Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa Guide | Requirements, Documents & Refusal Cases

The Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (EHI) visa is a leading work-related status of residence in Japan, covering professionals in fields ranging from software engineering and mechanical design to translation, marketing, and international trade. Obtaining this status of residence requires meeting specific education or work experience criteria and demonstrating that the intended work demands specialized knowledge grounded in academic training.

This guide explains the visa’s structure, eligible occupations, application requirements, the employer category system that affects document requirements, and refusal cases published by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) with practical countermeasures.

For a broader overview of work visas, see our Work Visa Guide. For the full list of residence status categories, see Types of Residence Status.

What Is the EHI Visa?

The Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa is a status of residence defined in Appended Table 1-2 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (ICRRA). It authorizes foreign nationals to engage in professional work in Japan under a contract with a public or private organization (ISA: Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services). The visa encompasses three distinct activity categories:

Three Activity Categories

Category	Scope	Examples
Engineer (Technology)	Work requiring skills or knowledge in the natural sciences, such as science and engineering	Systems engineer, programmer, mechanical designer, electrical or electronics engineer, architectural designer
Specialist in Humanities	Work requiring skills or knowledge in the humanities, such as law, economics, and sociology	Accounting, legal affairs, marketing, corporate planning, consultant
International Services	Work requiring sensibility or thinking rooted in a foreign culture	Translator, interpreter, language instructor, PR/advertising, overseas trade, designer, product development

The “Technology” and “Humanities/International Services” categories were originally separate statuses of residence; they were merged into the current single status by the Act Partially Amending the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (Act No. 74 of 2014), effective April 1, 2015.

Period of Stay

The period of stay is designated as five years, three years, one year, or three months. The period is decided individually for each application.

Distinction from Other Work Visas

Appended Table 1-2 of the ICRRA excludes from the EHI visa any activities that fall under the following statuses of residence:

Professor, Artist, and Journalist
Business Manager, Legal/Accounting Services, Medical Services, Researcher, and Instructor
Intra-company Transferee, Nursing Care, and Entertainer

For example, managing or operating a business falls under Business Manager, and a transfer for a fixed period from an office abroad to an office in Japan falls under Intra-company Transferee. Work requiring seasoned practical skills (such as chefs) is covered by a separate status, Skilled Labor.

Eligible Occupations

All occupations under the EHI visa must involve activities that require a certain level of professional ability grounded in academic training (ISA, “Clarification of the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Status of Residence”; “the Clarification Guidelines” below). The occupations listed here are examples only; whether a position qualifies is decided case by case on the actual duties, not the job title.

Technology Category

IT and Information Technology: Systems engineer, programmer, network engineer, database engineer, information security specialist
Mechanical and Electrical Engineering: Mechanical design, electrical design, electronic circuit design, production engineering, quality control
Architecture and Civil Engineering: Architectural design, structural design, construction management (design and supervisory roles only)
Science and Research: Chemical analysis, specialized quality inspection, food product development
Automotive: Service engineer performing inspection, maintenance, and disassembly of core automotive components such as engines and brakes

Humanities Category

Business Planning and Management: Corporate planning, marketing, business development
Finance and Accounting: Accounting and financial analysis
Legal and Compliance: Contract review, legal research
Trade and Logistics: Trade operations, customs documentation, negotiation with overseas partners
Consulting: Management consulting, IT consulting

International Services Category

Translation and Interpretation: Business negotiation interpretation, technical translation, contract translation
Language Instruction: Language teaching at private companies (teaching at elementary, junior high, or high schools falls under the “Instructor” status)
PR and Advertising: International marketing, public relations for overseas audiences
Design: Fashion design, interior design, product design
International Trade: Overseas sales, trade administration

Work That Does Not Qualify

Work that requires no particular skills or knowledge, or that can be performed through repetitive training, does not fall under the EHI visa. The Clarification Guidelines and their appendices give the following as examples of non-qualifying work:

Factory line work (processing, assembly, inspection, and packaging of parts)
Serving customers in restaurants and waiting tables
Hotel room cleaning, carrying guests’ luggage, and directing parking
Over-the-counter sales at retail shops
Sorting goods

The Clarification Guidelines state that work advertised with hiring criteria such as “no experience required, you’ll learn quickly,” and work generally performed by Japanese employees who do not meet the education or experience requirements of the landing permission criteria, is not covered. The ISA has also published a refusal case in which the applicant’s duties were almost identical to those of technical intern trainees at the same factory.

