As the administration of foreign national policies becomes stricter and more complex, how should companies address work visa application issues when hiring foreign talent?
Hello, this is Hong from IMS Legal Professional Corporation. Recently, you may often hear that policies relating to foreign nationals have become stricter, procedures have become more complicated, and the number of required application documents has increased. In fact, with respect to status of residence, administration has become more stringent in various respects, more supporting documents are being required, and the overall operation of the system has become increasingly complex. Under these circumstances, we believe that how to properly handle work visa application procedures for hiring foreign nationals has become a major issue for companies.
If a work visa application is handled incorrectly, it may affect the outcome of the application. In the worst case, if the application is denied, the company may be unable to proceed with the hiring at all, which could result in disadvantages for both the company and the applicant. For that reason, it is necessary to give the matter careful consideration and proceed with caution.
Patterns of Hiring Foreign Talent
Broadly speaking, there are two main routes for hiring foreign talent:
(1) Hiring a person residing overseas and bringing them to Japan
(COE application)
(2) Hiring a person already residing in Japan
- Hiring a newly graduated international student
(Change of Status application) - Hiring a person changing jobs from another company
(Change of Status or Extension application)
The type of procedure and the required documents differ significantly depending on the hiring pattern.
For any such application, it is necessary to examine the case from three perspectives: eligibility for the status of residence, conformity with the applicable criteria, and appropriateness. If these analyses are handled incorrectly, they may affect the outcome of the application and could lead to denial or non-issuance.
These analyses require indispensable knowledge of immigration law, and it is also essential to confirm both the company-side circumstances (such as company size and job duties) and the applicant-side circumstances (such as academic background and Japanese language ability). Therefore, a comprehensive analysis from multiple perspectives is necessary.
Please refer to the following article regarding “eligibility for the status of residence,” “conformity with the applicable criteria,” and “appropriateness.”
In addition, for applications filed on or after April 15, 2026, the applicant’s Japanese language ability is now being examined. However, because this is not required uniformly in every case, determining whether it is necessary has become extremely confusing.
In light of the frequently changing system and administrative practices, the complexity of the procedures, and the difficulty of the issues that must be considered, we believe it is important to seek assistance from a professional, particularly in order to avoid the risk of denial.
Why do so many companies entrust visa matters to gyoseishoshi (certified administrative procedures legal specialists)? What are the advantages?
When people think of visa application work, the first profession that usually comes to mind is the gyoseishoshi (administrative scrivener). In Japan, the professionals who are legally permitted to handle immigration matters as a business are gyoseishoshi and attorneys. However, there are overwhelmingly more gyoseishoshi—whether in incorporated firms or individual offices—who specialize in immigration work, and it can fairly be said that gyoseishoshi are the primary specialists in this field.
At our firm, we are entrusted with visa matters by many listed companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, and representative offices of foreign companies. Naturally, engaging our services involves a certain level of cost. However, when considered in terms of cost-effectiveness, the benefits are far greater, and there is also the significant advantage of reducing the burden on the company.
Below, we explain the effects that arise when you engage our firm, and the advantages created by those effects.
Breakdown of the “Effects” of Engaging Our Services
- Pre-application assessment before filing the visa application
(Determining whether the application is likely to be possible) - Compilation and guidance regarding the required documents
- Support for collecting documents from both the visa applicant and the company
- Representation in filing the immigration application
- Responding to questions and inquiries from Immigration
- Receipt of the application result
Advantages created by the above effects
- You can gain a clearer understanding not only of whether the application can be filed, but also of the likelihood of approval.
- We prepare a list of the necessary documents and collect them from both the applicant and the company. We can also communicate directly with the applicant in English and other languages, if needed.
- We prepare the application forms, organize the supporting documents, and submit the application to Immigration.
- There is no need for the company to communicate directly with Immigration. Even if Immigration raises questions during the examination process, we handle all such correspondence on your behalf.
As described above, we are able to provide one-stop support from the initial assessment of whether an application is viable all the way through to receipt of the final result. This significantly reduces the burden on companies and enables a smoother hiring process for foreign talent.
Recently, there has been a growing trend toward more active recruitment of foreign talent by companies, and we have seen an increase in inquiries from employers. As of the end of 2025, our firm has handled more than 50,000 Japan visa applications in total, giving us extensive experience across a wide range of cases. If your company is facing challenges with work visa applications in connection with hiring foreign talent, we encourage you to consult with us.
Please note that this blog is based on information available at the time of writing. For the most up-to-date information, readers are responsible for confirming details through official government websites and other authoritative sources.
For more information, please contact us below ↓
https://imsvisa.support/en/contact/
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