India signed a memorandum of cooperation with Japan on Specified Skilled Workers, and the number of Indian candidates is growing from a relatively small base. That means fewer established recruitment channels than in Nepal or Vietnam - which cuts both ways.
Confirm current requirements with the Ministry of External Affairs, the Japanese embassy and the official Japanese bodies.
The steps
- Language test - JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 and above. JFT-Basic in India, how to register.
- Sector skills test for your field: the skills test explained.
- Employer and contract: reading an SSW contract.
- Indian emigration formalities, including eMigrate registration where applicable and the use of registered recruiting agents.
- Certificate of Eligibility from Japan: Certificate of Eligibility explained.
- Visa at the Japanese embassy or consulate.
- Departure and the first month. Your first month of Japanese at work.
Where candidates lose time
Waiting to start Japanese. The language test is the longest lead time and the only step entirely within your control. Nobody can sit it for you and no agency can accelerate it.
Deciding the sector late. The skills test is field-specific, so an undecided candidate cannot prepare: the sectors list.
Inconsistent documents. Your name must be spelled identically on your passport, your certificates and every form. A mismatch stalls a Certificate of Eligibility application.
On agencies and fees
Get every cost in writing, itemised, before paying anything. Verify any licence independently. No legitimate employer or agency holds your passport, and no legitimate arrangement requires a penalty payment for leaving a job.
Debt-funded migration is the single biggest risk to a worker’s wellbeing in Japan, because it removes the ability to walk away from a bad employer. Agency red flags and reading an SSW contract.
What is different about the Indian route
Fewer intermediaries, which is mostly good. With less of an established pipeline, more Indian candidates find employers directly or through Japanese-language schools with employer connections.
Test availability. Both the language test and sector skills tests are held in India, but the number of sittings and locations for some sector tests is limited. Check schedules before you plan: test centres by country.
English is not a substitute. Indian candidates often have strong English, and it has no bearing on the requirement. The exams, the work and the workplace are in Japanese.
Common sectors
Nursing care, food and beverage manufacturing, manufacturing, construction, and increasingly automobile maintenance for candidates with mechanical backgrounds.
Start with the exam
Sit our free exam demo: 48 questions, 60 minutes, under the real test’s rules, with an estimated score at the end. It is the fastest way to turn a vague plan into a timeline.