Language
Consultation content
Mr. F (32 years old), a French man, wants to work at a French restaurant in Japan. Although he does not have a university degree, he has worked at a French restaurant in his home country of France for five years, during which he was in charge of developing new menu items. However, he does not have 10 years of work experience, so he is unsure of which visa to apply for. He hopes to work in Japan using his French cooking skills. In this situation, Mr. F came to consult us about which visa would be best for him to achieve employment in Japan and what application procedures he should take.
Checkpoints
- 10 years of work experience is required to apply for a “skilled worker” visa.
- Mr. F has more than three years of experience developing new menu items.
- Product development and design work fall under the category of “Specialist in Humanities” in the “Technical/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” visa category.
- If you have more than three years of work experience in related work when working in a job that requires thinking or sensitivity based on foreign culture, you can apply even if you do not have an academic background or more than 10 years of work history.
A solution from an administrative scrivener
If you have skilled skills in a specific field, such as a French restaurant, you would normally aim to obtain a “skilled worker” visa. However, this visa requires more than 10 years of work experience, and this time I did not meet the requirements.
So I considered the “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” visa. The work involved in this case, developing new menu items, falls under the category of “work that requires thinking or sensitivity based on foreign culture.” In this case, you can apply with more than three years of work experience, and you do not need an academic background or 10 years of work experience. (To obtain a “skilled worker” visa as a regular chef, you need an academic background or more than 10 years of work experience.)
Mr. F, who met this requirement, applied for and successfully obtained a “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” visa.
Applicable residence status: “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”
The “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa” is available for a variety of occupations and industries. Specifically, you can work in a wide range of occupations, such as IT engineers, system developers, marketing specialists, interpreters, and foreign language teachers. This program is aimed at people with advanced specialized knowledge and skills required by companies in Japan.
Related information:
Immigration Services Agency – Status of residence “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services”
Immigration Services Agency – Status of residence “Skills”
Summary
If you have less than 10 years of work experience like Mr. F, it is difficult to obtain a “skilled worker” visa, but if your work falls under “work based on foreign culture,” such as developing new menu items, you can obtain a “Technical/Humanities Specialist/International Services” visa. With this visa, educational background is not an issue as long as you have more than three years of work experience. By choosing the appropriate visa and explaining the details of your work, you were able to work at a French restaurant in Japan. We recommend that you seek the advice of an expert when applying for a visa.
