Japan Student Visa: Japanese Proficiency Checks and Keeping Track of Part-Time Work – What Changed in the 2026 Review of Operations

Note: This article is based on Japanese laws and materials published by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) as of October 9, 2026.

For people who enter a Japanese language school on a student visa (status of residence "Student", 留学), it is now required that their Japanese language proficiency be confirmed by a test certificate or by an interview at the school. For a change of status of residence and an extension of period of stay, this has applied to applications filed on or after July 1, 2026. For a Certificate of Eligibility (COE, 在留資格認定証明書), it applies from the applications of people who will enroll in or after October 2026.

As for part-time jobs (activities other than those permitted under the status of residence, 資格外活動), Japanese language schools check details such as the place of employment and the working hours once every three months. Based on the ISA's notice to schools and its Q&A, this article explains who is covered and who is not, and what to check before applying.

From which applications did the change apply?

The confirmation of Japanese language proficiency started at different times depending on the type of application. The checks on part-time jobs started in April 2026.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Partial Review of the Handling of Persons Enrolling in Japanese Language Institutions" (in Japanese), Part 1, item 3; summary document

An Application for Certificate of Eligibility is the application for people who will newly enter Japan from abroad. An Application for Change of Status of Residence is the application filed when a person who is in Japan under another status of residence changes to "Student".

The ISA informed Japanese language schools of this in a notice dated April 10, 2026. In this article, "Japanese language school" means a Japanese language institution designated by public notice of the Ministry of Justice and an accredited Japanese language institution (認定日本語教育機関).

The applications for which the pre-review version of the Confirmation Form (各種確認書; a confirmation document prepared by the school) is stated to be acceptable are the following.

• Change of status and extension: applications filed in or before June 2026
• COE: applications of people who will enroll in or before September 2026

Applications for a change of status or an extension filed from now on, and COE applications of people who will enroll in or after October 2026, come under the new method of confirmation. People who extend their period of stay while remaining at the same school are not covered (this is explained in a later section).

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Status of Residence "Student"" (in Japanese)

What changed for each position

What changed differs for people who are going to enroll, people who are already enrolled, and schools. Check the row that applies to you.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Partial Review of the Handling of Persons Enrolling in Japanese Language Institutions" (in Japanese), Parts 1 and 2; "Points to Note When Applying" (申請に当たっての留意事項)

The people for whom the notice reviewed the method of confirming Japanese language proficiency are those enrolling in a Japanese language school or in a Japanese language preparatory course at a university. The ISA's "Points to Note When Applying" asks for the same confirmation for people enrolling in a preparatory education institution as well.

The check on part-time jobs once every three months is something the ISA has asked of Japanese language schools. The system for managing international students' part-time work itself is required, by ministerial order, of all educational institutions that accept international students.

How is Japanese language proficiency confirmed?

People who enroll in a Japanese language school need to have Japanese language proficiency at a level equivalent to A1 or higher confirmed by a test certificate or by an interview at the school. The required level has not changed. What has changed is the method of confirmation.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Partial Review of the Handling of Persons Enrolling in Japanese Language Institutions" (in Japanese), Part 1, item 1

The result of the confirmation is written in the Confirmation Form. The Confirmation Form is a document prepared by the school you will enroll in. It is not prepared by the applicant.

If the confirmation was made by a test, the test certificate is submitted together with it. It does not matter whether or not the school is a properly managed school (適正校; an educational institution that the ISA selects each year as managing the enrollment of its international students properly).

An example of confirmation by interview

The ISA's Q&A gives an example of how to confirm by interview. The school asks 10 questions taken from a recognized test, or questions of the same level, and checks whether the percentage of correct answers is at or above the minimum passing score of the test.

The school writes the content of the confirmation specifically in the Confirmation Form, for example, "Answered ○ out of ○ questions correctly in Japanese (the screening standard is ○ correct answers)". Another method may be used, but the school is asked to explain that it is a method at the same level as the example above or higher.

