[Urgent: Effective April 15, 2026] Is JLPT N2 Now Mandatory for the “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” Visa? What SMEs Need to Know About the Stricter Screening Rules

[Urgent: Effective April 15, 2026] Is JLPT N2 Now Mandatory for the “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” Visa? What SMEs Need to Know About the Stricter Screening Rules

Hello! We are the Oita VISA Support Center (Legal Gate Administrative Scrivener Office), specializing in visa applications and corporate support for foreign nationals in Oita Prefecture.

We have a very important announcement for companies. Starting April 15, 2026, the screening criteria for the work visa “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” (commonly known as Gijinkoku) will become stricter, and new operational rules will go into effect.

In particular, if small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or newly established start-ups (classified as “Category 3” or “Category 4” by Immigration) wish to hire foreign talent for humanities-related positions, proof of Japanese language proficiency equivalent to JLPT N2 (or CEFR B2) or higher will practically become a mandatory requirement. This is a rule change with a massive impact.

In this article, our administrative scriveners, who specialize in immigration procedures, will easily explain “what is changing” with this new rule from April 15 and “what measures companies should take.”

[Important] What’s Changing? New Rules for “Category 3 and 4” Companies

Until now, passing the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) was considered “advantageous for the screening process (a good selling point)” when applying for the Gijinkoku visa. However, for applications submitted on or after April 15, this will change to a “mandatory required document.”

This applies to cases meeting the following conditions:

1. Target Companies: “Category 3” (SMEs, etc.) and “Category 4” (newly established companies, etc.). *Many SMEs in Oita Prefecture fall under these categories.
2. Target Job Duties: Positions such as sales, public relations, interpretation/translation, front desk operations, general office work, etc., where the employee is “engaged in interpersonal tasks using language skills.”
3. Newly Required Proof: To perform the above duties, companies must submit objective documentation proving that the applicant has a Japanese language proficiency level of JLPT “N2” or higher, or CEFR “B2” level or higher.

Furthermore, in addition to this, the submission of a new document called the “Declaration Regarding the Representative of the Affiliated Organization” has become mandatory for all Category 3 and 4 companies.

Why is “N2” Strictly Required Now?

The strong intention behind the Immigration Services Agency making the screening this strict is the elimination of “fake Gijinkoku visas.”

Originally, the “Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services” visa is a white-collar visa intended for utilizing specialized knowledge learned at a university or college. In recent years, however, there has been an endless string of illegal cases where foreign nationals were granted visas under the guise of “interpreters” or “overseas sales,” but were actually forced to engage in simple, manual labor at factories, cleaning jobs, or customer service at restaurants, which do not require advanced Japanese skills.

Taking this issue seriously, Immigration has shifted to an extremely realistic and strict screening policy: “If they are going to do interpersonal work like sales or interpreting, it is natural that they cannot do the job without at least an ‘N2’ level of Japanese. If they cannot provide a certificate, we will assume the purpose is to make them do simple manual labor and will deny the application.”

3 Immediate Measures Companies Should Take

If your company has “already made a job offer to a foreign national” or has “interviews scheduled soon,” please address the following points immediately.

1. Thoroughly Confirm “JLPT N2” Before Hiring

Especially when considering hiring for humanities-related positions (sales, front desk, general affairs, etc.), be absolutely sure to confirm before the interview whether the candidate “has JLPT N2 or higher.” Hiring someone based on the feeling that “they speak daily conversation fluently, so it’s fine” comes with a very high risk of the visa being denied.

2. Clearly Explain the Reason for “Technical Jobs that Do Not Require Japanese”

For “technical jobs” such as IT engineers and mechanical designers, N2 is not always mandatory. However, the hurdle has definitely been raised for logically explaining to Immigration in the “Statement of Reasons for Employment” “why advanced Japanese skills are not required for this task” and “how they will communicate internally to perform their specialized duties.”

3. Shift to “Change of Status” Applications from International Students

Rather than calling for new talent from overseas (Certificate of Eligibility application), hiring international students who are already studying at universities or vocational schools in Japan and switching their visa (Change of Status application) tends to be more advantageous in the screening process in terms of their adaptability to the living environment in Japan and their Japanese language skills.

Leave Your Visa Screening Stricter Rules to Our Office!

With the raising of requirements for the “Business Manager Visa” in 2025 (such as 30 million yen in capital) and the raising of the “Residence Requirement for Naturalization” to 10 years starting in April 2026, recent immigration screenings have become stricter than ever before under the clear policy of “accepting only appropriate foreign talent.”

“Will the foreign national we plan to hire be caught by this new rule?”
“They don’t have N2, but there is an engineer we desperately want to hire.”

If you are a hiring manager or business owner facing such concerns, please consult with the “Oita VISA Support Center” before you apply on your own and risk a rejection. Our administrative scriveners, who are well-versed in the latest immigration operational guidelines, will propose the best recruitment and visa acquisition roadmap tailored to your company.

The initial consultation is free. If you have any concerns about applications from April 15 onwards, please contact us today!