2025-05-26

Registered support organizations that support companies that have accepted trainees for the specified skills are required to submit periodic reports. The following is an explanation of the contents of these periodic reports.

What are specific skills?

Specified Skills refers to a system to accept foreign nationals with a certain level of expertise and skills in industrial fields where it is difficult to secure human resources. In April of the following year, companies became able to accept foreign nationals.

There are two types of “Specified Technical Skills”: “Specified Technical Skill No. 1,” which is a status of residence for foreigners with skills in specific industrial fields, and “Specified Technical Skill No. 2,” which is a status of residence for foreigners with skilled skills in specific industrial fields.

Therefore, “Specified Technical Skill No. 2” requires more advanced skills than “Specified Technical Skill No. 1”. In addition, support from a “registered support organization,” which will be explained later, is only available for “specified skills No. 1.

What is a registered support organization?

A company, etc. that accepts and supports foreign nationals with “specified skills” is called a “receiving organization (organization with specified skills). The receiving organization enters into a “specified skilled employment contract” with the foreigner. The contract must meet several criteria, such as the foreigner’s remuneration being equal to or higher than that of a Japanese national.

A registered support organization is an organization that is commissioned by the recipient organization to implement all the services in the support plan for the No. 1 specified skilled foreigner. A registered support organization must meet the following criteria (1) and (2).
(1) The support organization itself must be appropriate (no violation of immigration or labor laws within 5 years, etc.).
(2) There must be a system in place to support foreign nationals (e.g., the ability to provide support in a language that the foreign national can understand).

In addition, in order for a registered support organization to be registered, the following requirements (1) ～ (6) must be met.
(1) A person responsible for support and a person in charge of support must be appointed.
(2) One of the following must be applicable.
・The applicant must have a track record of accepting mid- to long-term residents within 2 years.
・The applicant must have experience in providing various consultation services for foreigners as a business for the purpose of earning remuneration within 2 years.
・The appointed support staff must have engaged in consultation services for mid- to long-term residents for more than 2 years in the past 5 years.
・The appointed support staff must have experience in providing consultation services for mid- to long-term residents for at least two years in the past five years.
(3) The applicant must not have had any missing specified skilled foreign nationals or technical intern trainees within one year due to reasons attributable to him/herself.
(4) The cost of support must not be borne directly or indirectly by the foreigner.
(5) Not to have been penalized for violation of penal laws and regulations (e.g., punished within 5 years under laws and regulations concerning immigration or labor).
(6) Have not committed any extremely unfair or unjust acts regarding immigration or labor laws within the past 5 years.

What is a periodic report?

Periodic reporting means that an interview is conducted periodically (once every three months) for the purpose of supporting a foreign national with specified skills, and the results of the interview are reported to the Immigration and Residence Management Bureau. The notification of this report is called a “periodic report.

The purpose of the periodic interview is to hear the current status of the foreign national. Interviews are conducted directly with the foreign national and his/her supervisor (immediate supervisor, representative, etc. of the company) to determine whether the foreign national is working in an appropriate environment.

If the company outsources the support of the foreigner to a registered support organization, the registered support organization will conduct periodic interviews with the foreigner, and the supervisor or person in charge of the receiving company will also be interviewed by the registered support organization.

The period for conducting interviews and the deadline for submitting periodic reports are as follows: (1)～(4).
(1) First Quarter
　　Implementation period (January 1 – March 31), submission deadline (April 1 – April 15)
(2) 1st Quarter
　　Implementation period (April 1 – June 30), Submission deadline (July 1 – July 15)
(3) 1st Quarter
　　Implementation period (July 1 – September 30), Submission deadline (October 1 – October 15)
(4) 1st Quarter
　　Implementation period (October 1-December 31), Submission deadline (January 1-January 15 of the following year)

If the above submission deadlines are missed, a “Statement of Reasons” for the delay must be attached along with the required documents for the periodic report. Please note that failure to submit this periodic report may result in the applicant not being able to continue accepting specified skilled foreign nationals.

Summary

Registered support organizations are required to interview specified skilled foreign nationals once every three months and report to the Immigration Bureau. Failure to do so may result in the applicant not being able to continue to accept foreign nationals with the specified skills in the future.