly as Specified Skilled Worker (i). For Specified Skilled Worker in the construction field, the following additional standards apply on top of the standards common to all fields.
- Holding a construction business licence
- Registering both the company and the foreign national with the Construction Career Up System (CCUS; a system for registering skilled workers’ qualifications and work histories)
- Belonging to the Japan Association for Construction Human Resources (JAC), or to a construction industry association that is a regular member of JAC
- Paying remuneration at least equal to that of a Japanese worker with equivalent skills, stably on a monthly salary basis, and raising pay as skills improve
- Explaining the important terms of the employment contract in advance, in a language the person fully understands
- The number of Specified Skilled Worker (i) foreign nationals not exceeding the number of full-time staff
- Obtaining certification of a Construction Specified Skilled Worker Acceptance Plan (建設特定技能受入計画) from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
If you do not yet hold a construction business licence, obtaining one comes first (Steps to Obtaining a Construction Business Licence). For details of the additional standards, see Specified Skilled Worker in the Construction Field | The Special Requirements of CCUS Registration and JAC Membership, and for choosing a status of residence, see Differences Between Specified Skilled Worker and the Engineer Visa.
Four Main Ways to Find Workers
When hiring on-site workers as Specified Skilled Worker (i), there are four main ways to find them. The required tests, the immigration procedure and the time involved differ for each.
| Route | Tests | Immigration procedure | Time and features |
|---|---|---|---|
| ① Bringing workers from overseas | Must pass both skills and Japanese | Application for a Certificate of Eligibility → visa → entry | In addition to certification of the acceptance plan and the immigration examination, time is needed for the visa and travel. Some countries also require procedures on their side |
| ② Former technical intern trainees in Japan | Exempt upon satisfactory completion of Technical Intern Training (ii) (related occupations) | Application for change of status of residence | Certification of the acceptance plan can be applied for from 6 months before the completion date, which makes planning easier |
| ③ Specified Skilled Worker (i) holders in Japan changing jobs | Not required for work in the same job category | Application for change of status of residence | Cannot work at the new company until permission is granted |
| ④ International students and others with a different status of residence | Must pass both skills and Japanese | Application for change of status of residence | Passing the tests is a prerequisite. For technical work, Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services is also an option |
① Bringing Workers from Overseas
The person must pass both a construction field skills test (the Construction Field Specified Skilled Worker (i) Evaluation Test or the Grade 3 National Trade Skills Test) and a Japanese language test (such as the Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese (JFT-Basic) or the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) at N4 or above). The tests are held both outside and inside Japan.
The procedure is to obtain certification of the acceptance plan from MLIT and a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) (在留資格認定証明書) from immigration, after which the person obtains a visa at the Japanese embassy or consulate general in their country and enters Japan. Because there is an entry procedure, this takes longer than hiring in Japan.
Depending on nationality, procedures in the other country may also be required. For example, Vietnamese nationals are required to submit a recommendation list (推薦者表) approved by the Vietnamese government. The Immigration Services Agency of Japan publishes each country’s procedures in its “Country-Specific Information on Specified Skilled Worker.” For the general flow of bringing workers from overseas, How to Recruit Foreign Workers from Overseas is also a useful reference.
② Hiring Former Technical Intern Trainees in Japan
A person who has satisfactorily completed Technical Intern Training (ii) is exempt from the skills and Japanese language tests if their occupation is a related one among the 25 construction-related occupations. Because the person is in Japan, the procedure is an application for change of status of residence (在留資格変更許可申請). MLIT states that, when a worker moves on directly from technical intern training, certification of the acceptance plan can be applied for from 6 months before the completion date of the technical intern training plan. Being able to prepare by working backward from the completion date is an advantage of this route. For details, see Procedures for Moving from Technical Intern Training to Specified Skilled Worker.
The Technical Intern Training system is scheduled to be replaced by the Employment for Skill Development (育成就労) system from April 1, Reiwa 9 (2027). The field-specific operational policy for the construction field sets at 2 years the period during which transfer at the worker’s own request is restricted under Employment for Skill Development. For an overview of the system, see Employment for Skill Development Starts April 1, 2027.
