• JoynOne

Highly Skilled Professional / J-SKIP Visa Application Support

$400

Japan’s Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) and J-SKIP (Special Highly Skilled Professional) systems are designed for top-level talent: people with strong education, high income and solid experience.

Am I eligible?

I am eligible!

Get Your Visa Support

✔️ 100% Refund Guarantee


If your visa is officially refused even after we have checked and approved your documents, we will refund 100% of our Visa Application Support fee (Check our Refund Policy).

Table of Contents

Highly Skilled Professional / J-SKIP Visa Application Support

1. What the Highly Skilled Professional/J-SKIP Visa is and Who It’s For

The Highly Skilled Professional / J-SKIP Visa is a special residence status for top-level talent that lets you:

  • Live in Japan long term with a strong, stable work status
  • Work in advanced roles (specialist, researcher, engineer, manager, executive) for a Japanese company or organisation
  • Bring your spouse and children with better family perks than a normal work visa, and in some cases fast-track your path to permanent residency

2. What You Get (HSP / J-SKIP Visa Application Support)

This service is for people who are realistic candidates for the Highly Skilled Professional or J-SKIP system and want help preparing a clear, consistent, professional application file.

What’s included:

  • Eligibility & route clarification (HSP vs J-SKIP vs regular work visa)
     We look at your education, income, job offer, role, and experience and help you understand whether:
    • the points-based HSP visa,
    • the J-SKIP fast-track, or
    • a standard work visa
       is the most realistic route for you based on public information.
  • Points calculation support (for standard HSP)
     We help you calculate and structure your HSP points (education, salary, experience, research achievements, age, etc.) to see if you can reach the required 70+ points.
  • J-SKIP requirement check
     For J-SKIP, we help you understand if you meet the very high thresholds, such as:
    • Master’s degree + annual income ≥ 20 million yen, or
    • ≥ 10 years of experience + annual income ≥ 20 million yen, or
    • ≥ 5 years in business management + annual income ≥ 40 million yen.
  • Document checklist for your case
     A tailored list of what you and your employer need to prepare, such as:
    • Job offer / employment contract
    • Company documents
    • Degree certificates & transcripts
    • CV / resume
    • Income proof and tax certificates
    • Proof of research achievements (for academic/technical roles)
    • Family documents (if bringing dependents)
  • Form & document guidance
     We guide you through relevant forms (for Certificate of Eligibility or change of status), and we review your drafts to catch:
    • Missing information
    • Inconsistent dates
    • Conflicts between CV, forms and supporting documents
  • Supporting explanation letters
     We help you structure simple, clear explanation letters (e.g. role description, how your job matches HSP category, income explanation, etc.) in a way that’s easy to understand.
  • File organisation & pre-check
     We help you organise your file in a logical order so that immigration officers can easily see how you meet HSP or J-SKIP criteria.
  • Submission & next-step guidance
     We explain the general flow for:
    • Certificate of Eligibility (if applying from outside Japan), or
    • Change of status (if already in Japan), and
    • Embassy/consulate application for the visa sticker (if applying from abroad).
  • Follow-up document support
     If immigration or the embassy asks for additional documents or clarification, we help you understand the request and prepare a clear response.
  • Q&A helpdesk
     You can ask us questions about requirements, document structure and next steps as you move through the process.

Important:

  • We are not lawyers or gyoseishoshi.
  • We do not provide legal advice and we do not guarantee approval.

The final decision is always made by Japanese immigration and the embassy/consulate.

3. How Long You Can Stay on This Visa

For both Highly Skilled Professional and Special Highly Skilled (J-SKIP) statuses, the typical period of stay is:

  • Up to 5 years per renewal for the highly skilled status itself.

With continued eligibility, you can renew and stay long-term.

Additionally, HSP and J-SKIP are designed as fast tracks to permanent residency compared to normal work visas — often around 1–3 years of stay in the highly skilled category, depending on your points / status, instead of the usual 10 years under regular rules.

4. Main Perks of the HSP / J-SKIP Route

Compared to standard work visas, HSP and J-SKIP can unlock powerful benefits if you qualify.

