Highly Skilled Professional Visa and Secondary Employment

About Highly Skilled Professional visa

The highly skilled professional visa is a residence status available to individuals who meet the criteria set forth by a Ministry of Justice ordinance and possess particularly outstanding expertise or advanced abilities (“Highly Skilled Professionals”).

In order for these “Highly Skilled Professionals” to engage in stable activities in Japan and to revitalize the Japanese economy and society, Japan provides various preferential measures not only for the individual but also for accompanying family members, etc.

There are three categories of this visa based on the nature of the activity:

A. “Advanced Academic Research Activities”

Activities to provide education or guidance at an educational institution such as a university, or to conduct research at a research institute of a company, etc.

B. “Highly Specialized/Technical Activities”

Activities to work in jobs that require specialized knowledge or skills in the natural sciences, humanities, etc.

C. “Advanced Business Management Activities

Activities to manage a trade or other business at a public or private organization in Japan designated by the Minister of Justice, to engage in the management of such business, or to manage a business related to such activities.

For a detailed explanation of the Highly Skilled Professional visa, please click here.

Please note that while multiple side activities are allowed under the Highly Skilled Professional visa, it does not mean you are free to choose whatever you want to do.

Side job permitted on a Highly Skilled Professional visa

Activities other than the main activity of the Highly Skilled Professional visa, i.e., side jobs, must meet the following conditions

1) It must be related to the main activity

　For example, in many cases, if the main activity is research at a university, the side job is limited to participation in research projects at other universities, research work at a company, or management of a business related to the research.

2) It must not interfere with your main job

While you can do side in the sense of residence status, however, if you do not obtain the consent of your employer in advance, such as there is a company rule dictating whether or not your side job is permitted, you may be subject to dismissal or other problems later on.

Even if you do not inform your employer of your side job, there is a very high possibility that your employer will find out about it at the time of year-end tax adjustment, social insurance pension investigation, etc., and it will become a problem.

It is always a good idea to consult and confirm with your employer before taking on a side job.

Furthermore, you must avoid any activities that would interfere with your primary purpose of staying in Japan (main activity). Even if you belong to a company or organization that does not prohibit side jobs, if it becomes clear that you are neglecting your main job, it may hinder your future application for renewal of residence status, permanent residence, or naturalization, so be careful.

Key points when engaging in side jobs on a Highly Skilled Professional visa.

Even if the side job is permitted under the Highly Skilled Professional visa, you must follow the tax payment and social insurance procedures for your side job income.

For example, if the income from the side job exceeds 200,000 yen per year, you need to file a tax return.

In addition, if you work as a laborer (full-time or part-time) at your side job and meet the requirements for social insurance, etc., such as working three-quarters or more of the prescribed weekly working hours and prescribed monthly working days of full-time employees engaged in similar work at the same business location, or if you have established a company and become the representative, etc., you are required to file a tax return for your main If you are a representative of a company, you may be required to submit a “Notification of Health Insurance / Employees’ Pension Insurance Insured Person’s Choice of Affiliation / Work at Two or More Places of Business” to the Japan Pension Service within 10 days of your principal job.

In some cases, you may be required to pay a combined amount of social insurance premiums for income from both your main job and your side job.

For more information on social insurance procedures, please refer to

https://www.nenkin.go.jp/service/kounen/tekiyo/hihokensha1/20131022.files/2kashoijyokinmu.pdf

Summary

In this article, we have briefly explained the side jobs for Highly Skilled Professional visas.

Highly Skilled Professional visas are issued to foreign nationals who are staying in Japan long-term and possess specialized knowledge or advanced skills, and there are three categories of visas (Highly Academic Research Activities, Highly Specialized/Technical Activities, and Advanced Business Management Activities).

The ability to engage in the side activities associated with this visa is very attractive, but in order to engage in the side activities, various conditions must be met and legalized.

If you do not comply with various laws and regulations and engage in side jobs, it may be considered illegal employment, or it may cause disapproval when renewing your residence status or when applying for a permanent residence permit.

If you have any concerns, we recommend that you check with the Immigration Bureau as well as the Pension Office, Tax Office, etc.

In addition, we have extensive experience in applying for Highly Skilled Professional visas, so please feel free to contact us if you are unsure whether you need to apply for an additional visa if you wish to work on the side.

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We are Yanagi group, which have offices in Osaka (Abeno and Tennoji), and our affiliated offices in Tokyo (Shibuya and Ebisu) are also available for an on-site consultation. We have handled many applications for permanent residence permits, naturalization permits, work visas, college student visas, management visas, etc., as well as visa renewal procedures related to the status of residence with the Immigration Bureau (Immigration Bureau) as a one-stop service. Our experienced administrative scriveners are also available to help you with any problems you may have. We also have staff members who can speak each of the native languages and can assist you in obtaining a visa.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your status of residence or visa, even if they are trivial.

Toll free number: 0120-138-552 

For English speaker: 080-9346-2991

For Chinese speaker: 090-8456-6196