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Highly Skilled Professional (ii): in-country conversion

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Guidance updated 15 November 2026. Full-review date shown above.

Indefinite residence permission for eligible existing HSP(i) professionals who complete the required qualifying activity period and conversion checks. It remains an activity-based work status and is distinct from permanent residence.

Existing qualifying HSP(i) activity history, continuing highly skilled activity and the actual conversion and compliance checksConditional PR application pathwayIndefinite as HSP(ii), while its activity and residence conditions are maintained. This is not permanent residence.
Processing time
An in-country status-change decision is required. ISA's HSP priority target is five days for qualifying complete cases, subject to further examination; it is not a guaranteed decision date.
Government fees
COE and consular entry fees are not the ordinary basis for this in-country conversion. Current status-change fees apply to applications received from 1 October 2026; confirm the authority's actual fee category for an indefinite HSP(ii) grant rather than assuming a fixed-term five-year rate. Earlier receipts, concessions and card charges follow the current official schedules.
Typical duration
Indefinite as HSP(ii), while its activity and residence conditions are maintained. This is not permanent residence.
Required support
Existing qualifying HSP(i) activity history, continuing highly skilled activity and the actual conversion and compliance checks
Leads to permanent residency
Conditional — separate application
Reviewed Japan Immigration Services Agency ↗

In short

Indefinite residence permission for eligible existing HSP(i) professionals who complete the required qualifying activity period and conversion checks. It remains an activity-based work status and is distinct from permanent residence. Guidance updated 15 November 2026. Costs, application stages and eligibility conditions are set out with their sources below.

Cite this: https://visaatlas.org/visas/japan/highly-skilled-professional-ii#answer

What is the Highly Skilled Professional (ii): in-country conversion in Japan?

Existing qualifying HSP(i) activity history, continuing highly skilled activity and the actual conversion and compliance checks. Follow the actual entry, status-change or renewal procedure and issued activity conditions. Indicative government fees are COE and consular entry fees are not the ordinary basis for this in-country conversion. Current status-change fees apply to applications received from 1 October 2026; confirm the authority's actual fee category for an indefinite HSP(ii) grant rather than assuming a fixed-term five-year rate. Earlier receipts, concessions and card charges follow the current official schedules; indicative processing time is An in-country status-change decision is required. ISA's HSP priority target is five days for qualifying complete cases, subject to further examination; it is not a guaranteed decision date; typical duration is Indefinite as HSP(ii), while its activity and residence conditions are maintained. This is not permanent residence. Permanent residence requires a separate application and all applicable conditions. The points-based residence exception normally requires qualifying residence and evidence of 70 points over three years or 80 points over one year, including the required current and historical assessments; eligible residents can reconstruct points while on another work status. J-Skip has a separate qualifying one-year exception. Neither a new score nor a spouse's relationship automatically grants PR. Good conduct, timely taxes, pension, health insurance and notifications, livelihood and the applicable maximum-period condition still matter. The October 2026 household-income/public-burden assessment applies to applications pending on 1 October that were filed from 1 April 2026; most other new provisions start on 1 April 2027. HSP priority targets are not a guaranteed PR decision time.

Primary guidance checked with Japan Immigration Services Agency on 15 November 2026.

Overview

Ordinary HSP(ii) conversion requires at least three years of qualifying HSP(i) activity, the required points and good conduct, national-interest and activity-appropriateness assessments. Recognised special highly skilled professionals can use the separate qualifying one-year rule when the J-Skip conditions are evidenced. HSP(ii) allows its qualifying highly skilled activity together with the broader permitted work activities described by ISA. It does not allow abandonment of the qualifying activity or automatically confer PR, citizenship or unrestricted rights on family members. This is an in-country conversion for an existing qualifying resident, rather than a first-entry route.

Additional sources

Eligibility

Typical criteria

  • ✓Ordinarily complete at least three years of qualifying HSP(i) activity and meet the required 70-point assessment, good conduct, national interest and appropriateness of the current activity and residence. One year at 80 points does not by itself replace the ordinary three-year HSP(ii) activity condition.Japan Immigration Services Agency ↗
  • ✓For the special one-year branch, establish qualifying HSP(i) activity meeting J-Skip conditions for the required year and the other conversion conditions. A points-based HSP(i) holder may use this branch if the special criteria were actually satisfied and evidenced for the relevant year.Japan Immigration Services Agency ↗
  • ✓Maintain the qualifying highly skilled activity. Business-management conversion requires the new Business Manager criteria even where an existing Business Manager renewal could receive transitional treatment.Japan Immigration Services Agency ↗

Common blockers

  • !HSP(ii) is not a direct overseas admission or a reward for a newly calculated high score without the required HSP(i) history. It is also not permission to cease all qualifying highly skilled activity and retain an unconditional residence right.Japan Immigration Services Agency ↗
  • !Unmet tax, pension, health-insurance, conduct or residence requirements can prevent conversion. A shorter permitted evidence period for certain high-points applicants is not an automatic reduction of the ordinary HSP(ii) qualifying activity period.Japan Immigration Services Agency ↗

