Among the most notable impacts of a shrinking population in the Land of the Rising Sun is the considerable lack of young professionals who are expected to contribute much of their time and expertise in the economic growth of the country. Known to many countries across the globe, Japan is suffering from the consequences of its aging population as a result of low birth rate and a decline in inward migration.
As early as 2012, the highly skilled professional visa was introduced by the Japanese government in order to attract foreign workers with expertise and special skills in their relevant fields or sectors. The Japanese Ministry of Japanese aspires to welcome these highly skilled foreign professionals to meet the workforce demand in the country.
With the revision of the immigration policies in Japan last April of 2019, the government seeks to provide additional perks and preferential treatment to foreign professionals who will come to Japan based on the Highly Skilled Professional Visa. For instance, these foreign professionals may be eligible to apply for permanent residency or a green card only after three years of continuous stay in the country.
Moreover, these foreign professionals are allowed by the government to bring their mother or father as well as a domestic worker from their country of origin to take care of their children and household so that they may focus on their jobs in particular industries or sectors in the country.
Basically, there are three different categories of highly skilled foreign professionals. The first category is the advanced academic research activities which covers academic researchers with doctorate degrees. The second groups are those that fall under advanced specialized/technical activities which includes engineers and foreigners with specialized knowledge and abilities. Lastly, the third category are those that fall under advanced business management activities such as but not limited to lawyers and business executives.
Reference: So… What are highly-skilled foreign professionals?
