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Work visa · 介護

Nursing Care visa (介護): working in Japan as a certified care worker

A work status for care workers who hold Japan’s national qualification 介護福祉士. Unlike Specified Skilled Worker in care, it has no total time limit and your family can join you. The routes to the qualification, the documents and life on the status.

Forms and documents

Compare with SSW care

Checked against the Immigration Services Agency of Japan on 7 October 2026 · All work visas

Key condition介護福祉士 registration

Routes to the exam4

Period of stay5 y · 3 y · 1 y · 3 months

FamilyYes — Dependent visa

Who qualifies

The key condition: the 介護福祉士 qualification

Nursing Care (介護) is granted to people registered in Japan as a 介護福祉士 — a certified care worker — who provide care, or teach it, under a contract with a Japanese organization. Under the landing criteria (上陸基準省令) pay must be at least what a Japanese employee gets. Since April 2020 the route to the qualification does not matter.

Care school in Japan

At least 2 years at a training school for 介護福祉士 (介護福祉士養成施設), on a Student visa, then the exam. Graduates get a transitional registration — see the FAQ.

3 years of care work

3 years of care work and the 実務者研修 course, then the exam. Open to people working in care on Specified Skilled Worker or as former technical interns.

Care-focused high school

A Japanese high school with a care program — 3 years, then the exam. For those who study in Japan from school age.

EPA program

Candidates from Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam under Economic Partnership Agreements, placed only through JICWELS: care work in Japan, then the exam. Care candidates may stay up to 4 years; Indonesians up to 5 years from August 2026.

The exam is in Japanese. From the January 2026 exam you can pass it in parts: a part you passed need not be retaken — see the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare rules. The 39th exam is on 31 January 2027 (applications closed on 2 September 2026). For our students the most direct route is the Student visa: a language school, then a care school.

Comparison

Nursing Care or Specified Skilled Worker in care

Nursing Care (介護) SSW (i) in care
What you need The 介護福祉士 qualification Care skills test, JLPT N4 or JFT-Basic A2, and the care Japanese test
Period 5, 3 or 1 year or 3 months; no limit on extensions As a rule up to 5 years in total; 6 years if you failed the 介護福祉士 exam with at least 80% of the pass mark and passed part of it
Family Dependent visa (家族滞在) As a rule, no
Years for permanent residence Count toward the 5 years on a work status Do not count
Next level Not needed Care has no SSW (ii) — the next step is Nursing Care

On narrow screens the table scrolls sideways.

Working on Specified Skilled Worker in care, you can prepare for the exam: after 3 years of work and the 実務者研修 course you may take it, and once registered you change to Nursing Care. Former technical interns also submit a declaration that they will pass the skills on in their home country. The SSW care test is held in Japan and in many Asian countries — in autumn 2026, for example, in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Nepal, India, Myanmar and others.

Forms and documents

Official forms and the documents you need

The status has one document list for every employer. The key document is a copy of your 介護福祉士 certificate; the employer prepares most of the rest.

Two ways to the status. If you already hold the 介護福祉士 qualification and live abroad, the employer applies for a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) and you get the visa at a Japanese embassy. After a care school, SSW, technical intern training or EPA in Japan, you apply for a change of status once you are on the 介護福祉士 register.

Certificate not issued yet? Care-school graduates and students who passed the exam can work from 1 April on a temporary Designated Activities (特定活動) status until the 介護福祉士 certificate arrives — a separate ISA procedure. Then they change to Nursing Care.

Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) — you hold the 介護福祉士 qualification, the employer is in Japan

Your employer in Japan — a care home or another care provider — files it (a staff member or an administrative scrivener, 行政書士). With the CoE you apply for the visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate and enter Japan.

Application formPDF · moj.go.jpApplication formExcel · moj.go.jpFilled-in examplePDF · moj.go.jpDocument checklistPDF · moj.go.jp

Files open from the website of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA). Forms are in Japanese and English; links checked 6 Oct 2026.