③ Hiring Specified Skilled Worker (i) Holders Already Working in Japan
People already working as Specified Skilled Worker (i) in the construction field can change jobs within the same field. However, they must obtain permission for change of status of residence, and the Immigration Services Agency’s Operational Guidelines state that “while an application for change of status of residence is pending, work activities at the intended new place of employment are not permitted.” In addition, MLIT’s Operational Guidelines state that even when hiring a job changer, certification of the acceptance plan is always required, because a new employment contract is concluded.
④ Hiring International Students and Others with a Different Status of Residence
When hiring international students and others as on-site workers, the person must pass the skills and Japanese language tests and then apply for change of status of residence to Specified Skilled Worker (i). When hiring people who studied civil engineering or architecture at university or a similar institution for construction management or design work, Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services is an option (Requirements and Cautions for Companies Hiring on an Engineer Visa).
Where to Look for People
- Hello Work: People in Japan who hold a status of residence that allows them to work can also apply for jobs posted at Hello Work (the public employment security office). MLIT’s application guide lists, as one of the conditions for certification of the acceptance plan, that the company is recruiting regular employees for the same occupation as the Specified Skilled Worker (recruitment through Hello Work).
- Japan Association for Construction Human Resources (JAC): MLIT materials list a free employment placement service as one of JAC’s main activities.
- Employment for Skill Development (currently Technical Intern Training): A way of accepting workers on the premise of training them in Japan. Under Technical Intern Training (supervising organization type), trainees are accepted through a supervising organization (監理団体); under Employment for Skill Development from April, Reiwa 9 (2027), workers are accepted through a supervising and supporting organization (監理支援機関).
- Engineers for construction management, design and similar roles: You can also receive introductions from employment placement businesses and others.
For people engaged in on-site work, there are legal restrictions on how they may be placed. Fee-charging employment placement businesses must not refer job seekers to occupations in construction work (civil engineering, building and similar work, or work preparing for it) (Article 32-11(1) of the Employment Security Act). On-site workers are basically found through Hello Work or JAC job postings, acceptance under Employment for Skill Development (currently Technical Intern Training), and similar channels.
The Flow from Hiring to the Start of Work
Taking as an example the case of bringing a worker from overseas as Specified Skilled Worker (i), the flow is as follows. When hiring in Japan, step 7 (visa and entry) does not apply, and an application for change of status of residence is made instead.
- Decide the hiring policy Decide the work to be assigned (there are three job categories: civil engineering, building, and lifelines and equipment), the number of people (up to the number of full-time staff) and the timing.
- Post job openings Look for workers through Hello Work, JAC job postings and other channels. At the same time, also recruit regular employees aimed at Japanese nationals (through Hello Work).
- Interviews and job offers Making an informal job offer before the person passes the tests is not prohibited. However, acceptance will not be approved unless the person passes the required tests.
- Construction-field preparations Complete JAC membership (you can apply for the acceptance plan only after the membership certificate has been issued) and CCUS business registration (you cannot apply for the acceptance plan while your registration application is still pending). Both take a certain amount of time.
- Employment contract and advance explanation Before concluding the employment contract, explain wages and other matters in a language the person understands, using the Pre-Contract Explanation of Important Matters (重要事項事前説明書). Also prepare the Support Plan for Specified Skilled Worker (i) Foreign Nationals (1号特定技能外国人支援計画; a plan for daily-life support). If this is your first time accepting a Specified Skilled Worker, submit a Cooperation Confirmation Form (協力確認書) to the municipalities where your place of business and the worker’s residence are located, before applying for the status of residence.
- Application for certification of the acceptance plan and the status of residence application The application to MLIT for certification of the acceptance plan can be made from about 6 months before the employment start date, and certification is expected to take about one and a half to two months (excluding time for corrections). The immigration application is generally filed 2 to 3 months before the desired start date of work, and it can also be filed in parallel with the acceptance plan. However, immigration will not grant permission until the acceptance plan has been certified.
- Visa and entry Send the Certificate of Eligibility to the person, who then obtains a visa in their own country and enters Japan.
- Notifications after joining File the notification of employment status of foreign nationals with Hello Work, enroll the person in social insurance, and submit an acceptance report to MLIT (in principle within 1 month after acceptance). A person who has come from overseas should complete CCUS skilled worker registration promptly after entry.