The notice asks schools to conduct an interview as far as possible even when there is a test certificate.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Q&A on the Partial Review of the Handling of Persons Enrolling in Japanese Language Institutions" (in Japanese; as of May 19, 2026), Q4; "Partial Review of the Handling of Persons Enrolling in Japanese Language Institutions" (in Japanese), Part 1

Tests recognized as showing a level equivalent to A1 or higher

The ISA lists 13 tests (as of October 9, 2026). Two are tests that prove a level equivalent to A1 or higher, and 11 are tests that are, for the time being, deemed to show a level equivalent to A1 or higher.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "To Those Considering Enrolling in a Japanese Language Institution" (in Japanese)

For tests that issue a certificate intended for submission to a regional immigration services bureau, that certificate is the one to submit.

People who are not subject to the confirmation

Mainly, people who fall under any of the following do not need to submit a Confirmation Form.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Status of Residence "Student"" (in Japanese), "[Important] Confirmation Forms in Residence Applications"

People who extend their period of stay while remaining enrolled at the same Japanese language school fall under the first item. If a person who was studying only Japanese will receive other education at the same educational institution, the form must be submitted.

People at advanced vocational schools, miscellaneous schools and senior high schools must also always fill in the "Japanese language ability" (日本語能力) or "Japanese education history" (日本語学習歴) field of the application form.

Countries and regions listed in the appended table

The ISA designates the countries and regions that are not listed in the appended table as "countries subject to careful examination" (慎重審査対象国). The Asian countries and regions listed in the appended table are the following 12.

Vietnam, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines and India are not listed in the appended table. Nationals of these countries need confirmation by a test certificate or by interview even if they have graduated from a university.

The appended table also lists 9 countries and regions in the Pacific, 2 in North America, 29 in Latin America, 49 in Europe, 9 in the Middle East and 9 in Africa.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Countries and Regions Listed in the Appended Table" (in Japanese)

Schools check part-time jobs once every three months

Japanese language schools check the part-time job situation of their enrolled international students once every three months.

The method of checking is left to the school, and self-reporting by the student is acceptable. However, the ISA asks schools to keep track of the hours for each day and to check that they stay within 28 hours per week no matter which day of the week the count starts from.

For people with more than one place of employment, the hours are counted as the total for all places of employment. The ISA's reference form also labels the field for hours as the "total for all places of activity" (全ての活動先の合計).

Schools are asked to check with particular care those international students working at more than one place of employment about whom the ISA has provided information to the school.

International students may work part-time within 28 hours per week, after obtaining permission to engage in activities other than those permitted under the status of residence previously granted (comprehensive permission, 包括許可: permission granted without specifying the place of employment). Working at establishments where adult entertainment business (風俗営業) is operated, and similar places, is not permitted.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Partial Review of the Handling of Persons Enrolling in Japanese Language Institutions" (in Japanese), Part 2; Q&A (as of May 19, 2026), Q7 and Q9; "Ensuring the Proper Operation of the Status of Residence "Student"" (in Japanese); "Permission to Engage in Activities Other Than Those Permitted under the Status of Residence Previously Granted" (in Japanese)

What happens if the limit has been exceeded?

The school gives guidance, and if the situation still does not improve, the school reports it to the immigration office. The steps are as follows.

1. The school finds a situation that goes against the content of the permission
2. The school gives guidance and has the student correct it immediately, then checks again that it has been corrected
3. The school keeps the results of the check and a record of the guidance
4. If the situation does not improve even after guidance, the school reports it to the nearest immigration office (Regional Immigration Services Office, 出入国在留管理官署)
5. The ISA investigates according to the content and reflects it in the residence examination

When an international student reports that "the employer is forcing me to work beyond 28 hours per week", the school also reports this to the immigration office.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Partial Review of the Handling of Persons Enrolling in Japanese Language Institutions" (in Japanese), Part 2; summary document

The ISA states that a person who has worked part-time beyond the time limit may be subject to deportation, or may be refused an extension of period of stay and become unable to continue their studies.

