The Employment for Skill Development system, which replaces the Technical Intern Training system, starts on April 1, 2027 (Reiwa 9). Ahead of the start of the system, since September 1, 2026 (Reiwa 8), pre-enforcement applications for certification of Employment for Skill Development plans have been accepted by the Organization for Technical Intern Training (OTIT).
To accept foreign nationals under Employment for Skill Development, the accepting company (the Employment for Skill Development implementing organization) must prepare an Employment for Skill Development plan and have it certified (Article 8 of the Act on Proper Implementation of Employment for Skill Development of Foreign Nationals and Protection of Employment for Skill Development Foreign Nationals (hereinafter the “Employment for Skill Development Act”)). This article sets out the timing, where to file, and the prerequisites for pre-enforcement applications. For the system as a whole, please see Employment for Skill Development Starts April 1, 2027.
Sources: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, “Pre-Enforcement Applications Relating to the Employment for Skill Development System”; “Employment for Skill Development System Q&A”; the same Agency, “Operational Guidelines for the Employment for Skill Development System” (partially revised August 3, Reiwa 8); Organization for Technical Intern Training, “Pre-Enforcement Applications for Certification of Employment for Skill Development Plans”; the same Organization’s leaflets “Guide to Pre-Enforcement Applications for Certification of Employment for Skill Development Plans” and “Application Procedure for Certification of Employment for Skill Development Plans (Fees, etc.)”; e-Gov Law Search, “Act on Proper Implementation of Employment for Skill Development of Foreign Nationals and Protection of Employment for Skill Development Foreign Nationals” (version in force as of April 1, Reiwa 9)
Schedule for pre-enforcement applications
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| April 15, 2026 (Reiwa 8) | Acceptance begins of pre-enforcement applications for a licence as a supervising and supporting organization |
| September 1, 2026 (Reiwa 8) | Acceptance begins of pre-enforcement applications for certification of Employment for Skill Development plans |
| April 1, 2027 (Reiwa 9) | The Employment for Skill Development system starts. Examination results are notified by mail in order on or after that date |
Point: Applicants are advised to file pre-enforcement applications between 7 months and 5 months before the planned start date of Employment for Skill Development. For example, if work is to start on June 1, Reiwa 9, the period is from November 1, Reiwa 8 to January 1, Reiwa 9.
This “7 to 5 months before” window applies to pre-enforcement applications. For ordinary applications after the system takes effect, the Operational Guidelines state that you may apply from 6 months before, and in principle no later than 4 months before, the planned start date (Operational Guidelines for the Employment for Skill Development System, Chapter 2, Section 2, p. 2-7; the timing for pre-enforcement applications is in Chapter 4, p. 4-3).
Note: If you plan to start on the enforcement date, April 1, Reiwa 9, applying this guidance means the guideline period for applying is from September 1 to November 1, Reiwa 8. The period is about to end. Companies planning to start then should check the status of their preparations immediately.
If you plan to start later than that, please also work back from your planned start date and proceed with preparing the application.
Where to file and the fee
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Where to file | The regional office or branch office of the Organization for Technical Intern Training that covers the applicant’s address (for a corporation, the location of its head office) (not the headquarters) |
| How to file | By mail |
| Fee | 6,100 yen per application (per person). Pay before applying by Pay-easy or payment slip (a separate system usage fee is charged) |
| Inquiries | Pre-Enforcement Application Call Center (weekdays, 9:00 to 17:00) |
Once paid, the fee is not refunded even if the application is withdrawn. Applicants are advised to request payment slips in line with the timing of their application.
What to confirm before applying
1. Joining the sector-specific council
Employment for Skill Development implementing organizations are obliged to be members of the sector-specific council for each Employment for Skill Development industrial field (in the industrial product manufacturing field, to become a member of JAIM, the general incorporated association known in Japanese as Kogyo Seihin Seizo Gino Jinzai Kiko (Industrial Product Manufacturing Skilled Human Resources Organization)). At the time of application, documents proving membership and documents proving conformity with the standards set by the public notice for each field (additional standards) must be submitted.
