Requirements and Cautions for Companies Hiring on an Engineer Visa | Categories 1-4

In an Engineer visa application, not only the requirements concerning the foreign national but also the requirements on the employing company’s side are an important subject of screening. In particular, companies are classified into “categories” according to their size and stability, and the required documents differ greatly. In this article, we explain how the company category system works and the application points for each category.

Reference: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, “Certificate of Eligibility Application (Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services)” Document List

What Are Company Categories?

The Immigration Services Agency of Japan classifies employing companies into four categories for Engineer visa applications. The higher the category, the more simplified the documents to be submitted.

Category	Eligible Companies
Category 1	Listed companies, national and local governments, independent administrative agencies, special corporations, etc.
Category 2	Organizations and individuals whose withholding tax amount on the previous year’s summary of statutory payment records, such as withholding tax slips for employment income, is ¥10 million or more
Category 3	Organizations and individuals that submitted the previous year’s summary of statutory payment records, such as withholding tax slips for employment income (excluding Category 2)
Category 4	Organizations and individuals that do not fall under any of the above

Guideline: A withholding tax amount of ¥10 million corresponds roughly to a company with total annual salaries of approximately ¥50 million to ¥60 million. A small or medium-sized enterprise with 10 or more employees may fall under Category 2.

Comparison of Required Documents by Category

For Category 1 (Listed Companies, etc.)

• Certificate of Eligibility application form
• Photo
• Return envelope
• Document proving listing (copy of the Shikiho, etc.)

Feature: Application is possible with the simplest set of documents. Because the company’s stability is assured, submission of financial documents is unnecessary.

For Category 2 (Withholding Tax of ¥10 Million or More)

In addition to the above:

• Copy of the previous year’s summary of statutory payment records, such as withholding tax slips for employment income

For Category 3

In addition to the above:

• Copy of the previous year’s summary of statutory payment records, such as withholding tax slips for employment income
• Certificate of registered matters
• Company brochure (business content, number of employees, history, etc.)
• Copy of the employment contract
• Graduation certificate
• Resume

For Category 4 (The Most Documents Required)

In addition to the above:

• Copy of the financial statements for the most recent fiscal year (balance sheet and profit and loss statement)
• Business plan (in the case of a newly established corporation)
• Copy of the notification of establishment of a salary payment office
• Photos of the company (exterior and interior of the office, etc.)

Application Difficulty by Category

Item	Category 1	Category 2	Category 3	Category 4
Volume of required documents	Small	Small to moderate	Moderate	Large
Approximate screening period	2 weeks-1 month	2 weeks-1 month	1-2 months	1-3 months
Financial screening	None	Simple	Yes	Detailed
Application difficulty	Low	Low to moderate	Moderate	High

Points for Small and Medium Enterprises (Categories 3 and 4) to Succeed in Their Applications

The vast majority of Japanese companies fall under Category 3 or 4. For these companies to succeed in an Engineer visa application, the following points are important.

1. Prove the Company’s Stability and Continuity

• It is desirable that the most recent financial results were profitable
• In the case of a loss-making settlement, attach an improvement plan to explain future prospects
• Submit a list of business partners and a record of orders received to prove the substance of the business

2. Clearly Explain the Necessity of Employment

• Explain concretely why foreign personnel are needed
• Examples: “The ○○ language is required for negotiations with overseas business partners”; “There is a shortage of engineers for IT development projects”
• Show the connection with increased workload or business expansion plans

3. Present Appropriate Employment Conditions

• The salary must be equal to or greater than that of a Japanese national
• Enrolment in social insurance and employment insurance must be verifiable
• The content of the working conditions notice must comply with the Labour Standards Act

4. Explain the Business Content Clearly

• If there is no company brochure, prepare a statement describing the business content
• Printouts of the website and materials on transaction records are also effective
• Prove with photos of the office that the business has substance

Special Handling for Newly Established Corporations

Corporations established only recently are usually classified as Category 4, but the screening can be made smoother with the following additional materials.

Additional Document	Purpose
Business plan	Show the business outlook and the income and expenditure plan
Career statement of the representative	Prove the ability to operate the business
Documents proving the contribution of capital	Show the financial backing of the business
Office lease agreement	Prove the substance of the business base
Contracts and purchase orders with business partners	Show the record of orders received

Note: In the case of a newly established corporation, because there is no record of submitting a summary of statutory payment records, more documents than usual are required. Applications in the first year after establishment require particularly careful preparation.

Legal Compliance Matters Companies Should Watch

In Engineer visa screening, the company’s legal compliance status is also checked.

• Enrolment status in social insurance and labour insurance
• Proper submission of statutory payment records
• Notification of the employment status of foreign nationals (obligation to notify Hello Work)
• Whether there has been any past promotion of illegal employment

Please note that if there are problems with these, the risk of the application being denied increases.

Our Support

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