Typical evidence

  • ·Prepare the status-change form, passport and residence card, current activity and host/business documents, points evidence or J-Skip criteria, and the evidence of the required HSP(i) history. Use the actual current conversion checklist for the branch.Japan Immigration Services Agency ↗
  • ·Provide the required income/tax, pension and health-insurance records for the applicable periods. The ordinary checklist includes multi-year income/tax evidence and normally two years' pension/health evidence, with specified shorter evidence windows for qualifying cases. Evidence-window exceptions do not remove compliance for other periods or create a general one-year conversion entitlement.Japan Immigration Services Agency ↗

Application pathway

  1. Establish the complete qualifying resident history

    Check the actual HSP(i) dates and activities, ordinary three-year basis or documented J-Skip one-year basis, current points or special criteria and continuing work or business eligibility.

  2. Collect current activity and compliance records

    Use the HSP(ii) checklist for the actual branch, including tax, income, pension and health-insurance evidence and any appropriate explanation of missing or exempt periods. Business managers must document the current business criteria.

  3. Apply for the in-country status change

    Submit to the competent regional immigration bureau through the available permitted channel while maintaining current permission. Follow evidence requests, the actual assessed fee and collection instructions. A pending application is not an issued HSP(ii) grant.

  4. Maintain the qualifying activity after approval

    Use the broader permitted activities only alongside the qualifying HSP(ii) activity and observe residence and notification requirements. Indefinite duration does not remove the conditions of the work status. Family members need their own valid permission.

After approval: prepare for your next step

For Highly Skilled Professional (ii): in-country conversion, use the actual decision and the issuing authority’s instructions to establish what has been granted. A successful application, permission to enter, permission to work and a residence document are not interchangeable.

  1. 1. Check the decision. Confirm the name, passport, status granted, start date and any next action. Resolve an error with the authority before relying on the document for travel or employment.
  2. 2. Establish the travel step. Read any entry window, activation, collection or in-country registration instruction. For an extension or change of status, do not assume leaving the country is required or safe while a further step remains pending.
  3. 3. Confirm what you may do. Check whether employment, self-employment, remote work or study is permitted under the status granted. Do not infer unrestricted work rights from the absence of an employer sponsor.
  4. 4. Organise the household. Check each accompanying person’s permission separately, then arrange healthcare, accommodation, access to money and the relevant local registrations. A tax number or bank account does not by itself prove a right to work.
  5. 5. Keep the ongoing conditions visible. Record the actual expiry, renewal process, permitted absences and any duty to report changes. An initial grant does not automatically establish permanent residence or citizenship.
Official Highly Skilled Professional (ii): in-country conversion instructionsBuild my moving plan for this routeMoving to Japan

Plan the practical side of your stay

Once you have checked the official route, you can prepare for day-to-day life in Japan. These optional services are separate from the application and do not establish visa eligibility.

Official application links

Where to actually go next

Government links only

These are the official pages to use for this route. Open them before preparing documents: the forms, fees, appointment systems, and sponsor steps can change without warning.

  1. Official guidanceApplicant
    Use the current HSP(ii) conversion checklist ↗

    Select the HSP(ii) change-of-status section and confirm the qualifying activity history and actual evidence periods.

    Japan Immigration Services Agency · verified

  2. Official guidanceApplicant
    Check the special one-year conversion conditions ↗

    Use this branch only where the actual J-Skip criteria and qualifying HSP(i) year are documented.

    Japan Immigration Services Agency · verified

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Frequently asked questions

Is HSP(ii) permanent residence?+

No. It gives indefinite duration for an activity-based highly skilled work status. Permanent Resident is a separate status with its own application and conditions. HSP(ii) holders must continue qualifying highly skilled activity.

Do 80 points for one year qualify me for HSP(ii)?+

That is associated with a separate points-based PR residence exception. Ordinary HSP(ii) requires three years of qualifying HSP(i) activity. The special one-year HSP(ii) exception requires the actual J-Skip conditions and qualifying history, not simply an 80-point score.

Does my family also receive indefinite permission?+

No. Each family member needs their own appropriate status and must meet its conditions. The principal's HSP(ii) approval does not itself grant indefinite family residence or PR.

Need tailored advice?

We do not provide legal advice. For an application that depends on your exact circumstances, consult a regulator-listed immigration advisor.

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How we verified this

We check every figure on this page against the primary government source, record the date it was last checked, and re-check it on a regular schedule. Rules change, so always confirm time-sensitive details with the official source before you rely on them. Visa Atlas is an information-only publication and does not give legal advice.

Primary source: Japan Immigration Services Agency

Last checked: 15 November 2026

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