Highly Skilled Professional Points Calculator: 80 Points to Permanent Residency in 1 Year (2026)

Published2026.11.0214 min read

With 80 or more Highly Skilled Professional points, the residence period needed to apply for permanent residency is shortened from the usual 10 years to as little as 1 year. Check your points with the calculator below, then read how the system works, the other permanent residency requirements and the changes from April 2027, based on the Immigration Services Agency’s published materials.

Key points

70+ pointsEligible for “Highly Skilled Professional” status; keep it for 3 years to use the permanent residency special rule
80+ pointsKeep 80+ points for 1 year to use the special rule
J-SkipSpecial Highly Skilled Professionals who meet income and education/experience criteria: 1 year
From April 2027Revised permanent residency guidelines clarify income, pension and Japanese language checks (Highly Skilled Professionals are exempt from the language criterion)

Calculate your points

Choose “Specialized / Technical” if you are an employee or engineer, and “Business management” if you run or manage a company. Your total and the estimated time to permanent residency change as you answer.

0 7080

What is the points-based system?

To attract highly skilled foreign professionals, Japan scores education, work experience, income and other factors. People with 70 points or more receive the “Highly Skilled Professional” status of residence and preferential treatment. There are three categories. ※1

Category	Status	Typical holders
Advanced academic research	HSP (i)(a)	University faculty, researchers
Advanced specialized / technical	HSP (i)(b)	Employees, engineers, professionals
Advanced business management	HSP (i)(c)	Executives, directors

Benefits include a 5-year period of stay, combined activities, work permission for your spouse, bringing parents or domestic workers under certain conditions, priority processing and relaxed permanent residency requirements. After 3 years as HSP (i), you can move to HSP (ii), which has no time limit. ※1

Main points (specialized / technical)

Item	Points
Education	Doctorate 30 / Master’s 20 / Bachelor’s 10 (+5 for multiple doctorates, master’s or professional degrees)
Work experience	10+ years 20 / 7+ years 15 / 5+ years 10 / 3+ years 5
Age	29 or under 15 / 30–34 10 / 35–39 5
Research	Patents, papers, etc.: 15
Qualifications	Japanese national qualification related to the job: 5 each (max 10)
Income	10–40 depending on age (see below). Minimum income 3,000,000 yen

Income points by age

Annual income (incl. bonuses)	≤29	30–34	35–39	40+
10,000,000 yen+	40	40	40	40
9,000,000 yen+	35	35	35	35
8,000,000 yen+	30	30	30	30
7,000,000 yen+	25	25	25	—
6,000,000 yen+	20	20	20	—
5,000,000 yen+	15	15	—	—
4,000,000 yen+	10	—	—	—

Income is the annual remuneration (incl. bonuses) from your main employer. ※2

Main bonus points

Bonus	Points
JLPT N1 (or BJT 480+, or Japanese major at a foreign university)	15
JLPT N2 (or BJT 400+; not combined with a Japanese degree)	10
Degree from a Japanese university or graduate school	10
Graduate of a university designated by public notice (e.g. top world rankings)	10
Working at an organization receiving innovation support (+10 more if an SME)	10
Working at an SME whose R&D spending exceeds 3% of sales	5
Foreign qualification related to the job	5
Advanced project in a growth field / investment management / local government support	10 each
Training designated by public notice	5

The business management category has no age points; income scores 10–50 points from 10,000,000 yen, experience scores 10–25 points from 3 years, and representative director (10) or director (5) positions and an investment of 100,000,000 yen or more in the business (5) add points. ※2

How “as little as 1 year” works

Permanent residency normally requires 10 continuous years in Japan. Highly skilled professionals have these special rules. ※3

Points / category	Residence needed before applying
70+ points	3+ continuous years while keeping 70+ points
80+ points	1+ continuous year while keeping 80+ points
Special Highly Skilled Professional (J-Skip)	1+ continuous year
(Standard rule)	10+ continuous years (incl. 5+ years on a work or residence-based status)

Importantly, you do not need to hold the “Highly Skilled Professional” status now. Someone working on an “Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services” visa may qualify if their points, calculated as of 1 year (or 3 years) before the application, were 80 (or 70) or more and maintained since. ※3

J-Skip (Special Highly Skilled Professional)

Research or specialized / technical: a master’s degree or higher and income of 20,000,000 yen or more, or 10+ years of experience and income of 20,000,000 yen or more
Business management: 5+ years of management experience and income of 40,000,000 yen or more

The residence period required for permanent residency is 1 year. ※4

Other requirements and the April 2027 changes

The Immigration Services Agency revised its permanent residency guidelines on 1 October 2026, applying them to applications from 1 April 2027 (income and “not becoming a public burden” also apply to applications filed from 1 April 2026 still under review). ※3

Income: household income continuously above the average for Japanese households of the same size
Pension: enrolment and expected benefits; financial assets can make up a shortfall
Taxes and social insurance: paid on time; past arrears are generally viewed negatively
Conduct: compliance with notification duties, no fines or prison sentences; absences of 6+ months at once or 2.5+ years in total within 10 years are generally negative
Japanese ability: CEFR B1 level or above is considered, but highly skilled professionals and their families are exempt
Period of stay: you must hold the longest period available for your status (5 years for HSP (i))

Under the 2024 amendment to the Immigration Control Act, from 1 April 2027 permanent residency can be revoked in cases such as deliberately not paying taxes or social insurance. ※3 ※5

Permanent residency and buying a home

Mortgage options usually change significantly with permanent residency: more lenders assess you on terms close to Japanese nationals, with more choice of down payment and rates. Some lenders also lend without permanent residency depending on income, years of employment and down payment. See Home loans in Japan for foreigners.

FAQ

Can I use the special rule while on an Engineer / Specialist in Humanities visa?

Possibly. If your points calculated as of 3 years before (1 year for 80 points) were 70 (80) or more and you have kept them while living in Japan, you may qualify. ※3

Does income include bonuses?

Yes. Income is the annual remuneration from your main employer, including bonuses. ※2

What happens if I change jobs?

HSP (i) specifies your employer, so changing jobs requires a change of status application. If you use the permanent residency special rule, whether you kept the required points after the change will be checked.

Who can file the application for me?

You can file yourself, or ask an administrative scrivener (gyoseishoshi) or lawyer authorised to submit applications. MYHOUSING does not handle visa procedures; we help with housing, home purchases and mortgages.

After permanent residency, talk to MYHOUSING about your home

MYHOUSING is a real estate company in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. We help with buying a home, mortgage pre-consultation and property search in English, Chinese and Japanese.

Home loans for foreigners

Send your purchase request

Sources (official, in Japanese)

* This article and calculator are general information and do not guarantee approval. Actual points and decisions depend on the review of your documents. Check the latest official guidance before applying. (Checked: 2 November 2026)