Typical perks include:

  • Long period of stay (usually 5 years at a time)
     More stability than many standard work visas.
  • Faster path to permanent residency
     Under current rules, many HSP/J-SKIP holders can qualify for PR in 1–3 years of stay in this category, instead of around 10 years under general rules.
  • Better benefits for your spouse
     Your spouse can often receive a status that allows them to work full-time in almost any job category, not just a limited dependent role.
  • Support for children and sometimes parents
     There are special provisions for:
    • Children’s stay and schooling
    • In some cases, for parents to come to Japan to help with childcare or pregnancy support.
  • Possibility of a housekeeper (in some cases)
     Under certain conditions, HSP holders can bring a domestic worker to Japan.
  • Priority / preferential treatment
     HSP / J-SKIP applicants may receive preferential processing and treatment at immigration compared to normal work visas.

In simple terms:

If you qualify, this is one of the strongest, most stable ways to build a long-term life and career in Japan with your family.

5. Criteria to Apply

There are two main tracks:

  • Standard Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) – points-based
  • J-SKIP – “Special Highly Skilled Professional”, for extremely high earners / top talent

A. Standard HSP (Points-Based)

You are evaluated on a points system including things like:

  • Education level (Bachelor, Master, PhD)
  • Professional experience
  • Current and expected salary in Japan
  • Research achievements and publications (for academic/technical categories)
  • Age (younger applicants may get more points)
  • Japanese language ability (in some cases)
  • Other qualifications or professional licences

If you reach 70 or more points, you may qualify for the Highly Skilled Professional status, as long as your job offer in Japan is in the appropriate category (advanced academic research, advanced technical/specialist, advanced business management).

B. J-SKIP (Special Highly Skilled Professional)

J-SKIP is a fast-track within the HSP framework. Instead of detailed points calculation, you qualify if you meet very strong education/experience + high income conditions.

Typical criteria (simplified):

  • For advanced academic / technical roles:
    • Master’s degree or higher and annual income of at least 20 million yen, or
    • 10+ years of work experience and annual income of at least 20 million yen
  • For business management roles:
    • 5+ years of experience in business management or administration and annual income of at least 40 million yen

Other common requirements:

  • A firm job offer in Japan that matches the relevant category
  • A Japanese host company that meets immigration criteria (e.g. stability, real business, tax compliance)
  • Clean immigration and criminal record

We help you map your education, income and experience to these categories so you have a realistic view of whether HSP / J-SKIP is possible, or whether a regular work visa is more appropriate.

6. Locations Available

With HSP or J-SKIP status, you are a long-term resident in Japan, not a tourist.

  • You can live and work anywhere in Japan as long as your main work location matches your employer’s situation.
  • Many highly skilled professionals base themselves in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Yokohama, etc., but you are not locked to one city.

If you change jobs or move house, you must follow the usual immigration and city hall update procedures, but the visa itself is not limited to a single region.

7. Typical Other Costs You Need to Plan For

Our HSP / J-SKIP Application Support fee only covers our support service. You should also expect:

  • Immigration / embassy-related costs
    • Application fees for Certificate of Eligibility (if any handling costs)
    • Visa issuance fee at the embassy/consulate (varies by nationality)
  • Company-side costs
    • Your employer may have internal legal or administrative costs for preparing company documents, though these are usually handled on their side.
  • Legal / professional fees (if used)
    • If you or your employer choose to hire a lawyer or gyoseishoshi, their fees are separate from JoynOne’s service.
  • Relocation costs
    • Flights for you (and your family)
    • Initial accommodation or deposit for housing
    • Moving costs and furniture (if needed)
  • Living costs in Japan
    • Rent, utilities, food, transport, school fees if you have children, etc.
    • As a highly skilled professional, your income will typically be higher, but major cities like Tokyo also have higher living costs.

We can help you sketch a realistic relocation budget and think through the practical side, not just the visa.

