HSP1 to HSP2 Transition in Japan (2026)

As of 2026, the standard HSP1 to HSP2 transition requires at least three years of qualifying activity under Highly Skilled Professional 1—not one year—and at least 70 points at the time of application. Highly Skilled Professional 2 provides an unlimited period of stay and much broader work permission, but the change requires a formal status-of-residence application and is not automatic. These rules appear in the Immigration Services Agency’s April 2026 guidance.

Under the ordinary points-based route, at least three years of qualifying HSP1 activity are required. J-Skip allows an HSP2 application after at least one year of residence and qualifying HSP1 activity while meeting the Special Highly Skilled Professional criteria. This includes HSP1 originally granted through the points system; prior recognition as a Special Highly Skilled Professional followed by an additional one-year wait is not required. J-Skip.

For HSP1 originally granted through the points system, submit evidence of meeting the Special Highly Skilled Professional criteria both at the time of the HSP2 change application and one year earlier, as specified in requirement 3 and supporting-document item 8 of the official J-Skip guidance. The one-year residence and qualifying-activity requirement and the other HSP2 conditions still apply. J-Skip.

The conditions and checklist below concern the ordinary points-based route. J-Skip uses separate education or experience and income requirements instead of the points system; consult its official application guidance.

The official rules also cover the earlier Designated Activities status for highly skilled professionals: those with at least three years of qualifying activity under that status may apply directly for HSP2. They do not need to change to HSP1 and start a new three-year period. The HSP1 walkthrough below should be read with this exception. ISA Q48.

Highly Skilled Professional 2 requirements

Japanese searches for 高度専門職1号から2号 変更 (kōdo senmonshoku ichi-gō kara ni-gō henkō) refer to changing from 高度専門職1号 (kōdo senmonshoku ichi-gō) to 高度専門職2号 (kōdo senmonshoku ni-gō). The central eligibility rule is that you must have carried out qualifying activities under HSP1 or legacy Designated Activities for highly skilled professionals for at least three years.

You must satisfy all of the following official HSP2 conditions:

• Your intended work falls within at least one qualifying highly skilled activity category.
• Your current points calculation totals at least 70 points.
• You have completed at least three years of qualifying activity under HSP1 or legacy Designated Activities for highly skilled professionals.
• You are of good conduct.
• Your continued residence is considered beneficial to Japan.
• Your proposed activity is not considered inappropriate in view of its effects on Japanese industry and national life.

The residence requirement concerns time spent carrying out the relevant activity, not merely holding an HSP1 residence card without performing that activity. Applicants should therefore keep records showing their employment, research, professional, or management activities throughout the qualifying period.

If you change employers while holding HSP1, remember that the employing or contracting institution is specified under that status. A change of institution requires a status-of-residence change application even if you intend to remain under HSP1, together with the applicable notification concerning your affiliated institution, according to the official HSP procedures.

What changes after moving to HSP2?

HSP1 grants a five-year period of stay, while HSP2 grants an unlimited period of stay. The official benefits summary also allows an HSP2 holder to combine qualifying highly skilled activity with activities covered by almost all other work-related residence statuses.

This is broader than HSP1’s permission for connected or composite activities. Under HSP2, you may perform one or more highly skilled academic, professional, technical, or management activities while also carrying out a much wider range of work activities.

The permission is still not completely unrestricted. You must continue to engage in at least one activity falling within the HSP framework; HSP2 is an employment-based status of residence rather than permanent residence.

An unlimited period also does not mean that the underlying requirements can be ignored after approval. The principal benefit is that HSP2 has no fixed period-of-stay expiry, while its broader activity permission can make future career changes more flexible.

Application process and document checklist

The transition is made through a 在留資格変更許可申請 (zairyū shikaku henkō kyoka shinsei), or application for permission to change status of residence. If your activities have not changed from those conducted under HSP1, the Immigration Services Agency says to use the same application form used for an HSP1 change-of-status application; if your activities have changed, use the form corresponding to the new activity.

Step-by-step process

1. Confirm your activity period. Check that you have completed the required three years of qualifying HSP1 or legacy Designated Activities for highly skilled professionals activity and can document what you did during that period.

2. Recalculate your points. Complete the points calculation sheet for your activity category and assemble evidence demonstrating at least 70 points.

3. Confirm your proposed activities. Identify which highly skilled category applies and whether your role, employer, or other activities will change when you move to HSP2.

4. Collect tax and social insurance records. Request the relevant certificates early, particularly if you have moved between municipalities, changed insurance systems, or paid some liabilities directly.

