Status of Residence for Working in Japan

If you wish to remain in Japan after graduation, you need to change the status of residence to the one that is appropriate for your purpose of stay/residence.
To change your visa, it can usually take 1 to 3 months, so please make sure to prepare for the application procedure and check what documents are necessary well in advance.

If you have any questions, please see the websites below:
*Immigration Services Agency https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/
*List of Statuses of Residence https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/guide/qaq5.html

1) Status of residence to work after graduation
You need to change to an appropriate status of residence, according to the type of job. If you work for a company, in most cases, your status of residence will be “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/ International Services.” However, if you work at a university/research institute as a researcher, your status will usually be “Professor” or “Researcher”.
For details, see “Changing Your Status of Residence” at https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/ryugaku/after_study_j/job/guide.html

2) Status of Residence for those who wish to start or continue job-hunting in Japan after graduation
You need to change your status of residence from “Student” to “Designated Activities”.
Details: https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/adm/inbound/en/life-visa-gr.html

3)　For those who graduate in September: Status of Residence after graduation until you start work in a Japanese company
For details, see “Designated Activities (for prospective employees who will start working in April)” at
https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/adm/inbound/en/life-visa-gr.html

4) Status of Residence for those who wish to start or continue entrepreneurial activities after graduation
You need to change your status of residence from “Student” to “Designated Activities”.
Details: https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/adm/inbound/en/life-visa-gr.html

【About Status of Residence (Visa)】
https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/adm/inbound/en/life-visa.html