- Support and training Provide daily-life support in line with the support plan, and have the person attend the post-acceptance training designated by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism within roughly 3 to 6 months after acceptance. The training must be treated as a working day.
The notifications and the social insurance and tax procedures that continue after hiring are summarized in Procedures After Hiring a Foreign National.
Who Is Responsible for What
Many parties are involved in hiring foreign nationals. When you engage our office, the roles are divided as follows.
| Party | Main roles |
|---|---|
| Company (accepting company) | Hiring decisions, interviews, employment contract, payment of wages, on-site instruction and safety and health education; the named holder of the construction business licence, JAC membership and CCUS registration |
| Cooperative association (協同組合; a supervising organization for which our representative serves as an advisor) | Acceptance under Employment for Skill Development (currently Technical Intern Training) (in cooperation with our office). Introduction of engineers for construction management, design and similar roles |
| Our office (administrative scrivener and Registered Support Organization) | Sorting out which status of residence to use; working with the company on Specified Skilled Worker job postings (Hello Work, JAC); preparing status of residence application documents and submitting them as a filing agent; applying to MLIT as your agent for certification of the acceptance plan and for acceptance reports; CCUS registration on your behalf; assistance with JAC membership; preparing the support plan and providing support; preparing post-acceptance notification documents; construction business licences; bookkeeping services; serving as your point of contact for consultations |
| Partner professionals | Labor and social insurance are handled by a labor and social security attorney (社会保険労務士), financial statements and tax returns by a certified tax accountant (税理士), and legal issues by an attorney |
In addition, JAC, as a construction industry organization, is the body that accepting companies join, and the Foundation for International Transfer of Skills and Knowledge in Construction (FITS) (国際建設技能振興機構) conducts the post-acceptance training and monitoring visits. Even with the parties the company deals with directly, if you know what will be asked of you and in what order, you can proceed calmly.
Points to Watch Out For
Deposits and penalties for breach taken from the worker are not permitted. Under the Specified Skilled Worker system, one of the standards is that neither the person nor their family has been made to pay a deposit, had their property placed under someone else’s management, or been made to sign a contract stipulating a penalty for breach. The Immigration Services Agency’s Operational Guidelines explain that this provision broadly covers not only accepting companies and placement businesses but also intermediaries (brokers) between the home country and Japan, and that if an accepting company employs such a person knowing this, it falls under the grounds for disqualification and the company cannot accept workers for five years. Under Technical Intern Training as well, the absence of deposit collection and penalty clauses is one of the standards for the plan.
When receiving an introduction, check the source of the introduction. The Operational Guidelines require that, where someone mediates the conclusion of the employment contract, the mediation be received from a party that has obtained a licence or filed a notification under the Employment Security Act. You can check this on the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s “Human Resources Services Comprehensive Site” (人材サービス総合サイト). Also, as noted above, fee-charging employment placement businesses cannot refer job seekers to occupations in on-site work. Be careful if someone offers to introduce on-site workers for a fee.
Costs the worker paid overseas also need to be checked. If the person has paid fees to an organization abroad, they must fully understand and agree to the amount and breakdown. It is reassuring to ask during the hiring interview how much the person has had to bear.
Check the residence card before hiring. Hiring someone without checking their status of residence, period of stay and whether they are permitted to work can lead to illegal employment issues. For how to check, see Verifying the IC Chip with the Residence Card Reader App and The Zero Illegal Residents Plan.
If You Engage Our Office
Our office takes on all of a construction company’s concerns about hiring foreign nationals on a one-stop basis. Beyond administrative scrivener procedures, we respond in cooperation with our partner labor and social security attorney for labor and social insurance, our partner certified tax accountant for financial statements and tax returns, and our partner attorney for legal issues.
Finding Workers: The Approach Depends on the Type of Work
- On-site workers: Acceptance under Employment for Skill Development (currently Technical Intern Training) is handled in cooperation with a cooperative association (a supervising organization) for which our representative serves as an advisor. For Specified Skilled Worker candidates, we work together with your company on job postings through Hello Work, JAC and other channels.
