Executive classification
Distinguish company management from specialized professional duties.
Japan HSP Visa for High-Income Executives
Japan Highly Skilled Professional Visa for High-Income Executives
Are you an overseas CEO, director, business leader or senior manager planning to work in Japan? Your job title or salary alone does not determine HSP eligibility. We review whether your proposed management duties fit Highly Skilled Professional (i)(c) or another suitable status, and help prepare the points evidence, receiving-company documents and immigration application.
HSP No. 1 COE or change of status · professional feeFrom ¥110,000Tax included · Disbursements may be separate
Detailed documentary HSP points assessment¥16,500Tax included · Credited against a later related application engagement
Salary evidence
Examine the remuneration structure and eligible point items.
Company coordination
Support an overseas parent company or Japanese subsidiary with COE records.
Does Your Executive Role Qualify for HSP (i)(c)?
HSP (i)(c) covers qualifying advanced business management activities at an organization in Japan. It may be considered for executives taking part in important corporate decisions, carrying out business operations, or managing a department at an appropriate level. The company’s size or the applicant’s title is not itself decisive.
Chief executives & directors
Foreign CEOs or directors with genuine decision-making and operational authority in a Japanese business.
Senior corporate managers
Department or division managers whose actual duties amount to the management of an enterprise.
Overseas group executives
Managers assigned to Japanese group-company operations, where the Japanese activity and proposed status meet the relevant rules.
Distinguish HSP (i)(b) and (i)(c): A highly paid technology lead who mainly performs technical work may be assessed under (i)(b), whereas an executive primarily managing a business may fit (i)(c). A title like “VP” is not sufficient proof.
70 Points, Management Duties and the Income Threshold
Qualifying management activity: clear authority, responsibility and involvement in business decisions.
Appropriate Japanese organization: documents establishing the receiving company and the actual operating business.
Correct official HSP table: calculate under the category corresponding to the proposed management activities.
At least 70 points: claimed education, management career, annual remuneration and bonuses must be proved.
Minimum annual remuneration: for ordinary HSP (i)(c), generally at least ¥3 million independently of the points threshold.
Underlying immigration conditions: points do not replace the applicable requirements for the proposed management activity.
High income does not create a residence status. Even very senior management professionals may fail to qualify if the underlying business, functions or evidence do not meet the criteria.
How Executive Remuneration Is Assessed
| Evidence | What immigration may need to understand | Typical documents |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate position | Authority over operations, business decisions and supervision, rather than an honorary title. | Appointment decision, organizational chart, detailed duties. |
| Management career | Prior experience in genuine management and periods spent in qualifying positions. | Previous contracts, certificates from employers, role descriptions. |
| Planned remuneration | Salary and legally countable bonuses at the relevant dates; treatment of overseas remuneration needs individual review. | Executive service agreement, salary statement, remuneration decisions. |
| Education and degrees | Applicable degree points, including possible MBA or comparable management professional qualifications. | Degree certificate, transcript if needed. |
| Japanese business | Operational reality of the Japanese entity and its business; legal and tax documentation as required. | Corporate profile, financial and business records. |
| Special bonuses | Only the officially eligible institutional and other designated additions. | Applicable public designation and documentary proof. |
Travel reimbursement, commuting support and some cost-covering allowances are not necessarily qualifying remuneration. Variable bonus payments and foreign payroll require documentary analysis.
HSP (i)(c) vs Business Manager vs Intra-Company Transferee
| Status | Suitable situation | Key issue |
|---|---|---|
| HSP (i)(c) | Advanced management activity with the correct underlying status and 70 qualifying points. | Management duties, company evidence, salary and point proof. |
| Business Manager | Company business operation or management under the ordinary status. | Specific current entry and residence conditions without the HSP 70-point route. |
| Intra-Company Transferee | Temporary group-company transfer to perform certain qualifying specialized work. | Overseas work history, group-company relationship and the precise work. |
| HSP (i)(b) | Advanced specialized or technical duties rather than primary company management. | Professional duties, contractual arrangements and the (i)(b) points table. |
Important: The October 16, 2025 Business Manager reform also matters for HSP (i)(c). Where the proposed HSP management activities are subject to the Business Manager landing criteria, obtaining 70 HSP points does not waive those criteria. A points-based HSP application is not a shortcut around the requirements below.
