TOKYO – The Japanese government is poised to implement a significant overhaul of its work permit system for international students, signaling a strict departure from current lenient policies. The move aims to close a long-standing loophole where student visas are exploited as a "backdoor" for illegal full-time labor.
End of the "Rubber-Stamp" Era
Under the current system, international students typically receive "Permission to Engage in Activity Other Than That Permitted under the Status of Residence" almost automatically upon application. This blanket approval allows them to work up to 28 hours per week.
However, authorities have flagged a rising trend of "disguised students"—individuals who enroll in language schools or universities primarily to work rather than study.
To combat this, the government plans to scrap the "automatic approval" mechanism. Instead, a more rigorous screening process will be introduced. Immigration authorities will now closely scrutinize:
Employment Status: Whether the student is actually working.
Job Content: The nature of the work being performed.
Actual Working Hours: Strict monitoring to ensure the 28-hour limit is not breached.
Timeline for Reform
According to government sources, these revisions are expected to come into effect starting Fiscal Year 2026.
The new framework will focus on identifying and penalizing cases where students exceed the legal working hours or use their student status solely as a cover for employment. This suggests that the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) will likely implement better data-sharing systems with employers to track real-time work hours.
A Shift from Quantity to Quality
The scale of the impact is significant. Data from the Immigration Services Agency reveals that as of June 2025, the number of international students in Japan surged to approximately 435,000. This demographic now accounts for nearly 10% of the entire foreign population residing in the country.
This policy shift indicates that Japan is moving away from merely trying to increase the number of foreign residents to a strategy focused on "quality of residency management." The government is sending a clear message: Japan welcomes genuine students, but the era of using education visas as a shortcut to the labor market is coming to an end.