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Specified Skilled Worker (i) — Shipbuilding and ship machinery

JapanWork

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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What type of worker, employment situation, occupation or professional activity is this pathway actually designed for?

Shipbuilding, ship machinery and ship electrical and electronic equipment work, within the authorised category.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Condition: the activity is limited to the authorised job category; the common rules on the employment contract and on changing employer also apply.

Does the applicant need a job offer, employer, sponsor, transfer relationship or other employer involvement? What is important about that employer relationship?

A contract of employment with a public or private organisation in Japan designated by the Minister of Justice is required for the authorised SSW activities. After passing the required tests, the applicant can sign a contract with a company and submit a status of residence application to the Immigration Services Agency.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Condition: sector-specific exceptions apply, notably the additional Japanese-language evaluation in nursing care and the N3 level in transport.
  • Statement not used as evidence (its source page could not be captured): the accepting employer or a registered support organisation must provide the support foreseen for SSW(i).

What are the few decisive professional characteristics of the pathway: occupation, qualifications, experience, salary, skill level, shortage status, labour-market condition or equivalent?

Skills are shown by the Shipbuilding and ship machinery Specified Skilled Worker (i) Test or Level 3 of the Skill Exam; on the exam route, JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 or higher is required, and applicants who satisfactorily completed Technical Intern Training (ii) in related job categories do not need to pass the tests. Remuneration must be equal to or higher than that of Japanese nationals performing equivalent work, and Specified Skilled Workers must be 18 years of age or older.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Condition: the pay requirement is a comparison with Japanese workers; the source does not state a fixed national minimum amount in yen.
  • Condition: sector-specific exceptions apply, notably the additional Japanese-language evaluation in nursing care and the N3 level in transport.
  • Exception: satisfactory completion of Technical Intern Training (ii) in a related job category or task may exempt from the skills test; having done any training is not enough.
  • Exception: satisfactory completion of Technical Intern Training (ii) may exempt from the general language requirement stated on the page.

What work does the permission allow? Is the holder tied to an employer, occupation or sector? Can family accompany where clearly established?

The permission allows shipbuilding, ship machinery and ship electrical and electronic equipment work within the authorised category. Changing the SSW employer requires an application for permission to change status of residence, and work remains limited to the authorised job category and skills; part-time work is not allowed. Family members of SSW(i) holders are not allowed to accompany them, but may exceptionally be granted Designated Activities status on humanitarian grounds.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Condition: work remains limited to the authorised job category and skills.
  • Condition: examples given are a child born in Japan to SSW(i) holders, and a spouse or child already in Dependent status when the holder changes from Student to SSW(i).
  • Condition: the activity is limited to the authorised job category; the common rules on the employment contract and on changing employer also apply.
  • Statement not used as evidence (its source page could not be captured; the FAQ statement quoted in this answer supports the same point): SSW(i) does not, in principle, allow family members to accompany the holder under the status itself.
  • Statement not used as evidence (its source page could not be captured): the accepting employer or a registered support organisation must provide the support foreseen for SSW(i).

How long is the permission normally granted for, how is it renewed, and what longer-term residence direction exists if officially stated?

SSW(i): in principle a cumulative limit of five years in total; it is not five years for each grant. The Japanese-language table consulted states that the period granted to an SSW(i) holder is designated individually by the Minister of Justice, within a range not exceeding three years. The English-language FAQ states 4 months, 6 months or 1 year per grant. This enumeration differs from the Japanese-language table and is not adopted as a settled current rule. Renewal must be applied for before the granted period expires, in order to continue the same activity. Permanent residence: one of the requirements is ten years of continuous residence, including at least five years with a work or residence status (excluding technical intern training and SSW(i)); time as SSW(i) does not count towards those five years, time as SSW(ii) does.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Exception: the note refers to specific rules on stay beyond the limit; it is not treated as an absolute limit without exceptions.
  • Temporal limitation: the legal start date of this change was not found; the English FAQ lists 4 months, 6 months or 1 year, and the divergence was not resolved by simply preferring the accessible URL.
  • Unresolved: entry-into-force date and transitional regime of the three-year maximum per grant.
  • Temporal limitation: no editorial date; temporal divergence with the Japanese-language table.
  • Unresolved: temporal reconciliation with the Japanese-language table and the amending instrument.
  • Condition: this is only one of the requirements; it is not an approval or an automatic route.
  • Not found: the instrument, entry-into-force date and transition that reconcile the maximum of three years per SSW(i) grant in the Japanese-language table and FAQ with the English FAQ's list of 4 months, 6 months or 1 year.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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