Japan maintains 3 million yen income floor for Highly Skilled Professional visa

Japan hasn't raised its ¥3 million annual income floor for most Highly Skilled Professional applicants and no effective date for such a change appears in government materials available through Aug. 15.

The ¥3 million rule remains in place

Japan’s Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) program requires applicants to score at least 70 points based on income, education, work experience and other qualifications.

Applicants in advanced specialized or technical roles and business management roles can't qualify when annual income falls below ¥3 million, even if they otherwise exceed 70 points, according to the Immigration Services Agency and Ministry of Justice. The threshold has applied for years.

Advanced academic research applicants don’t have the same explicitly stated ¥3 million floor, though they must still document realistic income. Other eligibility details are covered in Japan’s residency rules.

J-Skilled has much higher thresholds

The separate Japan System for Special Highly-Skilled Professionals, commonly called J-Skilled, uses income requirements of ¥20 million to ¥40 million for an accelerated immigration track.

Eligibility covers applicants with a master’s degree or higher and at least ¥20 million in annual income, those with more than 10 years of relevant experience earning at least ¥20 million and business managers with more than five years of experience earning at least ¥40 million.

J-Skilled is already operating. Its higher thresholds didn’t replace or increase the standard HSP income floor.

Applicants don’t face a new deadline

The rules affect skilled workers, engineers, executives and managers seeking long-term residence through HSP. Tourists and other short-term visitors aren’t covered.

There’s no raised floor requiring current holders to refile or applicants to beat a transition deadline. HSP applicants in the specialized, technical and business categories should instead confirm before filing that guaranteed salary and bonuses reach ¥3 million, since points alone won’t overcome income below that level.