How the New Business Manager Rules Affect Executive HSP Applicants
Japan amended the landing criteria for the Business Manager status on October 16, 2025. The Immigration Services Agency has stated that HSP (i)(c) applicants whose activities fall under the Business Manager criteria must also satisfy the applicable revised standards. The executive's personal income and the company's business scale are different requirements.
| Requirement | What it means for your application |
|---|---|
| Business premises in Japan | Document a genuine workplace suitable for the business. Using a home as the business office is generally not accepted under the revised approach. |
| Business assets of at least ¥30 million | Qualifying business assets used for the activity, including capital or contributions, are assessed. This is not a personal annual salary or HSP points requirement. |
| At least one eligible full-time employee | The company must employ an eligible full-time staff member under the detailed rules. Not every foreign employee qualifies for this requirement. |
| Japanese language ability | The manager or an eligible full-time employee must meet a level equivalent to CEFR B2 under the applicable evidence rules. |
| Management education or career | The applicant generally needs a relevant master's-level or higher degree or at least three years of qualifying management experience, subject to the detailed criteria. |
| Business reality and compliance | Business plans, expert review where applicable, necessary licenses, social-insurance and employment-law compliance can also be examined. |
Existing HSP (i)(c) holders: Special transitional treatment can apply to renewal applications filed during the first three years after the reform. From October 16, 2028, the revised criteria normally need to be met, subject to the agency's stated case-specific treatment. Importantly, after the reform, failing the revised criteria may also prevent a qualifying HSP (i)(c)-to-HSP (ii) change or permanent residence permission based on Business Manager activities. Do not assume the renewal transitional treatment applies to these other procedures.
See the Immigration Services Agency's official explanation of the revised Business Manager standards. Each situation requires an individual review of current official rules and evidence.
Applying for an HSP Executive Position From Overseas
Japanese receiving company
Clarify the Japan-side employing or appointing entity, its operations and the executive’s role.
Applicant records
Compile professional management chronology, qualifying educational records and income evidence.
COE and entry
Prepare the proper COE submission in Japan; consular visa and landing review are separate steps.
Company registration and tax/accounting services are separate regulated professional services. Our engagement concerns relevant immigration documents and administrative procedures.
HSP Points or J-Skip for High-Income Executives?
J-Skip is an alternative special highly skilled framework that may apply to applicants meeting designated experience or educational and income requirements. The executive/management threshold differs from the academic and specialized/technical routes. A high salary alone is not enough; the actual activities, executive career and Japan-side business must be reviewed.
For the ordinary J-Skip management route, the published benchmark is at least five years of qualifying business-management experience plus annual remuneration of at least ¥40 million. J-Skip eligibility and HSP points eligibility should not be conflated.
How We Prepare an Executive Immigration Application
Confirm the business and executive role
Review the Japanese operation, title, authority and planned remuneration.
Select the immigration route
Evaluate HSP (i)(c), (i)(b), ordinary Business Manager or J-Skip as appropriate.
Verify points and company evidence
Match education, management history, salary and eligible bonuses to the official criteria.
Prepare filing documents
Coordinate with the foreign headquarters, Japanese entity and the executive applicant.
Assist after filing
Help organize additional documents and explain steps toward entry or residence status.
