Route 1: you have a job that fits a work status
Most graduates change from Student to a work status such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services. Points from the ISA:
- Timing: many applications for April starts arrive from January to March. To start work in April, apply between 1 December and the end of January. If your Student status ends on or before 31 January and you are still studying after that, you must first renew the Student status instead
- Fewer documents: from 1 December 2025, graduates of Japanese universities (including graduate schools and junior colleges) changing to Engineer/Humanities or Researcher can omit some documents, as can graduates of highly ranked foreign universities and people joining an employer that already hires former students. This does not apply to dispatch (haken) employment
- After approval: collect the new residence card after you receive your graduation certificate, even if the notice arrives earlier
Fees and processing times for a change of status are in change of status and renewal in Japan: fees from October 2026.
Route 2: you are still looking for work
The Designated Activities status for continued job hunting lets graduates stay to continue a job search they started before graduating. The ISA lists four groups:
| Group | Condition |
|---|---|
| University graduates | Graduated from a Japanese university, junior college, graduate school or college of technology on Student status (not auditors, non-degree or research students) |
| Vocational school (advanced course) | Graduated from an advanced course whose content relates to a work status such as Engineer/Humanities |
| Vocational school (specialised course) | Earned the senmonshi title, with content related to a work status |
| Japanese language school | Holds a degree from a foreign university and graduated from a Japanese language school that meets certain requirements |
You need a recommendation letter for continued job hunting from the school you last attended. You can apply before graduation with the recommendation letter, a certificate of expected graduation and the other documents; the graduation certificate is then needed at approval. This time is not counted toward the 10 years of residence for permanent residence.
Route 3: you have an offer but start later
If you received a job offer while studying at a university or vocational school, or while job hunting after graduating from one, the Designated Activities status for job-offer holders lets you stay until you are hired, when:
- You graduated or completed a course at a Japanese educational institution
- You will be hired within 1 year of the offer and within 1 year 6 months of graduation
- The job is expected to fit a work status such as Engineer/Humanities
- Your residence record has no problems
- The employer pledges to stay in contact with you regularly and to tell the immigration bureau without delay if the offer is withdrawn
With permission, you can work part-time up to 28 hours a week; for an internship at the future employer before hiring, permission beyond 28 hours is possible.
Route 4: Designated Activities No. 46 for graduates with high Japanese
Engineer/Humanities does not allow work that is mainly general service or manufacturing. Designated Activities No. 46 does, for graduates who use their studies and high Japanese ability. According to the ISA guideline (revised April 2026):
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Education | Bachelor's degree from a Japanese university, a degree from a Japanese graduate school, certain junior college or college of technology graduates who received a bachelor's degree, or a certified vocational programme (koudo senmonshi). Foreign university degrees alone do not qualify |
| Japanese | JLPT N1 (or the old Level 1) or BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test 480 or above, or a degree majoring in Japanese (the education requirement above still applies) |
| Work | Two-way communication in Japanese, plus work that uses university-level knowledge (now or later) |
| Contract | Full-time staff of the designated organisation only. No part-time work, no dispatch |
| Pay | Equal to or more than a Japanese person doing the same work |
The guideline gives hotel examples: PR work including translation and running a foreign-language website, or working as bell staff or a doorman who also interprets for foreign guests (serving Japanese guests too is allowed). Working only on room cleaning is not allowed. Changing to a different employer needs a change of status, because the employer is named in your designation. The first period of stay after changing from Student, and at the first renewal, is in principle 1 year. Your spouse and children can stay on Designated Activities as your family. For permanent residence, time on No. 46 counts as work-status time.
For other hotel roles and statuses, see hotel jobs in Japan for foreigners.
Keep your record clean before you graduate
As a student, part-time work needs permission and is limited to 28 hours a week (8 hours a day during long school holidays). The ISA's No. 46 guideline gives regularly working more than 28 hours as an example of conduct that is not considered good, which counts against you when you change or renew your status. Keeping within the limit protects every route above.
About the pair hotel manager position
The recruitment on this site is a management contract for two people who run one business hotel together, not employment. A status held for another employer, such as Engineer/Humanities or Designated Activities No. 46, does not simply carry over to it. Permanent residents, spouses of Japanese nationals or permanent residents and long-term residents can take part without a status change. Visa support: for applicants who meet the requirements of the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status, including people living outside Japan, the hiring company supports the visa application (the selection is online, with only the final interview in person). Both members of the pair are checked individually. Our recruitment service does not file visa applications, and only the immigration authorities decide, so no visa is guaranteed.