Japan
The fastest permanent residence of any destination we assess
Japan grants permanent residence after one year to Highly Skilled Professionals scoring 80 points, and after three years at 70. Almost nobody in this market models it.
- Typical timeline
- PR in 1 year at 80 points, 3 years at 70
Why Japan is worth a look
Japan runs a points system almost nobody in this market models, and it has the fastest route to permanent residence of any destination we assess.
The Highly Skilled Professional visa opens at 70 points. At 80 points permanent residence becomes available after one year. At 70 to 79 it takes three. Everywhere else, permanent residence measured in single-digit years is considered fast; Japan does it in one.
How the points work
Three categories: academic research, specialised and technical activities, and business management. Almost everyone reading this falls into the second.
Education carries 30 points for a doctorate, 20 for a master's, 10 for a bachelor's, with 5 more for degrees in two distinct fields. Career experience adds up to 20. Age adds up to 15 and is generous — under 30 scores the full amount.
Then salary, which is worth up to 40 points and is where most candidates are made or broken. It is scored on the Japanese salary, not your current one, which is why our calculator treats your score as a floor and tells you what an offer would add.
The bonuses that decide close cases
JLPT N1 is worth 15 points — more than the gap between a bachelor's degree and a master's. N2 is worth 10. A degree awarded by a Japanese institution adds another 10.
For a candidate sitting in the high 60s, Japanese language is usually the cheapest 15 points available, and it is the one nobody plans for.
The rule that catches people
Points must be held both now and one or three years earlier. Reaching 80 this month does not mean permanent residence next year — it means the clock starts when the evidence shows you were already there.
The bypass
J-Skip skips the points test entirely: a master's degree plus ¥20 million a year, or ten years of experience plus ¥20 million. Permanent residence follows after one year. If your salary is in that range, the points grid is irrelevant to you.
Where it goes wrong
Assuming the salary points can be earned from an Indian salary. Assuming the one-year route starts from the day you arrive. And underestimating Japanese: at N1 it is worth more than most people's postgraduate degree, and it takes years, not months.
Who Japan suits
A senior professional in their twenties or early thirties with a master's degree and a salary that would land in the upper Japanese bands. On that profile the arithmetic is unusually kind and the one-year permanent residence route is genuinely reachable. Below it, Japan is a slow country to migrate to and there are easier answers.
Programmes we handle for Japan
Highly Skilled Professional
Japan's points-based visa for skilled professionals. Permanent residence after one year at 80 points, three years at 70.
- Typical time
- —
- Government fee
- —
- Pass mark
- 70 of 95
What decides a Japan application, beyond points
Most applications do not fail on a score. They fail on one of these — and none of them is something a points total can make up for.
Do I need a Japanese employer for the Highly Skilled Professional visa?
Yes. The visa is granted against an activity in Japan, so a sponsoring employer or organisation is what makes the application possible. The points decide which category you fall into and whether the route is worth pursuing; the sponsor is what turns it into an application.
How quickly can I get permanent residence in Japan on points?
Faster than most routes anywhere, but the score must have been held both now and at the qualifying date in the past — crossing the threshold today does not backdate the clock. Working out when you first met the threshold tells you when the qualifying period actually started.