Application Requirements (Education and Work Experience)

To obtain the EHI visa, applicants must satisfy both compatibility with the status of residence (the work must fall within the EHI visa’s defined activities) and conformity to the landing permission criteria (education, work experience, and remuneration standards set out in the Ministerial Ordinance on Criteria for Landing Permission; the text is available in the ISA document “Applicable Activities and Landing Permission Criteria (Japanese)”).

Requirements for the Technology and Humanities Categories

Applicants must meet one of the following:

(a) Education: University Degree

The applicant must have graduated from a university (or received equivalent or higher education), having majored in a field related to the intended work.

“University” includes junior colleges (School Education Act, Article 108)
For university graduates, the relevance between the major and intended work is assessed flexibly; universities outside Japan are assessed in the same manner (Clarification Guidelines)
A certificate of India’s DOEACC qualification (Levels A, B, or C only) is accepted as a document proving “equivalent or higher education”

(b) Education: Japanese Vocational College (senmon gakko)

The applicant must have completed a specialized course or an advanced course at a Japanese specialized training college (senshu gakko), having majored in a field related to the intended work (limited to cases meeting the requirements set by public notice of the Minister of Justice). Specifically, the applicant must be entitled to the title of Diploma (senmonshi) or Advanced Diploma (kodo senmonshi), or have completed a qualifying advanced course.

For specialized training colleges, a considerable degree of relevance between the major and the intended work is required in principle
Graduates of specialized courses or advanced courses certified by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology under the career development program for international students are assessed flexibly on relevance (Clarification Guidelines)
However, for a person who has worked for about three years in a job for which relevance was recognized, relevance to subsequent work is assessed flexibly

(c) Work Experience: 10 Years or More

Applicants without the education above must have at least 10 years of practical experience. Time spent majoring in related subjects at a university, college of technology (koto senmon gakko), high school, the latter course of a secondary education school, or a specialized or advanced course of a specialized training college may be counted towards this total.

The applicant need not have spent the full 10 years in work that itself falls under the EHI visa; periods in related work also count (Clarification Guidelines)

Special Provision for IT Professionals

Applicants intending to work in information technology who have passed an IT examination designated by the Minister of Justice (e.g., the Fundamental Information Technology Engineer Examination) or hold a designated IT qualification are exempt from the education and work experience requirements above.

Requirements for the International Services Category

The International Services category applies a different set of criteria. All of the following must be met:

1. Eligible Activities

The work must involve translation, interpretation, language instruction, public relations, advertising, overseas trade operations, fashion or interior design, product development, or similar activities.

2. Work Experience

The applicant must have at least three years of practical experience in work related to the intended activities. The experience need not be in the same work, but it must be in related work.

Exception: University graduates engaging in translation, interpretation, or language instruction are exempt from this experience requirement.

Language Ability (from April 15, 2026)

Where the work mainly involves dealing with people using language ability, such as translation, interpretation, or hotel front desk work, the applicant is expected to have language ability equivalent to B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in the language used at work (Clarification Guidelines, Appendix 4 (Japanese)). For Japanese, this ability is recognized through, for example, JLPT N2 or higher or a score of 400 or more on the BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test. Without it, the work is not regarded as reaching the level required for the EHI visa.

Remuneration Requirement (All Categories)

The applicant must receive remuneration equal to or greater than what a Japanese national would receive for the same work.