5. Prepare and submit the change application. Include the correct form, photograph, supporting documents, and your passport and residence card for presentation.

6. Respond to further requests. Immigration may ask for documents beyond those shown on the published checklist during its review.

Core document checklist

The official HSP2 checklist includes:

• One status-of-residence change application form
• One photograph meeting the specified standards
• Passport and residence card for presentation
• Documents proving the proposed activity, position, contract, and organization, as applicable
• The points calculation sheet for the relevant HSP activity category
• Evidence supporting enough claimed items to establish at least 70 points
• Income and tax-payment records
• Public pension and public medical-insurance payment records
• Additional business social-insurance records if the applicant operates an establishment covered by social insurance

The published list generally requests income and resident-tax evidence for the most recent five years, subject to stated shorter evidence periods and situations in which a municipality cannot issue the full period. It also requests national tax clearance information and evidence of public pension and medical-insurance payments, generally covering the previous two years.

These evidence periods should not be confused with the HSP2 eligibility period. A shorter documentary window mentioned for certain point-history cases does not replace the explicit requirement to have conducted qualifying HSP1 or legacy Designated Activities for highly skilled professionals activity for at least three years.

Certificates issued in Japan must generally have been issued within three months of submission. Documents written in another language require a Japanese translation, submitted materials are generally not returned, and immigration may request additional evidence, as explained in the application instructions.

How HSP2 affects the fast-track PR timeline

Changing to HSP2 does not create a new or shorter permanent residence timeline. Under the highly skilled professional PR rules, the residence-history element is reduced to three years for a qualifying applicant who has at least 70 points at the time of the PR application and can establish the required 70-point history.

A qualifying applicant with at least 80 points may use a one-year residence-history route if the required 80-point history can be established. The rules also allow points to be assessed retrospectively at the relevant earlier date, rather than requiring that HSP status itself was first granted on that exact date.

Because ordinary HSP2 eligibility already requires three years of HSP1 or legacy Designated Activities for highly skilled professionals activity, someone reaching the HSP2 threshold may also have completed the residence period relevant to the 70-point PR route. That does not guarantee PR: HSP2 and permanent residence are separate applications, and HSP2 approval does not automatically convert into PR.

Changing to HSP2 also does not reset the point-history calculation described in the PR rules. In practical terms, compare both options when you approach the three-year HSP1 or legacy Designated Activities for highly skilled professionals point: HSP2 offers unlimited stay and broader work permission, while PR follows its own assessment.

Family and support-staff privileges

There is no major expansion of ordinary family privileges when moving from HSP1 to HSP2. The official HSP2 benefits list expressly retains the HSP advantages concerning a working spouse, eligible parents, and an eligible domestic worker.

A spouse may undertake specified professional work without satisfying the usual education or professional-experience requirements for the corresponding work status. The spouse must live with the HSP holder and receive remuneration at least equal to that paid to a Japanese worker for comparable work.

Eligible parents may be admitted to care for a child under seven years old or to assist a pregnant HSP holder or pregnant spouse. This privilege is subject to conditions including living with the HSP holder and a household annual income of at least ¥8 million.

The domestic-worker privilege is also retained. Depending on the applicable arrangement, it can cover a worker previously employed in the home country or employment based on circumstances such as having a child under 13, subject to conditions that include a household annual income of at least ¥10 million.

The key difference between HSP1 and HSP2 is therefore not a new category of family or household support. It is the principal holder’s unlimited period of stay and broader range of permitted work activities, while the established HSP family and domestic-worker advantages continue.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for HSP2 after one year on HSP1?

Under the ordinary points-based route, at least three years of qualifying HSP1 activity are required. J-Skip allows an HSP2 application after at least one year of residence and qualifying HSP1 activity while meeting the Special Highly Skilled Professional criteria. This includes HSP1 originally granted through the points system; prior recognition as a Special Highly Skilled Professional followed by an additional one-year wait is not required. J-Skip.

Do I need to maintain 70 points throughout HSP1?

For the ordinary points-based route: HSP1 holders do not have to maintain 70 points continuously at every moment, but HSP2 applicants must have at least 70 points when applying. Your points should therefore be recalculated using your circumstances at the time of the change application.

Is HSP2 the same as permanent residence?

No. HSP2 is an employment-based status with an unlimited period of stay and broad work permission, while permanent residence is obtained through a separate application.

Will my family automatically receive unlimited stay?

The official guidance confirms that HSP2 retains the existing HSP family privileges, but it does not describe family members as independently receiving the principal holder’s unlimited HSP2 period. Their residence continues under the applicable family or designated-activities arrangements.

Common questions