Documents

  1. Application for a Certificate of Eligibility 在留資格認定証明書交付申請書Part of the form is filled in by the employer.
  2. Photo, 4 × 3 cm 写真
  3. Return envelope with address and stamps for registered mail 返信用封筒For paper applications.
  4. Certificate of registration as a 介護福祉士 — copy 介護福祉士登録証（写し）The key document: without registration as a 介護福祉士 the status is not granted.
  5. Terms of employment — employment contract or notice of terms 労働条件通知書（雇用契約書）Pay must be at least what a Japanese employee gets for the same work.
  6. If you work through a staffing agency (派遣): a document on your work at the client organization 派遣先での活動内容を明らかにする資料
  7. Profile of the organization: history, management, activities 招へい機関の概要を明らかにする文書
  8. Declaration about the organization’s representative 所属機関の代表者に関する申告書For every employer, for applications from 15 April 2026.template · PDF
  9. Declaration on transferring your skills to your home country — only if you were a technical intern (技能実習) 技能移転に係る申告書template · Word

Immigration may ask for other documents too. Full list: the ISA checklist above and the status page.

Where to apply
The regional immigration services bureau for the place of work (when the employer files). Not accepted by post.
Fee
Free
Standard processing period
1–3 months
Online
Yes
Documents for my caseYour list for your category and family — with checkboxes and a PDF

Change of status — after a care school, from Specified Skilled Worker, technical intern training or the EPA program

You file it yourself once you are registered as a 介護福祉士 — or an approved staff member of the employer (申請等取次者) or an administrative scrivener (行政書士) files for you. If the certificate has not arrived but your job starts on 1 April, ISA allows a temporary Designated Activities status — see further down the page.

Application formPDF · moj.go.jpApplication formExcel · moj.go.jpFilled-in examplePDF · moj.go.jpDocument checklistPDF · moj.go.jp

Files open from the website of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA). Forms are in Japanese and English; links checked 6 Oct 2026.

Documents

  1. Application for change of status of residence 在留資格変更許可申請書
  2. Photo, 4 × 3 cm 写真
  3. Passport and residence card — to show パスポート及び在留カード（提示）
  4. Certificate of registration as a 介護福祉士 — copy 介護福祉士登録証（写し）
  5. Terms of employment — employment contract or notice of terms 労働条件通知書（雇用契約書）
  6. If you work through a staffing agency (派遣): a document on your work at the client organization 派遣先での活動内容を明らかにする資料
  7. Profile of the organization: history, management, activities 招へい機関の概要を明らかにする文書
  8. Declaration about the organization’s representative 所属機関の代表者に関する申告書For applications from 15 April 2026.template · PDF
  9. Declaration on transferring your skills to your home country — only if you were a technical intern (技能実習) 技能移転に係る申告書template · Word

Immigration may ask for other documents too. Full list: the ISA checklist above and the status page.

Where to apply
The regional immigration services bureau for your address
Fee
Paid only after approval. Applications received by 30 September 2026: ¥6,000 (online ¥5,500), even if the decision comes later. Received from 1 October 2026: the fee depends on the period granted — from ¥10,000 (up to 3 months) to ¥75,000 (5 years or more); online is cheaper except for periods up to 3 months. It can be higher if a specified residence card (特定在留カード) is issued with the permission. Full fee table
Standard processing period
1–2 months
Online
Yes
Documents for my caseYour list for your category and family — with checkboxes and a PDF

Extension of Nursing Care status

You file it yourself from 3 months before your period of stay ends. If you changed employers and did not notify immigration within 14 days, file that notification first.

Application formPDF · moj.go.jpApplication formExcel · moj.go.jpFilled-in examplePDF · moj.go.jpDocument checklistPDF · moj.go.jp

Files open from the website of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA). Forms are in Japanese and English; links checked 6 Oct 2026.

Documents

  1. Application for extension of period of stay 在留期間更新許可申請書
  2. Photo, 4 × 3 cm 写真Not needed for an extension of up to 3 months.
  3. Passport and residence card — to show パスポート及び在留カード（提示）
  4. Declaration about the organization’s representative 所属機関の代表者に関する申告書template · PDF
  5. Resident tax certificates for the year: tax assessed and tax paid 住民税の課税（又は非課税）証明書・納税証明書From the city office where you lived on 1 January.
  6. After a job change (first extension with a new employer): terms of employment and a profile of the organization 労働条件通知書・招へい機関の概要を明らかにする文書

Immigration may ask for other documents too. Full list: the ISA checklist above and the status page.

