Japan set to launch new migrant grading system

29 December 2011

---

For concise and recent immigration information watch our news.

This spring, Japan is set to begin grading skilled foreign workers. Those immigrants with higher grades will receive preferential treatment from the Japanese government.

The government will break working professions into three distinct categories: academic research, specialised skills, and management/administration.

Under the new grading system, up to 30 points will be awarded to migrants with doctoral or masters degrees and up to 25 points for migrants with specialised skills, depending on the level and length of their work experience.

Immigrants who gain 70 points on the grading system will receive additional benefits, e.g. the ability to secure a permanent Japanese visa (provided they have been living in Japan for around five years, which is shorter than the current 10 year requirement). Furthermore, under the new system, spouses will be allowed to work.

According to a government report in 2008, Japan's workforce will shrink by a third or more by 2050, citing declining birth rates and an ageing population as chief reasons. The Japanese government is hoping that the new migrant grading system will provide the country with an influx of high-skilled and highly educated immigrants to counteract the effects of a shrinking local workforce

If you would like to apply for a visa WorkPermit.com can help. WorkPermit.com is a specialist visa consultancy with over twenty years of experience dealing with visa applications. We can help with a wide range of visa applications to your country of choice. Please feel free to contact us for further details.