Note: Depending on the field, the field-specific operational guidelines, examination standards, and membership procedures for the sector-specific council may not yet have been published, or may still be in preparation. If you apply before the examination standards are published, or apply without documents proving membership, you will be asked to submit them additionally, and the examination will be put on hold until then.
The Immigration Services Agency shows the publication status for each field in a list. Be sure to check the status of the field you intend to apply in immediately before applying.
2. For the supervised type, the application status of the supervising and supporting organization
For “supervised-type Employment for Skill Development,” in which workers are accepted through a supervising organization, the corporation providing supervision and support must hold a licence as a supervising organization under the Technical Intern Training Act and must also have filed a pre-enforcement application for a licence as a supervising and supporting organization under the Employment for Skill Development Act (Article 23 of that Act). At the time of application, you submit a copy of the acceptance slip for the application for a licence as a supervising and supporting organization.
Point: If the supervising and supporting organization is not licensed, the Employment for Skill Development plan will not be certified either. Please confirm whether the supervising organization you currently work with has filed its application for a licence as a supervising and supporting organization.
3. Letters of recommendation from the sending country
When accepting nationals of countries that have concluded bilateral arrangements with Japan and are designated to issue letters of recommendation, a letter of recommendation prepared by a public body of the sending country must be submitted for each person at the time of application (including pre-enforcement applications). However, this does not apply to sole-type Employment for Skill Development, or to supervised-type Employment for Skill Development in which the workers accepted are employees of an overseas office of a foreign organization with a close business relationship. The countries currently designated to issue letters of recommendation are the following 5 countries.
- Indonesia
- Cambodia
- Kyrgyzstan
- Vietnam
- Laos
In addition, in supervised-type Employment for Skill Development, you may apply with an organization listed on OTIT’s “Provisional List of Sending Organizations” as the intermediary sending organization, but if it is not listed on the “List of Accredited Sending Organizations” at the time of certification, you may need to change the sending organization.
4. Prepare the application based on “the situation at the start”
There are 4 types of application forms prescribed by ministerial ordinance, and applicants are required to submit them without errors. As a rule, the application is prepared based on the situation at the time Employment for Skill Development starts on or after April 1, Reiwa 9. If you are planning a merger or split of the company, or incorporation of a sole proprietorship, you are advised to complete those procedures before applying.
In the statement of costs paid by the worker to the sending organization, costs paid in foreign currency must be entered as yen-converted amounts using the exchange rates set by Ministry of Finance public notice.
Relationship with Technical Intern Training
After enforcement, Technical Intern Training can be continued only by technical intern trainees who have already entered Japan as of April 1, Reiwa 9, or persons for whom an application for certification of a technical intern training plan is filed by March 31, Reiwa 9 and who, as a rule, start technical intern training by June 30, Reiwa 9. The Organization for Technical Intern Training asks that applications for certification of Technical Intern Training (i) plans under the Technical Intern Training system be filed by February, Reiwa 9.
Which applications you file, and when, depend on whether you accept workers under Technical Intern Training or Employment for Skill Development. If your planned hiring timing is already set, it is important to decide first under which system you will accept them.
Summary
- Pre-enforcement applications for certification of Employment for Skill Development plans have been accepted since September 1, Reiwa 8.
- The guideline is to apply between 7 months and 5 months before the planned start date of Employment for Skill Development. If you start on April 1, Reiwa 9, the deadline is November 1, Reiwa 8.
- Applications are filed with the regional office or branch office of the Organization for Technical Intern Training that covers the location of the head office.
- Before applying, you need to confirm membership of the sector-specific council, for the supervised type the application status of the supervising and supporting organization, and for the designated countries letters of recommendation.
- Examination results will be notified in order on or after April 1, Reiwa 9.
We explain the Japanese language course obligation in Japanese Language Courses Under Employment for Skill Development, and preparation in the construction field in For Construction Companies Accepting Technical Intern Trainees.
Our Support
We accept consultations from the accepting company’s perspective, from preparing documents for the application for certification of an Employment for Skill Development plan and considering whether to accept workers under Technical Intern Training or Specified Skilled Worker, to residence procedures after acceptance.
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