What Is Designated Activities No. 46 (Graduates of Japanese Universities)? An Option for Jobs the Engineer Visa Cannot Cover

You graduated from a Japanese university, but the job you want is not accepted under “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” (the Engineer visa). Many international students hit this wall when job hunting. The status of residence “Designated Activities” (Notification No. 46 / graduates of Japanese universities) exists for exactly this situation. This article explains the eligible educational backgrounds and language requirements, the decisive difference from the Engineer visa, and the specific examples of permitted work, following the wording of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan guideline.

Reference: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, “Guideline on ‘Designated Activities’ (Graduates of Japanese Universities) for the Employment Support of International Students” (established May 2019 / revised February 2020 / revised February 2024 / revised April 2026), and “Status of Residence ‘Designated Activities’ (Graduates of Japanese Universities and Their Spouses, etc.)”

What kind of status of residence is Designated Activities No. 46?

The guideline describes the purpose of the system as follows.

This system permits graduates of Japanese universities to engage in a wide range of duties at public or private organizations in Japan, on condition that they utilize the results of their studies acquired at Japanese universities and the high Japanese language ability gained through their experience as international students.

In other words, on condition that both “study at a Japanese university” and “high Japanese language ability gained as an international student” are utilized, a broader scope of work than the Engineer visa is permitted. The status of residence is named “Designated Activities,” and the employer is identified in a designation letter affixed to the passport.

The decisive difference from the Engineer visa

The most important difference is captured in this sentence of the guideline.

Under the status of residence “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services,” activities in which general service duties or manufacturing duties constitute the principal activity are not permitted; however, under this system, if the above requirements are satisfied, such activities are also possible.

The Engineer visa requires duties grounded in academic knowledge, so a working style in which customer service or production line work is the main activity is not accepted. For the full picture of the Engineer visa, see the complete guide to the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa. Under Designated Activities No. 46, such front-line duties may be included if the requirements are met.

This is not unlimited, however. The guideline expressly excludes the following two.

• Duties that by law may only be performed by qualified persons (so-called exclusive professional licenses)
• Duties related to the adult entertainment industry

Regarding the Class 2 driver’s license needed to drive a taxi, the guideline states that because it “is not intended to restrict entry of individuals into a particular market, it does not fall under a so-called exclusive professional license.”

Eligible educational backgrounds

The educational backgrounds set out in Appended Table 11 of the notification and in the guideline are as follows.

Category	Content
University	Graduated from a Japanese university and was conferred a degree
Graduate school	Completed a Japanese graduate school course and was conferred a degree
Junior college / KOSEN	Graduated from (or completed) a Japanese junior college (including the first-half course of a professional university) or a college of technology, passed the screening of the National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education, and was conferred a bachelor’s degree
Approved specialized course	Completed a specialized course of a specialized training college approved by the Minister of Education under the “Regulations on the Certification of Career Formation Promotion Programs for International Students” (MEXT Notification No. 53 of 2023) and obtained the title of Advanced Diploma (Kodo Senmonshi)

Not eligible: The guideline expressly states that “graduates of foreign universities and graduate schools, and those who completed a specialized course or advanced course of a specialized training college that is not an approved specialized course, are not eligible.” Among vocational school graduates, only those who completed a course approved by the Minister of Education and obtained the Advanced Diploma may use this system. Graduates of non-approved vocational schools should consider the Engineer visa route explained in how to obtain an Engineer visa as a vocational school graduate.

Eligibility is not limited to current international students. The guideline notes that “persons who returned home after graduating from a Japanese university, or who have been active under another work-related status of residence, are also eligible.”