“Remuneration” here means consideration given in return for services; allowances that reimburse actual expenses, such as commuting, dependent, and housing allowances (other than taxable ones), are not included (Clarification Guidelines).

Contract Requirement

The work must be performed under a contract with a public or private organization in Japan. Employment contracts, mandate agreements (inin), consignment contracts (itaku), and part-time appointment contracts (shokutaku) all qualify, provided the arrangement is continuous with a specific organization. “Public or private organization” includes not only corporations but also individuals who have an office or place of business in Japan (Clarification Guidelines).

Required Documents

The documents required for an EHI visa application vary depending on the category of the sponsoring organization. Categories 1 and 2 submit fewer documents than Categories 3 and 4. The lists below show the main documents for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) application as of October 2026; see the ISA page for the current list for each type of application.

Documents Common to All Categories

Document	Notes
Application form	Application for Certificate of Eligibility
Photograph (1)	Must meet the specifications designated by the ISA
Return envelope	With postage for simplified registered mail
Document proving the organization’s category	If none can be submitted, the organization falls under Category 4
Document proving the title of Diploma or Advanced Diploma	For graduates of specialized training colleges awarded the title
Documents for work under a dispatch contract	See “Additional Documents for Dispatched Workers” below

Additional Documents for Categories 3 and 4

Document	Notes
Document stating the working conditions (when concluding an employment contract)	Verify activities and remuneration
Applicant’s CV and documents proving education and work history	Graduation certificate, certificate of employment, etc.
Certificate of registered matters (corporate registry)	Confirm the sponsoring organization
Document describing the business	Company brochure or equivalent
Copy of the most recent financial statements	A business plan in the case of a new business
Declaration concerning the representative of the organization	For applications filed on or after April 15, 2026
Document proving CEFR B2-equivalent ability in the language used at work	When the work mainly involves dealing with people using language ability; for applications filed on or after April 15, 2026

Further Documents for Category 4

Document	Notes
Document showing why the legal records summary cannot be submitted	Copy of the notification of establishment of a salary payment office, etc.
Statements of income tax collected on salaries for the most recent three months	Or, where the special provision on payment deadlines applies, a document showing its approval

Additional Documents for Dispatched Workers

When the applicant will work under a dispatch contract, the following are required regardless of category: pledges concerning the applicant’s dispatch work (one from the dispatching agency and one from the client company), and copies of documents showing the activities at the client company and the dispatch contract period (the statement of working conditions and the individual worker dispatch contract). This handling applies to applications filed on or after March 9, 2026 (ISA, “Handling When the Applicant Works Under a Dispatch Arrangement” (Japanese)).

According to the same document, permission cannot in principle be granted if the client company has not been decided at the time of application (where the client company can only be decided after initial training for new hires, that circumstance is taken into account), and the period of stay is decided according to the dispatch contract period. The ISA may also contact the client company directly to confirm the duties and activities.

Important Note on Renewals After Changing Jobs

For the first renewal application after moving to a Category 3 or 4 organization, the applicant must submit, in addition to the usual renewal documents, a document stating the working conditions, a certificate of registered matters, a document describing the business, and a copy of the financial statements, among others. Obtaining a Certificate of Employment Eligibility (shuro shikaku shomeisho) at the time of the job change is also an option (see below).

Employer Categories

Sponsoring organizations are classified into Categories 1 through 4, and the required documents differ by category.

Category Definitions

Category	Qualifying Organizations	Documents
Category 1	Companies listed on a Japanese stock exchange; mutual companies engaged in insurance business; national and local governments of Japan or of foreign countries; incorporated administrative agencies; special corporations and authorized corporations; public interest corporations authorized by the Japanese national or local governments; public corporations listed in Appended Table 1 of the Corporation Tax Act; innovation-creating enterprises eligible for the special additional points under the Highly Skilled Professional ordinance; other enterprises meeting specified conditions	In principle, nothing beyond the common documents
Category 2	Organizations or individuals whose withholding tax on employment income, as shown in the legal records summary for the preceding year, was JPY 10 million or more; or organizations that wish to apply with the same documents as Category 2, have submitted the materials for category review, and have had their application to use the online residence application system approved	In principle, nothing beyond the common documents
Category 3	Organizations that filed the legal records summary (hotei chosho gokei hyo) for employee salary withholding tax with the tax office (excluding Category 2)	Additional documentation required
Category 4	Any organization not qualifying for Categories 1–3	The Category 3 documents plus documents showing why the legal records summary cannot be submitted, etc.

