研究

Researcher

WorkContent reviewed on 2026-10-23

What it allows

Research work under a contract with a Japanese public or private organization, other than the research and teaching that belong to the Professor status.

Period of stay

5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months.

Requirements

A contract with a Japanese public or private organization for research
After a university degree (or equivalent), a master’s degree or 3 or more years of research experience in the field, or 10 or more years of research experience in the field; this does not apply to researchers under contract with government bodies and similar public organizations
Pay equal to or higher than a Japanese national would receive for the same work · Confirm with the official source

Where this can lead

Related rulebook entries

What it is

Under Enforcement Regulation Appended Table 4 (Article 6-2), the proxy who may file a COE for most work statuses is a staff member of the Japanese organisation that contracts with the foreign national or that the person is transferring to; for Business Manager it is staff of the business office, or the entrusted person when a new office is being set up.
出入国管理及び難民認定法施行規則別表第四（第六条の二関係）（出入国在留管理庁掲載の抄録）別表第四（第6条の2関係） · Checked on 2026-10-22
Category (a) of the Highly Skilled Professional system, "advanced academic research activities" (Highly Skilled Professional No. 1 (i)), covers research, research guidance or teaching carried out under a contract with a public or private organisation in Japan.
ポイント評価の仕組みは？（高度人材ポイント制）１３類型の活動 · Checked on 2026-10-22
Researcher status covers research work under a contract with a Japanese public or private organization, other than the research and teaching activity that belongs to Professor status.
出入国管理及び難民認定法別表第一別表第一の二の表研究の項 · Checked on 2026-10-22
Category 1 employers are listed companies, mutual insurance companies, Japanese or foreign national and local governments, independent administrative agencies, special and authorised corporations, public-interest corporations authorised by government, public corporations under the Corporation Tax Act, innovation-creating firms and firms meeting set conditions.
就労資格の在留諸申請に関連してお問い合わせの多い事項について（Ｑ＆Ａ）令和８年７月Ｑ１１ · Checked on 2026-10-22
Category 3 is an organisation or individual for whom a prior-year statutory payment summary of employee wage withholding slips was filed, excluding Category 2; the ISA pages state no yen threshold for Category 3.
就労資格の在留諸申請に関連してお問い合わせの多い事項について（Ｑ＆Ａ）令和８年７月Ｑ１１ · Checked on 2026-10-22
Category 2 can also be reached by approval to use the online residence-application system after submitting proof of Category 3 status, but this second route excludes Business Manager applications.
就労資格の在留諸申請に関連してお問い合わせの多い事項について（Ｑ＆Ａ）令和８年７月Ｑ１１ · Checked on 2026-10-22

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In the change-of-status table, a student moving to work status who has graduated or will graduate from a Japanese university, junior college or graduate school, or from a highly ranked overseas university, is listed within the Category 2 column.
在留資格「技術・人文知識・国際業務」（出入国在留管理庁）在留資格変更許可申請カテゴリー · Checked on 2026-10-23

Who qualifies

After graduating from a university (junior colleges excluded) or equivalent education, or completing a qualifying vocational course, a Researcher applicant needs a master's degree or three years of research experience in the field, or alternatively ten years of research experience in the field.
出入国管理及び難民認定法第七条第一項第二号の基準を定める省令（上陸基準省令）表研究の項第一号 · Checked on 2026-10-22
The degree and experience requirement does not apply to researchers who work under contract with national or local government bodies, independent administrative agencies or certain other public-law corporations designated by notice.
出入国管理及び難民認定法第七条第一項第二号の基準を定める省令（上陸基準省令）表研究の項ただし書 · Checked on 2026-10-22

Numbers and tests

A researcher transferred from an overseas office of the same organization is exempt from the degree and experience test if they had done research there continuously for at least one year.
出入国管理及び難民認定法第七条第一項第二号の基準を定める省令（上陸基準省令）表研究の項第一号ただし書 · Checked on 2026-10-22
Most work-status standards set no fixed salary figure but require pay equal to or higher than a Japanese person would receive for the same work.
出入国管理及び難民認定法第七条第一項第二号の基準を定める省令（上陸基準省令）表研究・教育・医療・企業内転勤・介護・技能の各項（技術・人文知識・国際業務、興行にも同旨） · Checked on 2026-10-22
Medical Services, Instructor and Researcher each use the same open-ended test as the main work statuses, requiring pay equal to or higher than a Japanese person would receive, so none of them has a fixed salary figure.
出入国管理及び難民認定法第七条第一項第二号の基準を定める省令医療の項第一号・教育の項第二号・研究の項第二号 · Checked on 2026-10-22