- Engineers for construction management, design and similar roles: Introductions can be made through the cooperative association for which our representative serves as an advisor, in cooperation with our office.
What We Can Do Because We Are Administrative Scriveners
Our office is a Registered Support Organization and, at the same time, an administrative scrivener office. Only administrative scriveners and attorneys may prepare documents for submission to government agencies for a fee (Articles 1-3 and 19(1) of the Administrative Scriveners Act). The Immigration Services Agency also cautions that acting as a filing agent (取次) is the factual act of submitting applications and the like, and that anyone other than an attorney or administrative scrivener who prepares applications and the like as a business for a fee may be violating the Administrative Scriveners Act.
| Service | Our office (administrative scrivener and Registered Support Organization) | Ordinary Registered Support Organization that is not an administrative scrivener |
|---|---|---|
| Preparing status of residence application documents (including Specified Skilled Worker) | Yes | Cannot prepare them on your behalf |
| Preparing periodic and ad hoc notification documents filed by the accepting company | Yes, on your behalf | Cannot prepare them on your behalf (only its own notifications) |
| Application to MLIT for certification of the acceptance plan and acceptance reports | Yes, as your agent | Cannot apply as your agent |
| Daily-life support in line with the support plan | Yes | Yes |
MLIT’s application guide also clearly states that an application for the acceptance plan filed by an agent must be accompanied by an administrative scrivener’s or attorney’s identification certificate, and that anyone other than an administrative scrivener or attorney is prohibited from preparing Specified Skilled Worker applications and the like for a fee. Our office has in fact filed many of these applications for certification of the acceptance plan as an agent. We also handle CCUS registration on your behalf and can assist with JAC membership. Our office also handles obtaining construction business licences and company formation.
Handled by a Representative Who Knows the Front Line
- Our representative previously served as chairman of a cooperative association (a supervising organization and Registered Support Organization), working on the front line of accepting technical intern trainees and Specified Skilled Workers and handling their procedures and support. He now serves as an advisor to that cooperative association.
- He served as a foreign employment counselor at the Chiba Public Employment Security Office (Hello Work Chiba), where he handled many consultations from companies hiring foreign nationals for the first time.
- 98% approval rate track record
- Status of residence applications are submitted to immigration on behalf of your company and the worker by our representative, an administrative scrivener who has filed notification as a filing agent (申請取次).
- Our office also provides bookkeeping services. Whichever professionals are involved, our office serves as your single point of contact.
Your first consultation is free for 60 minutes. Online consultations are available, and you are also welcome to visit our office, a 4-minute walk from the South Exit of JR Chiba Station. Consultations are available in Japanese and Chinese.
Summary
- Hiring foreign nationals starts with deciding the work to be assigned and the status of residence. For on-site work, Specified Skilled Worker (i) is the main option.
- Specified Skilled Worker in the construction field has additional standards such as a construction business licence, JAC membership, CCUS registration, a monthly salary and certification of the acceptance plan. JAC membership and CCUS registration must be completed before applying for the acceptance plan.
- There are four ways to find workers: bringing them from overseas, former technical intern trainees in Japan, Specified Skilled Worker (i) holders in Japan changing jobs, and international students and others. The tests, procedures and time differ for each.
- Certification of the acceptance plan is expected to take about one and a half to two months, and immigration will not grant permission until it is certified.
- Deposits and penalties for breach taken from the worker are not permitted. When receiving an introduction, check whether the source has obtained a licence or filed a notification.
- Fee-charging employment placement businesses cannot refer job seekers to occupations in on-site work. On-site workers are found through Hello Work or JAC job postings, acceptance under Employment for Skill Development (currently Technical Intern Training), and similar channels.
- As administrative scriveners, we can prepare and file everything from status of residence application documents and accepting companies’ notification documents to the MLIT acceptance plan application as your agent. From finding workers (acceptance under Employment for Skill Development / Technical Intern Training and introductions of engineers, both in cooperation with the cooperative association) to consultations on labor, tax and legal matters, we take care of it all on a one-stop basis.
This article is based on information published as of October 2026. Systems, forms and estimated processing times may change, so please check the websites of MLIT and the Immigration Services Agency of Japan for the latest information.