Japanese language requirement

Accepted method of proof	Content
Japanese-Language Proficiency Test	Passing N1 (Level 1 under the former test system is also accepted)
BJT	A score of 480 or above on the BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test
Japanese as a major	Those who majored in “Japanese” at a university or graduate school and graduated are treated as satisfying the above

According to the guideline, majoring in “Japanese” means “having been enrolled in a faculty, department or graduate school relating to Japanese language studies (Japanese linguistics, Japanese language education, etc.) and having studied that discipline professionally.” Those who majored in Japanese at a foreign university or graduate school also receive this treatment, but in that case the educational requirement (graduation from a Japanese university, etc.) must still be satisfied separately.

Outlook: The guideline states that “as to the method of assessing Japanese language ability, the above operation applies for the time being, but we will continue to consider the use of the ‘Framework of Reference for Japanese Language Education.’”

What counts as “duties requiring smooth communication in Japanese”

The guideline’s definition is clear.

It is not sufficient to perform passive duties consisting merely of understanding work instructions from the employer and carrying out one’s own tasks; rather, it means duties containing an element of so-called “translation and interpretation,” or duties requiring the Japanese language ability needed to proactively approach third parties, that is, duties requiring two-way communication with others.

“Utilizing the results of one’s studies” is also a requirement. This means that the duties must include work at a certain level or above grounded in academic knowledge of the kind covered by the Engineer visa, or that the person is expected to engage in such work in the future. The examples given are product planning, technology development, sales, management duties, planning duties (public relations), education, and the like.

Specific examples given in the guideline

The guideline pairs each permissible example with an impermissible one.

Industry	Activity that may be permitted	Working style not permitted
Restaurant	Store management duties and customer service that also involves interpretation (serving Japanese customers is also possible)	Only washing dishes in the kitchen or cleaning
Factory	Conveying and instructing, in a foreign language, work instructions received from Japanese employees to technical intern trainees or other foreign employees, while also working on the line oneself	Only performing the tasks instructed on the line
Retail store	Purchasing, product planning, and sales/customer service that also involves interpretation (serving Japanese customers is also possible)	Only displaying products or cleaning the store
Hotel / ryokan	Public relations duties such as launching and updating a foreign-language website that also involves translation, or serving as bell staff or doorman while interpreting (guiding) for foreign guests (serving Japanese guests is also possible)	Only cleaning guest rooms
Taxi company	Planning and proposing measures to attract tourists, and driving as a taxi driver who also provides tourist guidance through interpretation (ordinary driving duties are also possible)	Only vehicle maintenance or cleaning
Care facility	Providing guidance to foreign employees or technical intern trainees while engaging in care work using Japanese	Only cleaning the facility or washing clothes
Food manufacturer	Planning and developing products while communicating with other employees in Japanese, while also working on the production line oneself	Merely joining the production line and performing only the instructed tasks

The key is that the duties must include both “a part that uses Japanese” and “a part that uses the results of one’s studies.” Engaging only in simple labor is not permitted.

Restrictions on the form of contract

Item	Treatment
Employment type	Limited to full-time regular employees; short-hour part-time work is not covered
Dispatch	Working at a host company as a dispatched worker is not permitted
Internal transfer	Transfers or reassignments within the same corporation (an organization with the same corporate number) require no change of status procedure
Job change	A change of contracting party requires an application for change of status of residence
Social insurance	Confirmation of enrollment status may be requested to verify appropriate employment management

This differs from the Engineer visa, where a job change can be handled through notification and a certificate of authorized employment. For the Engineer visa procedure, see procedures for changing jobs on an Engineer visa. Note that for an application for change of status of residence due to a job change, documents proving education and Japanese language ability are not required.

Remuneration, conduct, and notification obligations

Remuneration must be “equal to or greater than that received by a Japanese national engaged in the same work.” The guideline states that this is not judged uniformly against a fixed amount but on the basis of the wage structure of the region and of each company, and that under this system “the wages of Japanese university graduates and graduate school graduates are used as a reference, including with respect to pay raises.”

