Specified Skilled Worker (特定技能) Visa: Settlement Guide
Last updated: March 2026
The Specified Skilled Worker (SSW / 特定技能) visa was created in 2019 for workers in designated industries facing labor shortages — including nursing care, construction, food service, agriculture, and manufacturing. A key advantage of this visa is that your accepting organization (受入れ機関) is legally required to assist you with many settlement steps.
Your organization must help you with: pre-arrival orientation, airport pickup, housing arrangements, ward office registration, bank account opening, and other daily life support. If they are not providing this, they may be in violation of their obligations.
What Your Organization Must Provide
- ✓ Pre-arrival orientation (in your language)
- ✓ Airport pickup and initial transportation
- ✓ Help finding and securing housing
- ✓ Assistance with ward office registration
- ✓ Help opening a bank account
- ✓ Enrollment in Employee Health Insurance and Pension
- ✓ Japanese language learning support
- ✓ Help with daily life consultations and complaints
- ✓ Regular meetings to check on your wellbeing
SSW-Specific Information
SSW Type 1 vs Type 2
Type 1: Up to 5 years total. Cannot bring family. Available in 16 designated industries. Type 2: Renewable indefinitely. Can bring family. Currently limited to construction and shipbuilding (expanding to other industries).
Designated Industries
Nursing care, building cleaning, manufacturing (3 sub-categories), construction, shipbuilding, automobile maintenance, aviation, hospitality, agriculture, fisheries, food and beverage manufacturing, food service.
Health Insurance & Pension
Your employer enrolls you in Employee Health Insurance (社会保険) and Employee Pension (厚生年金). Premiums are automatically deducted from your salary, split 50/50 with your employer.
Sending Money Home
Many SSW holders regularly send money to their home country. Services like Wise offer significantly lower fees than bank wire transfers.
If You Have Problems
If your organization is not providing required support or you face issues at work, contact the Foreign Workers' Consultation Desk at your local Labor Bureau, or call the multilingual hotline: 0120-279-338.
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SSW Checklist