【Answering Your Questions About Specified Skilled Workers!】What is the Quarterly Report Submitted by Registered Support Organizations?
Under the Specified Skilled Worker system, companies and accepting organizations have various obligations to ensure foreign workers can work with peace of mind. In particular, the “Quarterly Report” submitted by Registered Support Organizations is one of the crucial procedures. This article explains what Specified Skilled Workers are, the role of Registered Support Organizations, and the contents of the Quarterly Report.
What is Specified Skilled Worker?
Specified Skilled Worker is a residence status allowing foreign nationals with immediate job readiness to work in Japanese industries facing severe labor shortages.
There are two types: Specific Skills 1 and Specific Skills 2. Specific Skills 1 allows employment in 12 fields including nursing care, food service, construction, and agriculture. The key difference from Technical Intern Training is that employment in Japan aims to “secure labor” and allows job changes.
As a system enabling long-term employment, Specific Skills is attracting attention from both companies and foreign nationals. However, employing companies have various obligations, such as creating support plans and providing assistance with living arrangements and workplace environments. When companies find it difficult to fulfill these obligations themselves, organizations that perform these support services on their behalf are called “Registered Support Organizations.”
What is the Role of a Registered Support Organization?
A Registered Support Organization is a specialized agency that has undergone screening by the Ministry of Justice and been registered to help foreign nationals working under the Specified Skilled Worker system settle into their lives and workplaces. Registered Support Organizations receive commissions from host companies and provide various forms of support based on the support plan.
For example, they offer airport pickups, housing search assistance, Japanese language learning support, life orientation sessions, consultation services for concerns, and job change information, providing support in both daily life and the work environment. The quality of support provided to foreign nationals is fundamental to the system, so proper operation is expected of Registered Support Organizations.
A crucial mechanism for this is the “Quarterly Report,” which requires regular reporting of support activities to the receiving company and administrative agencies. This mechanism is mandated to verify whether appropriate support services are being provided. Failure to meet deadlines may result in administrative guidance or even revocation of registration.
What is the Quarterly Report?
Quarterly reports are submissions made every three months by registered support organizations to the Immigration Bureau (Immigration Services Agency) detailing the status of support provided to foreign nationals. The report content includes: the status of support implementation, records of meetings with foreign nationals, challenges in daily life and the workplace, whether consultations were held, and the status of Japanese language learning support implementation.
Submission by registered support organizations is mandated online (via the Immigration Services Agency’s Support Site for Specified Skilled Worker Affiliated Organizations, etc.). Failure to submit within the deadline constitutes a serious violation of the law.
Furthermore, concealing the lack of support implementation or submitting false reports may result in guidance or disciplinary action. While the quarterly report is a time-consuming task, it ensures transparency in support and is an indispensable mechanism for maintaining the reliability of the Specified Skilled Worker system.
Summary
Quarterly reporting is an obligation for registered support organizations and is crucial for upholding the reliability of the Specified Skilled Worker system. For the Specified Skilled Worker system to be operated appropriately, it is essential to enhance support services and submit accurate reports within the deadlines. Understanding the system and striving for proper operation is vital.
