Specific Examples of Occupations and Job Duties Accepted for the Engineer Visa

In applications for the “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” visa, the most important factor is the eligibility of the job duties. Which occupations and duties are accepted, and which are not? Based on the approval and denial cases of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, we explain this concretely.

Reference: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, “Clarification of the ‘Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services’ Residence Status” — approval cases and denial cases

The Three Fields and Eligible Occupations

The Engineer visa is divided into the three fields of “Engineer,” “Specialist in Humanities,” and “International Services.” The representative occupations accepted in each field are as follows.

Engineering Field (Work Requiring Knowledge of the Natural Sciences)

Occupation	Examples of Job Duties	Examples of Required Major Fields
Systems engineer	System design, development, testing	Information engineering, electronic engineering
Programmer	Software development, coding	Information science, mathematics
Mechanical design engineer	Product design, CAD design	Mechanical engineering
Electrical engineer	Design and management of electrical facilities	Electrical engineering, electronic engineering
Architectural design	Design of buildings, structural calculations	Architecture
Production engineering	Design and improvement of manufacturing processes	Engineering in general

Humanities Knowledge Field (Work Requiring Knowledge of the Human Sciences)

Occupation	Examples of Job Duties	Examples of Required Major Fields
Accounting and finance	Preparation of financial statements, tax processing	Accounting, economics
Legal affairs	Contract review, compliance	Law
Human resources and labour	Recruitment, labour management, training planning	Sociology, business administration
Marketing	Market research, strategy development	Business administration, commerce
Sales planning	Formulation and analysis of sales strategy	Economics, business administration
Consultant	Management consulting	Business administration, MBA

International Services Field (Work Grounded in Foreign Culture)

Occupation	Examples of Job Duties	Requirement
Translation and interpretation	Document translation, business negotiation interpreting	3 years or more of practical experience (not required for university graduates)
Overseas transaction duties	Trade administration, overseas sales	3 years or more of practical experience (not required for university graduates)
Language teacher	Teaching at language schools	3 years or more of practical experience (not required for university graduates)
Designer	Graphic, web, fashion	3 years or more of practical experience (not required for university graduates)
Public relations and PR	PR activities aimed at overseas markets	3 years or more of practical experience (not required for university graduates)

Note: In the international services field, an application is possible even without graduating from a university or similar institution, provided there is 3 years or more of practical experience. However, for translation, interpretation, and language teaching, university graduates do not need practical experience.

Specific Examples of Work That Is Not Accepted

Work such as the following is, in principle, not accepted under the Engineer visa.

• Line work at factories (assembly, inspection, packing, etc.)
• Hall duties at restaurants (serving food, operating the register, etc.)
• Cleaning work
• Labour as a worker at construction sites
• Picking and sorting work at warehouses
• Operating the register at convenience stores and supermarkets

Important: Because these are classified as “unskilled labour,” they are not eligible for the Engineer visa even for a university graduate.

Grey Zone Duties

In practice, there are duties on which judgments tend to be divided.

General Position Rotation

Where a person is hired for a general position at a large company and rotates through several departments, the screening examines whether expertise is recognized throughout the rotation plan as a whole. Even if there is a period of temporarily engaging in on-site work, this may be permitted if it is based on a training plan.

Practical Training Period

Where a person engages in work at a factory or store as training after joining the company, the following conditions must be satisfied.

1. A training plan has been prepared
2. The training period is within a reasonable scope
3. It is clear that the person will be assigned to specialized work after the training

Sales Positions

Sales positions are accepted in some cases and not in others.

• Example accepted: Formulation of sales strategy based on market analysis, proposal-based sales to overseas clients
• Example not accepted: Route sales only, cold-call sales only

Points When Explaining Job Duties

1. Describe concretely — Write not “sales” but “technical proposal sales to overseas clients and market analysis”
2. Emphasize the expertise — Explain how the knowledge learned at university or a similar institution will be applied to the work
3. Show it quantitatively — Indicate the proportions of the duties (e.g., “translation work 60%, handling overseas transactions 30%, other 10%“)

Our Support

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