Japan SSW Visa (Tokutei Ginou) Pathway from Nepal: Full Guide

The Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) status of residence, known in Japanese as Tokutei Ginou (特定技能), was created by Japan in April 2019 (Baisakh 2076 BS) to admit "work-ready" foreign workers into industries facing chronic labour shortages caused by Japan's ageing and shrinking population. Unlike the older Technical Intern Training Program (TITP), which is officially a training scheme, SSW is a genuine work visa: holders are employees from day one, not trainees.

SSW is aimed at people who already have a basic command of Japanese and a tested level of practical skill, so that they can start productive work without a long in-house training period. This makes it one of the most realistic legal routes for a Nepali worker who wants a proper salaried job in Japan rather than a study or trainee posting.

The scheme is administered by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) under the Ministry of Justice, with sector rules set by the relevant Japanese ministries. For Nepalis, the Nepali side is coordinated by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS) and the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE).

For SSW Type-1 there are normally two gates. First, a Japanese-language test: you must pass either the Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese (JFT-Basic) at the A2 level, or achieve Level N4 or above on the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). N4 covers roughly 300 basic kanji and the ability to follow slow, everyday conversation; most learners reach it after several hundred hours of study.

Second, you must pass a skills-proficiency test for the specific sector you want to work in (for example the Nursing Care Skills Evaluation Test for caregiving). These tests are set by each industry's managing body and confirm you can do the job to Japanese standards. Some sectors require an extra sector-specific language test on top of the general one, for example caregiving includes a Nursing Care Japanese Language Evaluation Test.

There is an important shortcut: people who have satisfactorily completed the second stage of the Technical Intern Training Program (TITP ii) can generally move to SSW Type-1 in a related field without re-sitting the language and skills tests. Note that from August 2026 the JFT-Basic is being expanded to also assess A1 and A2.1 levels, so intending candidates should confirm the current pass standard before booking a test.

SSW began in 2019 with 14 designated industry fields. Following a Japanese cabinet decision in March 2024 (Chaitra 2080 BS) and earlier consolidation, the programme now covers 16 sectors, after four new fields (road transportation, railway, forestry and the wood/timber industry) were added. These are the frontline, hands-on jobs where Japan most needs staff.

For most Nepali applicants the largest and most accessible openings are in nursing/elderly care (kaigo), food and beverage manufacturing, the food-service/restaurant industry, agriculture, building cleaning, construction and accommodation (hotels). Manufacturing and shipbuilding also recruit steadily. Care work in particular is a fast-growing route because Japan's elderly population keeps expanding.

Not every sector opens to SSW Type-2 (see below): the four fields added in 2024, for instance, were initially available only under Type-1. Always confirm the current rules for your chosen sector, because the list and its sub-fields are periodically revised by the Japanese government.

SSW is split into two levels. Type-1 (No.1) is the entry route for workers with a set level of skill and Japanese. It can be renewed up to a total maximum stay of five years, does not allow the worker to bring their spouse or children to Japan, and requires the employer or a Registered Support Organisation to provide a defined package of support (orientation, help with housing, government procedures, a consultation service and more).

Type-2 (No.2) is the advanced, supervisory-level status for workers who have gained experience and passed a much harder Type-2 skills test, usually with supervisory or team-leading experience in the field. Type-2 has no upper limit on the total period of stay, permits the worker to bring family members (spouse and children), and years spent on it can count towards eligibility for permanent residency in Japan. Type-2 is available in a subset of the fields (around 11), not all of them.

In practice the realistic ladder for a Nepali worker is: enter on Type-1, work and improve your Japanese and skills over several years, then move up to Type-2 for long-term settlement. Because Type-2 opens the door to bringing family and eventually to permanent residence, it is the key to turning a temporary job into a durable life in Japan.

A central promise of SSW is fair treatment. Under Japan's Labour Standards Act, SSW workers must be paid the same wage as a Japanese worker doing equivalent work at the same employer; sub-standard "foreigner rates" are not permitted. Wages are paid in yen through the normal payroll and must meet at least the applicable minimum wage for the prefecture.

SSW workers are covered by Japan's social-insurance system on the same footing as nationals, including health insurance, pension, employment insurance and workers' accident-compensation insurance. This means access to subsidised medical care and a safety net if you are injured at work or lose your job. Overtime, holidays and other conditions are governed by the same labour laws that protect Japanese staff.

For Type-1 holders, the law also requires a support system so that newly arrived workers are not left to cope alone. The employer, or a Registered Support Organisation acting for it, must provide items such as a pre-departure and post-arrival orientation, assistance opening a bank account and finding housing, accompaniment for official procedures, and a grievance/consultation channel in a language the worker understands.

Nepal formally joined the SSW scheme on 25 March 2019 (Chaitra 2075 BS), when Nepal and Japan signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) in Kathmandu. It was signed on Nepal's behalf by the then officiating secretary of MoLESS, Ram Prasad Ghimire, and by the Japanese Ambassador to Nepal, Masamichi Saigo. Nepal is one of a group of partner countries Japan signed such MoCs with to source SSW labour.

The core purpose of the MoC is to build an information partnership so that Nepali workers are sent and received smoothly and fairly, and, crucially, to eliminate malicious intermediary organisations. The intended model is government-to-government, reducing the space for the exploitative brokers and inflated fees that have long plagued Nepali foreign employment. A dedicated unit under the Department of Foreign Employment was envisaged to coordinate recruitment and support testing.

Prospective workers should therefore treat any "agent" promising a guaranteed SSW job for a large upfront fee with strong caution, and verify processes through official Nepali channels (MoLESS/DoFE) and licensed, registered recruiters. The scheme's whole design is meant to keep migration costs low and transparent, in line with the MoC and Nepal's foreign-employment rules.

The usual sequence starts with Japanese-language study to reach JFT-Basic (A2) or JLPT N4, alongside preparation for the skills test in your chosen sector. Both tests are held at designated centres, including in Nepal, and you must pass both (or qualify via TITP completion) before you can be matched to a Japanese employer.

Once you have a job offer and a signed employment contract, the employer or a Registered Support Organisation applies to the Immigration Services Agency for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE). With the COE you apply for the SSW visa at the Japanese Embassy, complete the required medical and documentation steps, and then travel to Japan to begin work. Nepali workers must also obtain the labour approval (shram swikriti) from DoFE before departure.

Because rules, fees, sector lists and test schedules change, always cross-check the latest requirements on the official Immigration Services Agency and MOFA SSW websites and with MoLESS/DoFE before paying anyone. Avoid brokers who ask for large sums or promise to bypass the tests; a legitimate SSW placement is built on passing the language and skills tests, not on connections.