How many points do you need for the Japan Highly Skilled Professional visa?

You need at least 70 points on Japan's Highly Skilled Professional points table to be recognised. Points come from education, professional career, annual income, age, research achievements, Japanese national qualifications, JLPT level and a set of bonus items. Your annual income must also reach ¥3,000,000, below that you are not recognised even at 70+ points.

What is the difference between 70 points and 80 points for Japan PR?

Both clear HSP recognition, but they shorten the residence needed for permanent residency by different amounts. At 70–79 points you can apply for PR after 3 years of activities as a highly skilled professional. At 80 points or more you reach the fast-track and can apply after just 1 year.

Does JLPT N1 or N2 give bonus points for the HSP visa?

Yes. Japanese language ability is a bonus item: JLPT N1 (or a graduate of a Japanese-language major) adds 15 points, and JLPT N2 adds 10 points. These stack on top of your core education, career, income and age points, so the N1 bonus alone can lift a borderline score over the 70-point bar.

Is there a minimum salary for the Japan Highly Skilled Professional visa?

Yes, an absolute floor of ¥3,000,000 per year. This is separate from the point-scoring salary bands: if your annual income is below ¥3 million you cannot be recognised as a highly skilled professional even if your total reaches 70 or more points. The scoring salary bands (¥4M and up) are also age-gated for the (i)(a) and (i)(b) categories.

How long until permanent residency on the Japan HSP visa?

It depends on your score. At 70–79 points you can apply for permanent residency after 3 years of activity as a highly skilled professional; at 80 points or more you can apply after just 1 year. That is much faster than the standard 10-year residence rule, which is one of the main draws of HSP status.

What are the three HSP categories and how do they differ?

(i)(a) advanced academic research, (i)(b) advanced specialized/technical, and (i)(c) advanced business management. (i)(a) and (i)(b) share the same age-gated salary matrix and age-points row, differing only in how research achievements are weighted. (i)(c) business management uses a higher, non-age-gated salary scale and adds a corporate-position row, but scores no age or research points.

Is this the official ISA calculator?

No. It is a free independent tool that applies the same point values published in Japan's official Points Calculation Table, administered by the Immigration Services Agency (ISA). It gives a transparent per-criterion breakdown but does not verify your documents or make the decision. The values were last cross-checked on 2026-07-16; the final decision rests with the ISA.

Do the J-Skip and J-Find routes use this points table?

No. J-Skip and J-Find are the 2023 special HSP routes based on salary plus degree/experience (J-Skip) or graduating from a top-ranked university (J-Find), and they do not use the points table at all. This calculator scores the classic points-based route only. If you might qualify via J-Skip or J-Find, check those criteria separately with the ISA.

Japan · Immigration

Japan Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) Points Calculator

Find out whether you clear Japan's Highly Skilled Professional points table. Score the official criteria for academic research, specialized/technical work or business management, and see whether you hit the 70-point recognition bar or the 80-point 1-year PR fast-track, free, no signup, sources cited.

By Induwara Ashinsana— Co-Founder, Ryzera TechnologiesUpdated Jul 16, 2026

Score your HSP points

ISA table · verified 2026-07-16

Try a scenario

Your HSP point total

55points

Below 70, needs 15 more points

You need 70 points for HSP recognition, and 80 for the 1-year permanent-residency fast-track.

Full point breakdown

Criterion	Points
Academic background	10
Professional career3 to under 5 years	5
Annual income	30
Age	10
Research achievements	0
Total points	55

Where you can gain the most

Pass JLPT N1 (or Japanese-major graduate)+15
Add a qualifying research achievement (patent, grant or papers)+15
Pass JLPT N2+10

What HSP status grants

5-year status

A 5-year period of stay, the maximum standard length.

Faster PR

Permanent residency after 3 years at 70 points, or 1 year at 80+.

Spouse can work

Your spouse may work full-time without a separate skilled visa.

Family support

Parents and a domestic helper allowed under set conditions.

Scored using the (i)(b) Advanced specialized / technicaltable. Categories (i)(a) and (i)(b) share the salary/age matrix and differ only in research weighting; (i)(c) business management uses a higher salary scale and a position row, and scores no age or research points. Everything runs in your browser, nothing is sent anywhere. This estimates your points only; the final decision rests with Japan's Immigration Services Agency. Sources are cited below.

