How to Obtain an Engineer Visa as a Vocational School Graduate | Using the “Diploma of Specialist”

The basic educational requirement for the Engineer visa is “university graduation,” but those who have graduated from a Japanese vocational school and obtained the title of “Diploma of Specialist” can also apply. However, there are points of caution that differ from the case of university graduates. This article explains the conditions and key points for vocational school graduates to obtain an Engineer visa.

Reference: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, “On the Clarification of the Residence Status of ‘Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services‘“

Conditions for Obtaining an Engineer Visa as a Vocational School Graduate

To satisfy the educational requirement for the Engineer visa, a vocational school graduate must meet all of the following conditions.

1. Having graduated from a Japanese vocational school (specialized course of a specialized training college)
2. Having been conferred the title of “Diploma of Specialist”
3. There must be relevance between the field of study at the vocational school and the job duties

Important: Graduation from an overseas vocational school or vocational training school does not satisfy this educational requirement. It must be a specialized course of a Japanese specialized training college.

Difference Between “Diploma of Specialist” and “Advanced Diploma of Specialist”

Item	Diploma of Specialist	Advanced Diploma of Specialist
Length of study	2 years or more	4 years or more
Total class hours	1,700 hours or more	3,400 hours or more
Grade evaluation by examination, etc.	Required	Required
Treatment under the Engineer visa	Relevance to the specialized field is strictly screened	Treated as equivalent to university graduation
Eligibility for university transfer	Yes (2nd/3rd year of university)	Yes (eligibility for graduate school admission)

Point: Because the “Advanced Diploma of Specialist” is treated as equivalent to university graduation, the same criteria as for university graduates are applied to the determination of relevance. Those attending a four-year vocational school are at an advantage in this respect.

Importance of the Relevance Between Field of Study and Job Duties

In the case of vocational school graduates, relevance is screened more strictly than for university graduates. This stems from the fact that vocational school education is specialized in a particular field.

Examples of Combinations Where Relevance Is Recognized

Vocational School Major	Job Duties Likely to Be Accepted
Information processing / IT	Systems engineer, programmer
Bookkeeping / accounting	Accounting clerical work, accounting duties
Business Japanese	Translation / interpretation (*see caution)
Graphic design	Designer, web production
Automotive maintenance	Automotive mechanic (*may fall under “Skilled Labor” rather than the Engineer visa)
Architectural design	Architectural design assistance, CAD operator
Hotel / tourism	Hotel front desk (foreign language service), travel planning

Examples of Combinations Where Relevance Is Difficult to Establish

Vocational School Major	Desired Job Duties	Problem
Japanese language department	General clerical work	Japanese language ability is a “tool for the work” and not expertise
Culinary arts	Cooking at a restaurant	May fall under the “Skilled Labor” residence status
Beauty	Beautician	Not a job covered by the Engineer visa
Business	Factory line work	Simple labor does not fall under the Engineer visa

Caution: In the case of graduates of a “Japanese language department,” even for translation and interpretation duties, it may be determined that “Japanese language ability itself is not evaluated as specialized knowledge.” It is desirable to have also taken business-related subjects.

The Route from Japanese Language School to Vocational School to Engineer Visa

Many international students aim to obtain an Engineer visa via the following route.

Arrival in Japan → Japanese language school (1-2 years) → Vocational school (2 years or more) → Employment (Engineer visa)

Points of Caution on This Route

1. The vocational school must be an “accredited school” recognized by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology — Unaccredited schools do not confer the “Diploma of Specialist”
2. Maintaining attendance rate — A low attendance rate during studies is disadvantageous at the time of change of status of residence
3. Compliance with part-time work hours — Exceeding the limit of 28 hours per week adversely affects the change application
4. Grades through graduation — Expulsion due to poor grades also affects residence status

For Graduates of Overseas Vocational Schools or Junior Colleges

Those who graduated from an overseas vocational school or junior college do not satisfy the “Diploma of Specialist” educational requirement. The options in this case are as follows.

Option	Condition
Transfer to and graduate from an overseas four-year university	Satisfies the educational requirement as a university graduate
Enroll in and graduate from a Japanese vocational school	Satisfies the educational requirement as a Diploma of Specialist holder
10 or more years of practical experience	Recognized as a requirement in lieu of education
Obtaining an information processing qualification (IT field)	Substitutes for the educational requirement via the Fundamental Information Technology Engineer Examination, etc.

Denial Cases and Countermeasures

Case 1: Japanese Language Department Graduate → General Clerical Work

Reason for denial: No relevance recognized between the content of study in the Japanese language department and general clerical work

Countermeasure: Choose a department that includes subjects such as business Japanese and marketing, and take up work that includes interpretation and translation

Case 2: IT Vocational School Graduate → Restaurant Staff

Reason for denial: No relevance between the IT field of study and restaurant work

Countermeasure: Find employment in IT-related work (systems development, web production, etc.)

Case 3: Hotel Department Graduate → Guest Room Cleaning

Reason for denial: Guest room cleaning is simple labor and does not fall under the Engineer visa

Countermeasure: Engage in specialized duties such as front desk work (foreign language service) or reservation management

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