HSP Immigration Application Fees
| Service | Professional fee (tax included) |
|---|---|
| HSP No. 1 — Certificate of Eligibility (COE) | From ¥110,000 |
| HSP No. 1 — Change of status of residence | From ¥110,000 |
| HSP No. 1 — Standard extension with no employer change | From ¥44,000 |
| HSP points — detailed documentary assessment | ¥16,500 |
| HSP No. 2 — Change of status | From ¥110,000 |
| J-Skip — Special Highly Skilled Professional application | From ¥165,000 |
These are starting professional fees, not an assurance that every case falls at the minimum price. The detailed points-assessment fee is credited toward the application fee if you subsequently engage our office for the related immigration application. Government permission fees (where applicable), translations, certificate procurement, postage and other out-of-pocket costs may be charged separately. We provide an individual quotation in advance.
A COE application itself ordinarily has no immigration filing fee. Permission fees for approved changes or extensions are separate and depend on the applicable rules and the case.
Questions About This HSP Application
Does earning ¥20 million or more automatically qualify me?
No. Salary can affect the points calculation, but the activities, applicable HSP category and all underlying immigration conditions still matter.
Can a general manager use HSP (i)(c) without being a board director?
Possibly. The Immigration Services Agency assesses genuine operational and management responsibility; legal director status is not the sole test.
I am a software company CTO. Should I use (i)(b) or (i)(c)?
That depends on whether your primary Japan activity is specialized technical work or management of the business. We compare actual duties and contracts rather than the job title.
Can overseas-paid executive remuneration count?
Certain overseas-paid remuneration may be relevant if it qualifies under the rules and is sufficiently proved. We review cross-border payroll documents and employment arrangements.
Is an MBA awarded overseas relevant?
An overseas management professional degree may be considered where it meets the applicable equivalence and documentation conditions. The degree name alone is not enough.
Can I apply from outside Japan?
A qualifying executive can normally consider the COE route with a Japanese receiving organization, followed by the separate visa and landing stages.
Can I use J-Skip without 70 points?
J-Skip uses a separate framework. Management applicants must meet its own experience, remuneration and activity requirements.
Does HSP (i)(c) avoid the new ¥30 million Business Manager standard?
No. Where the proposed HSP (i)(c) activities are subject to the revised Business Manager criteria, the applicable business-scale, full-time employee, language and other requirements also need to be satisfied. The executive’s personal salary and the business’s assets are separate matters.
Can my spouse accompany me?
Potentially, through separate applications. Special HSP provisions require individual eligibility checks.
Will a change to a different Japanese company require new filing?
A change of the designated HSP (i) organization generally requires a new change-of-status application before taking up the new designated HSP activities.
Licensed Immigration Application Support in Japan
Kawagoe Masanobu Administrative Scrivener Office is based in Sagae City, Yamagata Prefecture. We support foreign nationals and Japanese receiving institutions with residence-status documents and immigration application-intermediary services within the authorized scope. English enquiries from outside Japan are welcome.
Masanobu Kawagoe
Licensed Administrative Scrivener / Immigration Application Intermediary
Sagae, Yamagata, Japan
Telephone: +81 237-86-7198
We verify the appropriate submitting authority, available procedures and individual circumstances before accepting an application engagement.
Related HSP Services
Official Immigration Services Agency Resources
Japan’s Highly Skilled Professional system is divided into academic research, specialized/technical and business-management activities. Always use the points table for the category that fits the proposed work, and check current official filing instructions.
Immigration Services Agency – HSP points evaluationImmigration Services Agency – HSP questions and answersImmigration Services Agency – HSP overviewImmigration Services Agency – HSP residence statusImmigration Services Agency – permanent residence guidelinesImmigration Services Agency – 2025 Business Manager reforms
Discuss Your Highly Skilled Professional Application
Tell us your current country or Japanese residence status, intended activities, academic background, relevant experience, planned remuneration and Japanese receiving organization. We will explain the next evidence-gathering steps and our fees. An immigration decision cannot be guaranteed.
Telephone 9:00–18:00 JST · HSP COE/change assistance from ¥110,000 (tax included) · Online/overseas enquiries welcome