Where to apply
The regional immigration services bureau for your address
Fee
Paid only after approval. Applications received by 30 September 2026: ¥6,000 (online ¥5,500), even if the decision comes later. Received from 1 October 2026: the fee depends on the period granted — from ¥10,000 (up to 3 months) to ¥75,000 (5 years or more); online is cheaper except for periods up to 3 months. It can be higher if a specified residence card (特定在留カード) is issued with the permission. Full fee table
Standard processing period
2 weeks – 1 month
Online
Yes
Documents for my caseYour list for your category and family — with checkboxes and a PDF

What comes next

Family and life on Nursing Care

Family

Spouse and children — on the Dependent visa

Your spouse and the children you support get the Dependent visa (家族滞在): a CoE if they are abroad, or a change of status if they are already in Japan. With permission they may work up to 28 hours a week.

14 days

Changing jobs and notifications

Left or changed employers — notify immigration within 14 days (契約機関に関する届出): online, in person or by post. The new job must be care work too. More than 3 months without such work, without a good reason, is grounds to cancel the status.

Trips abroad

Leaving and coming back

With a valid passport and residence card you can leave for up to 1 year without a separate permit (special re-entry, みなし再入国) — tick the box on the embarkation card. If your status ends earlier, come back before it ends.

Next step

Permanent residence

Nursing Care is a work status, so its years count toward permanent residency: usually 10 years in Japan, at least 5 of them on a work status. Years on SSW (i) and Technical Intern Training are not counted in those 5.

If you are refused

Common reasons for refusal

The grounds are in the landing criteria (上陸基準省令) and ISA’s guidelines.

  • Not on the 介護福祉士 register yet — the exam is passed, but there is no certificate
  • The job is not care work or teaching care
  • Pay below what a Japanese employee gets for the same work
  • A former technical intern did not declare that they will pass the skills on in their home country
  • An incomplete document set — ISA warns that this can delay the decision a lot or end in refusal
  • At extension — unpaid taxes or social insurance, missing notifications

After a refusal you can apply again once the reason is fixed; in practice the bureau that decided explains the reason if you ask.

FAQ

Nursing Care visa questions

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How is the Nursing Care visa different from Specified Skilled Worker in care?

SSW (i) in care needs only the skills test and Japanese tests, but it is limited, as a rule, to 5 years in total (6 years if you failed the 介護福祉士 exam with at least 80% of the pass mark and passed part of it), and family cannot join you. The Nursing Care status needs the national 介護福祉士 qualification, but it can be extended without a limit and your family can come at once. Care has no SSW (ii) — the Nursing Care status plays that role.

You pass the national exam. You can take it after a care school (usually 2 years), after 3 years of care work plus the 実務者研修 course, after a care-focused Japanese high school, or through the EPA program. Since April 2020 the Nursing Care status is granted whichever route you took.

Care-school graduates have had to take the exam since 2017, with a transitional measure. Graduates up to 31 March 2027 get a provisional registration for 5 years and keep it if they pass the exam or work in care for 5 years in a row. Graduates from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2032 also get a provisional registration, but must pass the exam within the 5 years.

The Nursing Care status has no separate language requirement: the 介護福祉士 exam itself is in Japanese. SSW in care needs JLPT N4 or JFT-Basic A2 and the separate care Japanese test.

Yes. A spouse and children you support get the Dependent visa (家族滞在). With permission they may work up to 28 hours a week.

Yes. Nursing Care is a work status and its years count toward permanent residence: usually 10 years in Japan, at least 5 of them on a work status. Years on SSW (i) and Technical Intern Training do not count toward those 5.

ISA lets you change to Designated Activities (特定活動) for that time and work in care until the certificate arrives. This covers care-school graduates (ISA’s page currently names graduates up to the 2026 academic year, which ends on 31 March 2027) and students who passed the exam. Once the certificate is issued, you change to Nursing Care.

Yes, if you also do care work there. Notify immigration within 14 days (契約機関に関する届出) — online, in person or by post. More than 3 months without such work and without a good reason is grounds to cancel the status.

Work in Japan

Jobs, pay, taxes and insurance on this visa

All topics: Work in Japan — the full guide

A care career in Japan starts with Japanese.

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