Cases where more documents are submitted at the time of extension

The list of documents to be submitted for an extension by Japanese language school students specifies the documents to be submitted "where the applicant has received guidance concerning the permission to engage in activities other than those permitted under the status of residence at the time of the most recent Application for Extension of Period of Stay" (直近の在留期間更新許可申請時において、資格外活動許可に係る指導を受けている場合). In the list for schools that, among properly managed schools, are recognized as managing enrollment particularly properly (Class I), they are documents such as the following.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Status of Residence "Student"" (in Japanese), list of documents to be submitted for an Application for Extension of Period of Stay

What to check before applying

It is reassuring to check in advance the method of confirming your Japanese language proficiency if you have not yet enrolled, and your records of daily part-time working hours if you are already enrolled.

Review your plan for tuition and living expenses as well. The ISA states that covering the full amount of tuition and living expenses by part-time work is not permitted.

If you are worried about explaining your part-time working hours or income, in our consultation on the status of residence "Student" we check together with you, before the extension, whether there is any gap between what has been reported and the actual situation.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Notification regarding the Organization You Belong To (Accepting Organization)" (in Japanese); "Points to Note When Applying" (申請に当たっての留意事項)

Background to the review

This review is based on the "Comprehensive Measures for the Acceptance of Foreign Nationals and Orderly Coexistence" (外国人の受入れ・秩序ある共生のための総合的対応策), decided by a ministerial council (関係閣僚会議) on January 23, 2026.

The ISA's summary document cites the following two measures from the Comprehensive Measures. One is to identify international students working at more than one place of employment by using the Notification of the Employment Status of Foreign Nationals (外国人雇用状況届出), and to grasp the actual situation in cooperation with educational institutions (Measure No. 31). The other is to consider how permission to engage in activities other than those permitted under the status of residence should be granted and managed (Measure No. 33).

Frequently Asked Questions

I studied Japanese on my own. Can I enroll?

Even if you studied on your own, the confirmation of Japanese language proficiency is satisfied if a level equivalent to A1 or higher is confirmed by a test certificate or by an interview at the school. The ISA's Q&A states that where the level has been confirmed by interview, a study history of 150 hours or more is not needed.

How many hours can I work during long school holidays such as the summer vacation?

Within 8 hours a day. During the long vacation periods set by the school, part-time work within 8 hours a day is permitted in place of within 28 hours per week.

When I leave a Japanese language school and go on to a vocational school (専門学校), is it also the A1 confirmation?

It is a different standard. When enrolling in an advanced vocational school or a miscellaneous school, you show one of several things, such as that you received education for one year or more in a course for international students at a Japanese language school, or that you have proven your Japanese language proficiency by a test. If you show it by a test, a result such as N2 or higher on the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is needed.

Summary

For people who enter a Japanese language school on a student visa, it is now required that their Japanese language proficiency be confirmed by a test certificate or by an interview at the school. This has applied to change of status and extension applications filed on or after July 1, 2026, and to COE applications of people who will enroll in or after October 2026. People who extend their period of stay while remaining enrolled at the same school do not need to submit a Confirmation Form.

As for part-time jobs, Japanese language schools check the place of employment and the hours for each day once every three months. If you are going to enroll, decide with the school whether the confirmation will be by test or by interview; if you are already enrolled, record your hours at all places of employment every day.

References

• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Partial Review of the Handling of Persons Enrolling in Japanese Language Institutions" (in Japanese; April 2026)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Ensuring the Proper Operation of the Status of Residence "Student" (summary document)" (in Japanese; April 2026)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Q&A on the Partial Review of the Handling of Persons Enrolling in Japanese Language Institutions" (in Japanese; as of May 19, 2026)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Countries and Regions Listed in the Appended Table" (in Japanese)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Status of Residence "Student"" (in Japanese; lists of documents to be submitted, Confirmation Form, Points to Note When Applying)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "To Those Considering Enrolling in a Japanese Language Institution" (in Japanese)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Selection of Educational Institutions" (in Japanese; updated April 17, 2025)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Permission to Engage in Activities Other Than Those Permitted under the Status of Residence Previously Granted" (in Japanese)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Permission to Engage in Activities Other Than Those Permitted under the Status of Residence Previously Granted for the Status of Residence "Student"" (in Japanese)
• Immigration Services Agency of Japan, "Notification regarding the Organization You Belong To (Accepting Organization)" (in Japanese)