Japan Highly Skilled Professional Points Calculator

Overview: Japan’s Highly Skilled Professional Points System

Japan’s Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) visa is a points-based residence status designed to attract experienced, well-qualified foreign professionals. Instead of relying only on a single employer’s sponsorship, Japan evaluates your overall profile using a points system that considers your education, work experience, income, age, and certain achievements such as research output.

This calculator gives you a simplified estimate of your potential points so you can quickly judge whether you might be near the typical 70‑point threshold used in the official system. It is not an official tool and does not replace the detailed criteria used by Japan’s immigration authorities.

How the Points in This Calculator Work

The form on this page groups core HSP factors into five categories:

• Highest education level
• Years of professional experience
• Annual income in Japan (or expected income)
• Age at the time of application
• Research achievements (publications or patents)

Each answer corresponds to a fixed number of points. Your total is the sum of all categories. The higher the total, the stronger your profile is likely to be for the Highly Skilled Professional framework.

Formulas and Scoring Logic

At a high level, your total score can be expressed mathematically as the sum of the points assigned to each selected band. If we call your total score P, then:

Where:

• Eedu = points for your highest education level
• Eexp = points for your years of professional experience
• Einc = points for your annual income band (in yen)
• Eage = points for your age band
• Eres = points for research achievements

Each of these components takes one of a small set of fixed values, based on the options available in the dropdown menus.

Education Bands

Japan places strong emphasis on formal academic qualifications, especially in fields related to your intended work. In this calculator:

• Doctorate (PhD or equivalent): 30 points
• Master’s degree: 20 points
• Bachelor’s degree: 10 points
• Below bachelor’s level or unselected: 0 points

Only your highest completed degree is counted. Short courses or professional certificates may be valuable to your career but are not directly measured in this simplified tool.

Professional Experience Bands

Professional experience is measured in years of relevant full‑time work in your field. The calculator uses broad bands that mirror how seniority is often assessed:

• 7+ years: 15 points
• 3–6 years: 10 points
• 1–2 years: 5 points
• Less than 1 year or no experience: 0 points

Relevance matters. Work that is closely related to your proposed activities in Japan is typically more persuasive than experience in unrelated sectors.

Annual Income Bands (in Yen)

Income is used as a rough indicator of your market value and seniority. When estimating income, you should use your actual or realistically expected annual income in Japan, before tax, in Japanese yen.

• 10 million yen or more per year: 40 points
• 7.0–9.99 million yen per year: 30 points
• 5.0–6.99 million yen per year: 20 points
• 3.0–4.99 million yen per year: 10 points
• Below 3.0 million yen: 0 points

If you are converting from another currency, be sure to use a recent exchange rate and consider that immigration authorities may use specific reference dates or official rates.

Age Bands

Japan’s HSP system gives a modest advantage to younger applicants who may have a longer potential career in the country. This calculator uses the following age bands:

• Under 30: 15 points
• 30–34: 10 points
• 35–39: 5 points
• 40 and over: 0 points

Your age is typically measured at the time of application or at a defined reference date. Always check the official rules if your birthday is near a cut‑off.

Research Achievements

Research output matters most in academic and R&D‑oriented roles. In this simplified calculator:

• Significant publications or patents: 10 points
• No notable research achievements or not applicable: 0 points

This category is intentionally broad. In the official system, different types of research output, prizes, and professional achievements may be treated separately and may have stricter definitions.

Comparison Table: Point Bands by Category

The following table summarizes the point bands used by this tool so you can compare how different profiles might score.

Interpreting Your Estimated Score

This calculator is based loosely on the commonly referenced 70‑point threshold for Japan’s HSP categories. Use your total as a general guide:

• Below ~50 points: Your current profile may be far from typical Highly Skilled Professional standards. You may want to build experience, pursue higher qualifications, or consider other residence statuses.
• Around 50–69 points: You could be approaching the HSP range, but you may need improvements in one or more areas (e.g., higher income offer, more experience, or additional qualifications).
• 70 points or more (in this tool): You may have a profile similar to candidates who qualify under the official HSP system. However, this estimate does not guarantee approval, because the real criteria are more detailed.

Remember that each HSP field (Advanced Academic Research, Advanced Specialized/Technical, and Advanced Business Management) has its own specific rules, possible bonus points, and documentary requirements.

Worked Example

To see how the calculator behaves, consider the following hypothetical applicant:

• Highest education: Master’s degree in computer science
• Professional experience: 6 years as a software engineer
• Annual income: Job offer in Tokyo at 8.5 million yen per year
• Age: 32 years old
• Research achievements: Several peer‑reviewed conference papers

The points would be calculated as follows:

• Education: Master’s degree → 20 points
• Experience: 6 years (band 3–6 years) → 10 points
• Income: 8.5M yen (band 7.0–9.99M) → 30 points
• Age: 32 (band 30–34) → 10 points
• Research achievements: Significant publications → 10 points

Adding these values together:

20 (education) + 10 (experience) + 30 (income) + 10 (age) + 10 (research) = 80 points

In this example, the applicant would reach 80 points in the simplified tool, suggesting a potentially strong profile for the HSP visa framework. In reality, they would still need to match an official HSP category, provide documentation, and meet any other immigration conditions.

How to Use This Calculator Effectively

1. Select the option in each dropdown that most accurately reflects your current or realistically expected situation in Japan.
2. For professional experience, only count full‑time, relevant work in your field.
3. For income, convert your salary to yen if necessary, and use a reasonable exchange rate.
4. For research achievements, be conservative. Only select the higher band if you have publications, patents, or outputs that are likely to be recognized as significant.
5. After calculating your points, review which categories contribute most to your score and which categories might be improved over time.

If your score is close to or above 70, it may be worth consulting an immigration professional or your prospective employer’s HR/legal team to confirm how your profile fits the official criteria.

Limitations, Assumptions, and Important Disclaimers

This tool is an independent, simplified estimator. It does not reproduce every detail of Japan’s official Highly Skilled Professional points system. In particular:

• Limited factors: The calculator focuses on core elements that are common across HSP categories (education, experience, income, age, and basic research output). The official framework includes additional items such as specific professional qualifications, Japanese language ability, employer characteristics, and other achievements.
• Simplified bands: The point bands and values used here are approximate and may not match every nuance or bonus point in the latest official tables.
• No category selection: The official system distinguishes between fields such as Advanced Academic Research, Advanced Specialized/Technical, and Advanced Business Management, each with slightly different scoring rules. This tool does not ask you to choose a field or apply field‑specific criteria.
• No guarantee of eligibility: A high score in this calculator is not a guarantee that you will obtain an HSP visa. Immigration decisions depend on full documentation, legal interpretation, and up‑to‑date regulations.
• Regulations can change: Japan’s immigration rules, point values, and eligibility criteria may be updated over time. This tool may not always reflect the most recent changes.

Because of these limitations, you should treat the result as a planning aid, not as official advice. Before making major decisions, always check the current guidance from Japan’s Immigration Services Agency or the Ministry of Justice, and consider speaking with a qualified immigration professional.

Next Steps and Further Resources

Once you have explored your estimated score:

• Identify which factors you can realistically improve (for example, negotiating salary, gaining additional experience, or pursuing further study).
• Compare this result with other potential visa routes to Japan that might better match your profile.
• Review the latest official information from Japanese authorities for complete, authoritative rules and full point tables.
• If necessary, consult an immigration lawyer or specialist who is familiar with Japan’s Highly Skilled Professional system.

Using this calculator together with official documentation and professional advice can help you set realistic expectations and plan a more informed pathway to working and living in Japan.