A point often overlooked when changing from student status: Good conduct is a premise for a change or extension of status, and the guideline expressly states that “where a person has habitually engaged in part-time work exceeding 28 hours per week in violation of the conditions of the permission to engage in activities outside the status qualification, the person is not regarded as being of good conduct.” Fulfilment of residence card notification obligations is also checked. For job-hunting preparation from student status, see also procedures for changing from Student to the Engineer visa.

Bringing family members (Notification No. 47)

A spouse or child supported by a person designated to perform the above activities may be granted the status of residence “Designated Activities” (spouse, etc. of a graduate of a Japanese university; Notification No. 47), under which daily activities are permitted. The application requires documents proving the family relationship with the supporter (family register, certificate of acceptance of marriage registration, marriage certificate, birth certificate, or equivalent), together with the supporter’s certificate of employment, taxation certificate and tax payment certificate. Where the application is filed at the same time as the supporter’s, some of the documents concerning the supporter are not required.

Period of stay and changes to required documents

The period of stay granted is 5 years, 3 years, 1 year, 6 months or 3 months, but the guideline states that “in principle, the period of stay determined at the time of permission to change from the status of residence ‘Student’ and at the time of the first extension of period of stay is ‘1 year.’”

For applications filed on or after 15 April 2026 (Reiwa 8): The Immigration Services Agency website states that applications for this status of residence require the additional submission of a “declaration concerning the representative of the accepting organization” (not required where the applicant seeks to engage in activities as a family member).

The relationship with permanent residence deserves attention. The Guidelines on Permission for Permanent Residence (revised 24 February 2026) require, in addition to 10 years of residence in principle, that “during that period the person has resided continuously for 5 years or more under a work-related status of residence (excluding ‘Technical Intern Training’ and ‘Specified Skilled Worker (i)’) or a status based on personal relationships,” and that the person “is residing with the longest period of stay prescribed in Appended Table 2 of the Regulations for Enforcement of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act for the status of residence currently held.” Under Note 1 of those guidelines, until 31 March 2027 (Reiwa 9) a person holding a period of stay of “3 years” is also treated as residing with the longest period of stay. Because Designated Activities No. 46 is in principle granted for 1 year at first, anyone aiming for permanent residence needs a plan that takes the progression of the period of stay into account. For details, see the guide to applying for permanent residence.

Engineer visa or Designated Activities No. 46: which to choose

Comparison item	Engineer visa	Designated Activities No. 46
Education	Japanese or foreign universities both possible (Diploma of Specialist subject to requirements)	Limited to Japanese universities, etc. (including the Advanced Diploma from an approved specialized course)
Japanese ability	Assessed within the education and work experience requirements	N1 or BJT 480 or above is mandatory
Scope of duties	Duties grounded in academic knowledge. Not permitted where general service or manufacturing duties are the main activity	Broad duties including those using Japanese. Front-line duties are also possible
Dispatch	Possible under certain conditions	Not possible
Job change	Handled by notification and certificate of authorized employment	Application for change of status of residence required

If you graduated from a Japanese university, hold N1, and will take a job involving customer service or front-line work, Designated Activities No. 46 becomes an option. Conversely, if the duties are clearly grounded in academic knowledge and you value flexibility in dispatch work or job changes, the Engineer visa is more suitable. Where the requirements are met, moving between the two as circumstances change is also possible.

Summary

Designated Activities No. 46 opens the door to a wide range of duties not permitted under the Engineer visa, for those who graduated from a Japanese university and possess high Japanese language ability. At the same time, it carries constraints the Engineer visa does not: the educational scope is limited to Japanese institutions, employment must be full-time, dispatch work is not allowed, and every job change requires an application for change of status of residence. The key to approval is to demonstrate concretely, at the level of the employment contract and the letter of reason for employment, that the duties constitute “work requiring smooth communication in Japanese” and “the utilization of the results of one’s studies.”

How Our Office Can Help

For consultations on Designated Activities No. 46 (graduates of Japanese universities), please leave it to the Kaneko Hidetaka Administrative Scrivener Office.

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