Practical Implications

Categories 1 and 2: Beyond the common documents, nothing further (including documents proving education and work history) is required in principle. However, the ISA may request additional documents in the course of the review.

Categories 3 and 4: Documents showing the organization’s business and financial statements, and the applicant’s activities, remuneration, education, and work history, are required. A new business submits a business plan in place of financial statements.

Documents Proving the Category

Category	Documents
1	A copy of the Japan Company Handbook (Shikiho) or a document proving the stock exchange listing, a document proving establishment permission from the competent ministry, a document proving innovation-creating enterprise status (e.g., a subsidy grant decision notice), or a document proving that the organization meets the specified conditions (e.g., a certificate of accreditation)
2	A copy of the legal records summary for the preceding year, or a document proving approval to use the online residence application system (e.g., the approval notification email)
3	A copy of the legal records summary for the preceding year
4	None (if no document can be submitted, the organization falls under Category 4)

Refusal Cases and Countermeasures

The ISA publishes specific approval and refusal cases in Appendix 3 of its “Clarification of the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Status of Residence”. All of the cases below are taken from that appendix. The countermeasures are our office’s views.

Pattern 1: Work Not Recognized as Requiring Specialized Knowledge

Case: A graduate of an information systems engineering department applied to work at a company operating restaurants, claiming duties in “accounting, labor management, and customer management.” The company had only 12 employees, so there was insufficient work volume for accounting and labor management as primary activities. The “customer management” consisted of taking phone reservations and writing in a ledger, work not requiring specialized knowledge. Application refused.

Countermeasure:

Demonstrate specifically that the intended work requires a certain level of expertise
Show that there is sufficient volume of specialized work to constitute the applicant’s primary activity

Pattern 2: No Relevance Between Coursework and Intended Work

Case: A graduate of an illustration program applied through a staffing agency to perform “translation and interpretation at a clothing store.” The actual work was customer service using the applicant’s native language, with no connection to the illustration coursework, and the applicant had no practical experience in translation or interpretation. Application refused.

Countermeasure:

Vocational college graduates must demonstrate considerable relevance between their studies and the intended work
University graduates receive more flexible assessment, but the major and the intended work must still be related
Prepare transcripts and course descriptions to substantiate the connection

Pattern 3: Remuneration Below Japanese Employee Levels

Case: A Japanese-Chinese translation program graduate applied for translation and interpretation work at an import-export company at JPY 170,000 per month. A newly graduated Japanese national hired at the same time for the same type of work was paid JPY 200,000 per month. Application refused.

Countermeasure:

Set remuneration at a level equal to or greater than that of Japanese employees in the same role

Pattern 4: On-the-Job Training Used as Cover for Simple Labor

Case: An applicant was hired as a hotel front desk staff member for “reservation management and interpretation.” The plan included one year of “training” in restaurant service and room cleaning. Investigation revealed that previously hired foreign nationals at the same hotel had remained in non-qualifying duties well beyond their stated training periods. Application refused.

Countermeasure:

Show that the practical training is also given to Japanese university-graduate employees (training set only for foreign employees is not accepted unless there is a reasonable ground, such as Japanese-language training)
Ensure that the training does not occupy most of the entire period the applicant is expected to stay under the EHI visa
Where practical training will exceed one year from hiring, a training plan will be requested and the reasonableness of the training period will be examined (Clarification Guidelines, Appendix 1)

Pattern 5: Insufficient Volume of Translation/Interpretation Work

Case: A person who had studied Japanese-English interpretation practice at a translation and interpretation college applied to work as an interpreter at a restaurant. The “interpretation” consisted of taking orders in English, and the “translation” work was limited to translating the menu. The ISA found insufficient work volume. Application refused.

