The Ministry of Labour reported Japan’s new immigration control regulations effective April 1, 2019, to support new labour system requirements. The law requires workers currently residing in Japan and workers traveling from home countries to submit a temporary 4-month visa application from the Japanese embassy to provide sufficient time to apply for new visa status.
On May 21, 2019, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Labour, Mr. Suradej Waleeittikul spoke about new labour system requirements in Japan due to new immigration control laws by Japanese authorities, effective from April 1, 2019. The new regulations cover 2 groups of workers, whereby the first group are workers in Japan, including trainees in the same system who have passed the 3-year traineeship and international students applying to the new system who must pass Japanese language and professional skills assessments. The second group is foreign workers traveling from origin countries including those who have passed the 3-year internship and returned home will be exempted from assessments and new workers who have never passed internships in Japan who must take Japanese language and professional skills assessments in their country of origin. Documents required for visa applications from Japan must be submitted to the Immigration Bureau for the issuance of a Certificate of Eligibility (COE). The visa application from the Japanese Embassy will be for a 4-month temporary visa for “designated activities” to have time to apply for new visa status. The group of workers affected include graduates from the 3-year internship, interns in their third year, graduated from the 5-year course, construction workers and shipbuilders working in Japan under special measures of the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
The Deputy Permanent Secretary of Labour said that in preparing Thai workers for Japan, the Ministry of Labour had prepared the 3 types of Thai workers including 1) A labour database and assessments by surveying the Thai labour database of graduates who have returned from the internship for 3 years, exempted from passing the test. Exploring the needs of Thai workers who want to work in Japan and have never passed internships in Japan before. Exploring and supporting agencies that conduct Japanese language and professional skills assessments, especially in 14 branches which are special technical types specified by Japanese authorities. Surveying Thai workers currently in Japan, such as trainees in the same system who have trained for 3 years or students who want to work in the new system who must pass Japanese language and professional skills assessment to prepare support and help workers in the new system. 2) Assignment of agencies to coordinate the professional branch council by preparing to assign the relevant departments to arrange staff to coordinate matters relating to the professional branch of each profession in Japan that is organized for foreign workers and 3) Preparation of documents for visa applications by preparing to educate workers on documents to submit to the Immigration Bureau to issue a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) filed with the Japanese Embassy to request a visa. If in doubt, please contact Ministry of Labour’s 1506 hotline and press 2 for the Department of Employment.
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Division of Public Relations/
News by Chaninthorn Phettab/
Information by Ministry of Labour Operation Center (MOLOC)/
21 May 2019/
