Japan to Broaden Employment Options for Intl Students Studying at Vocational Schools

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:18 JST, July 25, 2023

The Immigration Services Agency plans to broaden employment options for international students studying at vocational schools as early as the end of this year.

The move is aimed at helping resolve the nation’s worker shortage by encouraging students to work in Japan after graduation.

Many foreign students who secure post-graduation employment here obtain an Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa. However, the current guidelines for this residential status stipulate that there must be significant relevance between a person’s field of study and their job.

The government plans to revise the guidelines to allow international students who study at vocational schools certified by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry to be treated like university graduates, who can work in a broader range of sectors.

The revised guidelines will apply to international students who graduate from next spring.