8. Procedure to Apply (With JoynOne Support)

Here’s how the process usually looks when you use JoynOne HSP / J-SKIP Application Support, assuming you already have or are close to having a job offer in Japan:

  1. Initial case review
     You share your profile (CV, education, salary level, offer details).
     We give you a high-level opinion on whether HSP or J-SKIP seems realistic.
  2. Purchase our HSP / J-SKIP support package
     If it looks realistic and you want support, you purchase the package and we officially start working on your case.
  3. Points / criteria structuring
    • For standard HSP: we help you calculate and document your HSP points.
    • For J-SKIP: we help you clearly show you meet the education/experience + income thresholds.
  4. Document checklist for you and your employer
     We prepare a checklist covering:
    • What you must provide
    • What your employer must prepare (company documents, letters, role explanation, etc.)
  5. Drafts & review
    • You and/or your employer prepare drafts of forms and supporting documents.
    • We review, highlight issues, and suggest improvements.
  6. Submission to immigration
    • Either you or your employer (often the employer or their representative) submits the application to Japanese immigration for:
      • Certificate of Eligibility (if you are outside Japan), or
      • Change of status (if you are already in Japan on another status).
  7. Follow-up
    • If immigration asks for extra documents, we help you prepare responses.

Once the Certificate of Eligibility or change of status is approved, you proceed to the embassy/consulate stage (if outside Japan) or receive your new residence card (if inside Japan).

9. Typical Timeline – From Application to Result

The timeline varies a lot depending on your employer, your documents, and immigration workload, but a rough idea is:

  • 2–6 weeks: Preparation with JoynOne & employer
    • Decide on HSP vs J-SKIP vs normal work visa
    • Collect and refine documents
    • Coordinate with employer for company-side paperwork
  • 1–3 months: Immigration processing in Japan
    • Certificate of Eligibility or change of status is processed.
    • HSP/J-SKIP are often prioritised, but timing still depends on the case and season.
  • Several days to a couple of weeks: Embassy / consulate stage (if outside Japan)
    • Once the CoE is issued, you apply for your visa at the Japanese embassy/consulate in your country.

In total, from “I have a serious job offer and want to apply as HSP/J-SKIP” to “I’m ready to fly”, you should think in terms of a few months, not a few days.

We help you and your employer understand this timeline and avoid last-minute surprises.

10. After Your Visa Is Successfully Approved

Once your Highly Skilled Professional / J-SKIP status is approved, the real work begins: moving your life (and possibly your family’s) to Japan and getting everything set up correctly.

As a highly skilled professional, you’ll be busy with your new role. The last thing you want is to spend evenings fighting with contracts, city hall forms, and utilities in Japanese. That’s exactly why we offer the JoynOne Relocation Support Value Package.

With this package, we help you and your family settle in smoothly by supporting the essentials:

– Housing Support

  We help you find foreigner-friendly housing in Japan (especially in Tokyo),explain contracts and fees, and avoid common pitfalls when renting as a foreigner.

  • City Hall & Registration Procedures
    Guidance for address registration, MyNumber, and other mandatory procedures so you complete everything correctly from the start.
  • Health Insurance & Social Systems
    Support understanding and joining the correct schemes (company health insurance, pension, etc.) based on your employment.
  • Banking & Everyday Payments
    Help opening a Japanese bank account (where eligible),setting up salary deposits, and understanding how to pay rent and bills.
  • Phone, SIM / eSIM & Internet
    Assistance choosing and setting up mobile and home internet options so you’re connected from day one.
  • Family Support (Spouse & Children)
    Guidance on basic options for schooling, daycare, daily life for your family,and how your spouse can use their work permission depending on status.
  • Ongoing Daily-Life Help
    A support point you can message when you receive letters you don’t understand,have to deal with a new procedure, or simply don’t know “how Japan does it”.

So your full journey looks like this:
HSP / J-SKIP Visa Application Support with JoynOne
→ Highly Skilled / J-SKIP status approved
→JoynOne Relocation Support Value Package
→You (and your family) are actually settled, registered, and living comfortably in Japan.

  • JoynOne

Highly Skilled Professional / J-SKIP Visa Application Support

Japan’s Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) and J-SKIP (Special Highly Skilled Professional) systems are designed for top-level talent: people with strong education, high income and solid experience.

Am I eligible?

I am eligible!

Get Your Visa Support
Book Consultation Now