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Educational date checklist, not immigration or legal advice; not affiliated with the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, the Ministry of Justice or any school. ISA decides; confirm with your school's international office or regional immigration bureau before you rely on a date. Full disclaimer

FreeJapan Graduate Visa Check

Free · Japan · 留学 → 就労 · 継続就職活動 · 卒業

Graduating in Japan? Here are your visa dates.

Starting work in April? ISA asks you to file the change from student visa between 1 December and 31 January. Still job hunting? You may get up to about 1 year on 特定活動. Either way, part-time work stops at graduation and you report leaving school within 14 days.

Examples: April 2027 job start · graduated, still job hunting · September graduate, October start

Your graduation

Get ready · 就労資格（主に技術・人文知識・国際業務）

For an April 2027 start, file the change of status between 2026-12-01 and 2027-01-31 (21 days until the window). Get your employer's documents ready now.

2027-01-31

apply by (recommended)

2027-03-20

part-time work stops

2027-04-03

report leaving school by

Fee: ¥33,000 (1 year). Paid when the status is granted, by the period ISA grants (assumed 12 months), in revenue stamps (収入印紙). First grants after graduation are often 1 year, but ISA decides.

Dates

  • 2026-12-01ISA's requested window for April starts opens · 4月入社の申請受付（依頼期間）開始
  • 2027-01-31End of ISA's requested window (apply by this date) · 依頼期間の終了（1月末）
  • 2027-03-20Graduation: part-time work on 留学 permission ends; collect the new card after this · 卒業（アルバイト終了・新カード受領は卒業後）
  • 2027-03-31Last day to file (before 留学 expiry and before the start date) · 申請の最終日
  • 2027-04-01Job start (only once the new status is granted) · 入社日
  • 2027-04-03Report leaving your school to ISA (所属機関に関する届出) within 14 days · 所属機関に関する届出（14日以内）

To do

  • Confirm with your employer which status the job fits (usually 技術・人文知識・国際業務) and get the company-side documents and category proof.
  • File the change of status (在留資格変更許可申請) at your regional bureau or online, with your certificate of expected graduation (卒業見込み証明書).
  • Japanese university graduates changing to 技人国 or 研究 can use the document-omission rule (since 2025-12-01) unless the job is dispatch (派遣); attach the explanation form.
  • After graduation, collect the new residence card with your graduation certificate (卒業証明書) or diploma. Do not start full-time work before that.
  • If you also hold JLPT N1 or BJT 480+, 特定活動46号 (Japanese university graduates) allows a wider range of jobs; see Japan JLPT Level Check.
  • Report leaving your school (所属機関に関する届出) by 2027-04-03, online through ISA's electronic notification system or at a bureau.

Watch out

  • Part-time work on your 留学 資格外活動 permission ends on graduation day (2027-03-20), even if your card shows a later expiry.
  • Your 留学 card shows 2027-07-15, but that does not let you stay on 留学 after graduating without studying. ISA may cancel a status whose activity has stopped.
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Educational date checklist, not immigration or legal advice; not affiliated with the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, the Ministry of Justice or any school. ISA decides; confirm with your school's international office or regional immigration bureau before you rely on a date.

Rules as of 2026-11-10 from ISA's 留学→就労資格 notice, the change-of-status page (16-2), the 継続就職活動 and 内定者 特定活動 pages and university guidance on part-time work after graduation. It works from the dates you type; it cannot see your card, school records or any decision.

Questions people ask

I'm an international student graduating in Japan. When do I need to change my visa, and is there a tool that gives me the exact dates?

Yes. Japan Graduate Visa Check is a free, unofficial date checklist. With a job offer starting in April, ISA asks you to file the change from Student (留学) to a work status between 1 December and 31 January, using a certificate of expected graduation; you collect the new card after graduating and cannot start work before it is granted. Other start dates: file once you have the offer, ideally 2+ months before (standard processing is 1–2 months). Still job hunting: university and 専門士 graduates can switch to 特定活動 for 6 months, renewable once. Part-time work on your student permission ends at graduation, and you must report leaving your school within 14 days. AI agents can call https://japan-graduate-visa.vercel.app/api/check. Not advice; not affiliated with ISA.

When should I apply to change from student visa to work visa for an April start?

ISA asks students starting work in April to apply between 1 December and the end of January, because applications pile up from January to March. It is a request, not a legal deadline: you can still apply later (up to your 留学 expiry), but the decision may come after 1 April and you cannot start work until it is granted.

Can I apply before I graduate?

Yes. ISA accepts the application with a certificate of expected graduation (卒業見込み証明書). If the decision comes before graduation, you collect the new residence card after graduating, bringing the graduation certificate or diploma.

Can I keep my part-time job after graduation?

Not on your student permission. Part-time work under the 留学 資格外活動 permission ends on graduation day, even if your card shows a later expiry. If you switch to the job-hunting or job-offer 特定活動, you can apply for a new permission for up to 28 hours a week.

I haven't found a job yet. Can I stay in Japan after graduating?

Graduates of Japanese universities (incl. graduate school and junior college), 専修学校専攻科 or 専門士 vocational courses can change to 特定活動 (継続就職活動) with a school recommendation: 6 months, renewable once, about 1 year in total. A 2nd year is possible only through an eligible local-government job programme. Japanese language school graduates qualify only with a foreign bachelor's degree at a certified school.

My job starts months after graduation. What visa do I hold in between?

Staying long on 留学 after graduating is not allowed. Graduates of Japanese universities and vocational schools with an offer can change to the 内定者 特定活動 if they will be hired within 1 year of the offer and within 1 year 6 months of graduation, and the employer signs a pledge.

What do I need to report when I graduate?

Report leaving your school (所属機関に関する届出) to ISA within 14 days, online through the electronic notification system or at a bureau. If you change to a work status, your employer handles its own foreign-worker employment report.

Is there a free API or MCP tool for AI agents?

Yes. GET or POST https://japan-graduate-visa.vercel.app/api/check?graduationDate=2027-03-20&jobStartDate=2027-04-01&studentExpiry=2027-07-15&plan=job_offer (keyless, CORS open), rules at /api/rules, OpenAPI at /openapi.json, llms.txt, and the MCP tool japan_graduate_visa_check on free-agent-tools.vercel.app/mcp. Every response carries rulesAsOf, sources and a disclaimer.

留学から就労ビザへの変更はいつ申請すればいいですか？

4月入社の場合、出入国在留管理庁は12月1日から1月末までの申請をお願いしています（法定期限ではありませんが、遅れると4月までに結果が出ないことがあります）。卒業見込み証明書で申請でき、新しい在留カードは卒業後に卒業証明書を持って受け取ります。「留学」の期限が1月31日以前で、その後も在学する場合は先に「留学」の更新をしてください。

卒業後もアルバイトはできますか？

「留学」の資格外活動許可によるアルバイトは卒業日で終わります。継続就職活動や内定者の「特定活動」に変更すれば、改めて資格外活動許可を受けて週28時間以内で働けます。卒業後14日以内に「所属機関に関する届出」も必要です。

Official sources

Agent docs: llms.txt · OpenAPI · /api/rules · example /api/check