How it works

Japan's Highly Skilled Foreign Professional (HSP) system awards points across a fixed set of criteria published in the Ministry of Justice's Points Calculation Table, administered by the Immigration Services Agency (ISA). Reach 70 points and you are recognised as a highly skilled professional, which brings a 5-year status of residence, permission for your spouse to work, and, most importantly, a much faster route to permanent residency. This tool reproduces the table for all three categories.

The three categories. (i)(a) advanced academic research and (i)(b) advanced specialized/technical share one scoring table; (i)(c) advanced business management uses a different one. Points are summed across independent criteria, and within a criterion only the highest applicable value counts, except the bonus items, which stack.

Academic background. Doctorate scores 30, MBA/MOT 25, master's 20, bachelor's 10. Holding multiple degrees in different fields adds 5.
Professional career. For (i)(a)/(i)(b): 10+ years 20, 7–10 15, 5–7 10, 3–5 5. Business management (i)(c) is weighted higher: 10+ years scores 25.
Annual income. For (i)(a)/(i)(b) the bands are age-gated: ¥10M+ scores 40 and ¥8M+ scores 30 at any age, but ¥7M and ¥6M need you to be under 40, ¥5M under 35, and ¥4M under 30. Business management uses a higher, non-age-gated scale (¥10M scores 10, up to ¥30M+ for 50).
Age. (i)(a)/(i)(b) only: under 30 scores 15, 30–34 10, 35–39 5, 40+ scores 0.
Research achievements. Patents, funded research, indexed papers or ministerial recognition. For (i)(a) one qualifying achievement scores 20 and two or more 25; for (i)(b) any one scores a flat 15. Not scored for (i)(c).
Bonus items. These stack: JLPT N1 15 / N2 10, a Japanese-university degree 10, a top-300/SGU university 10, a growth-field project 10, national qualifications 5–10, and more. Business management adds a corporate-position row (representative director 10, director 5).

One rule overrides everything: an annual income below ¥3,000,000 means you are not recognised, whatever your point total. To confirm the arithmetic the tool computes your total twice, once by building the breakdown table and once through an independent re-sum, and both paths must agree. It estimates your points only; it does not verify documents or make the decision, which rest with the ISA.

Worked examples

Colombo software engineer · category (i)(b)

Master's · 6 yrs experience · ¥8.5M offer · age 32 · Japanese-university graduate · JLPT N2

Academic background (master's): 20
Professional career (5–7 yrs): 10
Annual income (¥8.5M → ¥8–9M, all ages): 30
Age (32 → 30–34): 10
Japanese-university graduate: 10
JLPT N2: 10
Total = 20 + 10 + 30 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 90 ✓ 80+ fast-track (income ≥ ¥3M)

Fresh graduate · category (i)(b)

Bachelor's · 4 yrs experience · ¥5.5M salary · age 28 · no bonuses

Academic background (bachelor's): 10
Professional career (3–5 yrs): 5
Annual income (¥5.5M → ¥5–6M, age 28 < 35): 15
Age (28 → under 30): 15
Total = 10 + 5 + 15 + 15 = 45 ✗ Below 70, not recognised
Income ¥5.5M clears the ¥3M floor, but the point total is short.

Borderline older applicant · category (i)(b)

Master's · 5–7 yrs experience · ¥8.2M salary · age 41 · JLPT N2

Academic background (master's): 20
Professional career (5–7 yrs): 10
Annual income (¥8.2M → ¥8–9M, all ages): 30
Age (41 → 40+): 0
JLPT N2: 10
Total = 20 + 10 + 30 + 0 + 10 = 70 ✓ Recognised, PR after 3 years
Drop the N2 bonus and it falls to 60 (not recognised), the language lever matters.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & references

The point values, the 70/80-point thresholds and the ¥3,000,000absolute-minimum-income rule were taken from Japan's official Points Calculation Table and last cross-checked on 2026-07-16. This tool scores the classic points-based route only (not J-Skip or J-Find), estimates your points, and does not make the eligibility decision.

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