Periods

For COEs approved in August 2026 the average days from receipt to issue were 47.1 for Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, 26.9 for Professor, 45.6 for Researcher, 29.8 for Instructor, 34.8 for Intra-company Transferee, 50.4 for Nursing Care, 72.1 for Skilled Labor and 62.6 for Medical Services.
在留審査処理期間（令和8年8月許可分）（出入国在留管理庁）在留資格認定証明書交付処分（交付）までの日数 · Checked on 2026-10-23
Of the 10 years, at least 5 continuous years must have been spent in a work-purpose status or a residence-type status.
永住許可に関するガイドライン（令和８年１０月１日改定）第2の5(6) · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
No status of residence other than Diplomat, Official, Highly Skilled Professional (type 2) and Permanent Resident may carry a period of stay longer than five years.
出入国管理及び難民認定法別表第一第二条の二第三項 · Checked on 2026-10-22
Legal/Accounting Services, Medical Services, Researcher and Instructor each carry periods of five years, three years, one year or three months.
出入国管理及び難民認定法施行規則別表第二（在留期間）別表第二 · Checked on 2026-10-22
The agency decides the length of stay by weighing the planned work period, the person's record of activity and public obligations, and the size and track record of the contracting organization.
就労資格の在留諸申請に関連してお問い合わせの多い事項について（Ｑ＆Ａ）令和８年７月Ｑ８ · Checked on 2026-10-22
The standard processing time for a certificate of eligibility application is one to three months.
在留資格認定証明書交付申請（出入国在留管理庁）標準処理期間 · Checked on 2026-10-22

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The standard processing time for a change of status application is one to two months.
在留資格変更許可申請（出入国在留管理庁）標準処理期間 · Checked on 2026-10-22
The standard processing time for a period-of-stay extension application is two weeks to one month.
在留期間更新許可申請（出入国在留管理庁）標準処理期間 · Checked on 2026-10-22

Deadlines

Holders of Researcher, Engineer/Specialist, Nursing Care, Skilled Labor or Specified Skilled Worker status, Entertainers working under a contract, and some Highly Skilled Professional types must notify the agency within 14 days when the contracting organization changes its name or address, ceases to exist, ends the contract, or when a new contract is signed.
出入国管理及び難民認定法別表第一第十九条の十六第二号 · Checked on 2026-10-22

Fees

A certificate of eligibility application has no fee.
在留資格認定証明書交付申請（出入国在留管理庁）手数料 · Checked on 2026-10-22

How it works

For certificate-of-eligibility filings, a Category 1 or 2 employer normally needs only the common application items plus proof of its category, because other documents are in principle not required.
在留資格「技術・人文知識・国際業務」（出入国在留管理庁）在留資格認定証明書交付申請 · Checked on 2026-10-22

Lists and tables

Holders of Highly Skilled Professional 1(a)/(b) and 2(a)/(b), Researcher, Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, Nursing Care, Entertainer (when working under a contract with a domestic organization), Skilled Labor and Specified Skilled Worker status report changes of their contracting organization (group B).
所属機関等に関する届出・所属機関による届出Ｑ＆Ａ（出入国在留管理庁） Bグループ · Checked on 2026-10-22
The Immigration Services Agency lists these statuses as work-permitted: Professor, Artist, Religious Activities, Journalist, Highly Skilled Professional, Business Manager, Legal/Accounting, Medical, Researcher, Instructor, Engineer/Specialist, Intra-company Transferee, Nursing Care, Entertainer, Skilled Labor, Specified Skilled Worker and Technical Intern Training.
就労資格の在留諸申請に関連してお問い合わせの多い事項について（Ｑ＆Ａ）令和８年７月Ｑ１就労資格 · Checked on 2026-10-22
For a certificate-of-eligibility application, Category 1 proof is a Shikiho copy or other listing evidence, a government establishment approval, or an innovation-firm certificate (among other listed documents); Category 2 needs the prior-year wage summary copy, plus the online-system approval notice for organisations that qualified through that route; Category 3 needs the summary copy; with no proof the applicant is Category 4.
在留資格「技術・人文知識・国際業務」（出入国在留管理庁）在留資格認定証明書交付申請 · Checked on 2026-10-23
Researcher filings need a résumé, proof of degree or of research experience including graduate study, or for transferees a document on the past year's duties and pay at the overseas office, plus the usual activity, business and financial documents by employer category.
在留資格「研究」（出入国在留管理庁）在留資格認定証明書交付申請 · Checked on 2026-10-22
For the professional work visas (including Engineer/Specialist, Medical, Instructor, Researcher and Nursing Care) the Japanese mission asks for a passport, visa application form, photo and the certificate of eligibility (original or copy, or the e-certificate), plus extra household-register papers for Chinese nationals.
就業査証：法律・会計業務、医療、研究、教育、技術・人文知識・国際業務、介護（外務省）必要書類 · Checked on 2026-10-22

Recent changes

Ministry of Justice Ordinance No. 12 of Reiwa 8, effective 1 April 2026, widened the vocational-school routes in the standards to cover completion of an advanced course (senko-ka) as well as the specialised course, for Researcher, Instructor, Engineer/Specialist and Student.
上陸基準省令（令和8年4月1日施行版）令和八年法務省令第十二号 · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2026-04-01
In the version of the standards in force from 16 October 2025, the Engineer/Specialist vocational-school clause referred only to completion of the specialised course (senmon katei), without the advanced course.
上陸基準省令（令和7年10月16日施行版）改正前の条文（令和7年10月16日版） · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2025-10-16
For Researcher filings from 15 April 2026, Category 3 and 4 employers must add the representative declaration, as for Engineer/Specialist.
在留資格「研究」（出入国在留管理庁）お知らせ · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2026-04-15

Open the official page ↗ · As of 2026-10-23

Information only. Not legal advice and not an official service. Check the official source and consult the Immigration Services Agency or a licensed administrative scrivener (行政書士) before you decide.