Moving to Japan from India: The Visa Routes That Actually Exist

You're in India, you want to work in Japan, and half the advice online is written for Americans or Australians. Some of it doesn't apply to your passport at all. Here's what does.

Last checked: October 2026

No working holiday, and the eVisa is for tourism

Working holiday: Japan has working holiday agreements with 32 countries and regions. India isn't one of them (source: MOFA, checked Oct 2026). If a video tells you to "just come on a working holiday," it wasn't made for you.

eVisa: The Japan eVisa for Indian citizens is a single-entry tourism visa for up to 90 days (source: Consulate-General of Japan, Kolkata). It makes a visit easier. It doesn't let you work, and it isn't a job-hunting visa. Build your job search from India.

That leaves three real routes.

A company hires you on an engineer visa

Most office and IT jobs fall under the Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services status, usually shortened to 技人国ぎじんこく (gijinkoku). Immigration checks that the job matches your degree or work history. A CS or engineering degree plus IT work lines up cleanly.

Indian IT and engineering professionals already make up nearly a third of the Indian community in Japan (source: Embassy of India, Tokyo). Companies here know how to hire you. Your job is to get past the screen.

If you're senior, look at the Highly Skilled Professional status too. It's points-based (education, salary, experience, Japanese) and can shorten the road to permanent residency (source: Immigration Services Agency).

Specified Skilled Worker (SSW)

India and Japan signed an agreement on SSW in 2021, and the tests are held in India. For SSW (i) you pass two things (source: MOFA, checked Oct 2026):

• A Japanese test: JFT-Basic, or JLPT N4
• A skills test for your field

It covers 16 fields like nursing care, construction, agriculture, food service and manufacturing. It does not cover IT or office work. If you're a software engineer, this isn't your route. Route 1 is.

Test dates and centres change every cycle. Check the Embassy of India's SSW page before you book anything.

Student visa first, then a job

Language school or university, then switch to a work visa when you land an offer. It costs money up front, but you arrive and build the Japanese that opens the bigger job pool. How the student-to-work switch usually works →

How much Japanese do you really need?

English-only IT jobs exist, mostly at foreign companies in Tokyo. They're also the ones every other English speaker applies to. My rule from watching people do this for years: get to N3 before you arrive, and aim for N2 if you want IT roles at Japanese companies. Each level up roughly means more companies can say yes to you.

Agent red flags

I worked in recruiting in Japan before IT. In Japan, licensed recruitment agencies are paid by the hiring company. You shouldn't be paying someone to find you a job. For SSW, the rules say no deposit should be collected from you and you shouldn't sign a penalty contract.

What day-to-day looks like

There were about 59,000 Indian nationals in Japan at the end of 2025. The biggest community is around Nishi-Kasai in Edogawa, Tokyo, with Indian grocers, restaurants and schools nearby.

If you're vegetarian, plan for it. Fish stock (dashi) is in a lot of food that looks vegetarian, like miso soup and many noodle broths. Learn to ask, and cook at home more than you think you will.

More on life in Japan →

What I can and can't help with

I can help with which route fits you, your resume, the job search, and how Japanese companies read an Indian engineer's CV. I don't prepare visa documents, I don't give immigration advice, and I'm not a recruitment agency.

Japan is 3.5 hours ahead of India, so my evening call slots land in your afternoon.

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