Countermeasure:

Demonstrate that there is sufficient volume of translation or interpretation work
Provide data on foreign customer volume, frequency of interpretation needs, and projected translation assignments

Pattern 6: Discrepancy Between Application and Actual Dispatch Duties

Case: An applicant was hired by a staffing agency for “translation and interpretation” but the labor dispatch contract listed the job as “store staff.” Investigation confirmed the dispatch destination was a retail shop where the actual work was customer-facing sales. Application refused.

Countermeasure:

Ensure that dispatch contracts and working condition notices accurately describe the specific professional duties
Verify that the actual work at the dispatch destination matches the application

Pattern 7: Problems with Student Visa Compliance History

When students apply to change from “Student” to the EHI visa after graduation, their conduct during the period of study is also taken into account. The Clarification Guidelines state that good conduct is a precondition and that poor conduct is assessed as a negative factor.

A person who habitually works part-time for more than 28 hours a week in violation of the conditions of the permission to engage in activity other than that permitted under the status of residence is not regarded as being of good conduct
The ISA has published a refusal case in which a vocational school student with a 70% attendance rate explained the absences as illness, but was found to have been working during the periods of absence
Applicants must also have fulfilled notification and other obligations under the ICRRA, such as notifications of place of residence and of the affiliated organization

Summary of Best Practices for Approval

Demonstrate the specialized nature of the work: Clearly identify which aspects of the job require specialized knowledge
Show sufficient work volume: Prove that specialized duties constitute the primary activity
Establish education–work relevance: Vocational college graduates should prepare detailed transcripts and course descriptions
Set appropriate remuneration: Match or exceed what Japanese employees earn for the same work
Lawfulness and continuity of the contracted activities: Show that the activities under the contract will be carried out lawfully in Japan and are expected to continue
Maintain accuracy in all documents: Ensure consistency between stated duties and actual work

Changing Jobs on the EHI Visa

Foreign nationals holding the EHI visa who change employers do not need to change their status of residence as long as the work at the new employer falls under the EHI visa, but the following procedures apply.

Notification Obligation

When a contract with a contracting organization ends, and when a contract is concluded with a new contracting organization, a notification must be filed with the Commissioner of the ISA within 14 days of each event (ICRRA, Article 19-16, item (ii); ISA: Notification concerning the affiliated organization).

Certificate of Employment Eligibility (Recommended)

A Certificate of Employment Eligibility (shuro shikaku shomeisho) is a document certifying the work activities the holder may engage in (ICRRA, Article 19-2; ISA: Application for Certificate of Employment Eligibility). We recommend obtaining one if you wish to confirm the work at the new employer without waiting for the next renewal of the period of stay.

Consider this in particular when the new job involves different duties from the previous position, or when more than three months remain before the current period of stay expires.

How We Can Help

AEGIS International Administrative Firm supports Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa applications. As a registered immigration specialist (shinsei toritsugi gyoseishoshi: a licensed specialist in Japanese government procedures, including visas), certified by the Immigration Services Agency to file visa applications on behalf of clients, we handle the process from eligibility assessment through document preparation to submission at the regional immigration bureau.

Certificate of Eligibility (COE) applications: We prepare and file the application documents when you recruit talent from overseas
Change of status applications: For changes such as Student to a work status, we organize how the applicant’s education and work history relate to the intended duties
Extension of period of stay: We check and prepare the required documents, including for the first renewal after a job change
Certificate of Employment Eligibility: We organize the duties at the new employer and file the application at the time of a job change

Whether you are unsure about meeting the requirements or have experienced a previous refusal, please feel free to contact us.

This article is based on laws and official information as of October 11, 2026. Rules and practice may change, so please check the latest information before applying.