Can You Continue Job Hunting by Changing from a Student Visa to a Designated Activities Visa? [Compliant with the Latest 2026 Criteria]

If an international student wishes to continue job hunting in Japan after graduating from a Japanese university or vocational school, it may be possible to change their status of residence to “Designated Activities (Continuing Job Hunting)”, provided certain conditions are met.

Similar to Japanese students, international students participate in company information sessions, internships, submit entry sheets, and attend interviews while enrolled. However, not all students are able to secure a job offer by the time they graduate. In recent years, due to earlier recruitment schedules and an increase in online selection processes, there has been a growing number of cases where the hiring process is not completed before graduation.

In such situations, students cannot remain in Japan after graduation under the “Student” status of residence. Therefore, the “Designated Activities (Continuing Job Hunting)” status has been established as a legal means to remain in Japan while continuing job hunting. Below, we provide a detailed explanation of eligible applicants, period of stay, approval requirements, recent examination trends, and the impact of legal revisions.

1. Eligible Applicants for the Designated Activities Visa for “Continuing Job Hunting”

There are various categories under the Designated Activities visa, but this section focuses on Designated Activities for the purpose of “continuing job hunting after graduation.” Eligible applicants can be broadly classified into the following three categories.

1. Continuing Job Hunting After Graduation from a University (Including Graduate Schools and Junior Colleges)

This category applies to international students who graduated from a Japanese university, graduate school, or junior college under the “Student” status of residence, and who started job hunting before graduation and wish to continue job hunting in Japan after graduation.

However, non-degree students, auditing students, research students, and special course students are generally not eligible. It is essential that the applicant was enrolled and graduated as a regular undergraduate or graduate student.

2. Continuing Job Hunting for Vocational School Graduates (Holders of the “Senmonshi” Title)

International students who graduated from a Japanese vocational school and obtained the “Senmonshi” (specialist) title may also be eligible for Designated Activities, provided the following conditions are met.

• The applicant must have already started job hunting in Japan before graduation.
• The content studied at the vocational school must be related to work that qualifies for a work visa, such as “Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services.”

For vocational school graduates, the relationship between the field of study and the desired job duties is particularly important. For example, IT-related majors are expected to pursue system development or engineering positions, while business-related majors are expected to seek planning, sales, or marketing roles that align with their studies.

3. International Students Who Graduated from an Overseas University and Completed a Japanese Language Institution

Foreign nationals who graduated from an overseas university or graduate school, then enrolled in a Japanese language institution that meets certain criteria under the “Student” status of residence, and who have continuously engaged in job hunting since before graduating from the Japanese language school may also be eligible.

In this category, graduation from an overseas university or graduate school is a prerequisite. Those who graduated only from a Japanese language school without an overseas university degree are not eligible for this Designated Activities category for job hunting purposes.

2. Period of Stay and Maximum Renewal (Up to One Year of Job Hunting)

The period of stay for a Designated Activities visa for job hunting purposes is generally six months. If certain conditions are met, one renewal is permitted, allowing a maximum total stay of up to one year for job hunting in Japan.

In other words, even after graduating under a student visa, this system allows international students to legally continue job hunting in Japan for up to one year by completing the appropriate procedures.

In addition, if permission to engage in activities outside the status of residence is obtained during the Designated Activities period, part-time work of up to 28 hours per week is permitted, similar to the student visa. However, exceeding the 28-hour limit or engaging in prohibited activities such as adult entertainment-related work may have a serious negative impact on visa renewal or subsequent change to a work visa, so extreme caution is required.

3. Main Approval Requirements for the Designated Activities Visa for Job Hunting

The approval requirements for a Designated Activities visa for the purpose of job hunting are based on the operational guidelines and notices issued by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, and the following five points are particularly emphasized.

Among these, the “letter of recommendation” is an especially important document and has a significant impact on the screening process. If academic performance or attendance is extremely poor, or if the school determines that it cannot recommend the continuation of job hunting due to insufficient academic achievement, the school may refuse to issue a letter of recommendation. In such cases, even if the other requirements are met, the application is highly likely to be rejected.

In addition, with regard to requirement ③, graduation from a Japanese language school is generally not included, and international students who have completed only a Japanese language school are not eligible to change to a Designated Activities status for job hunting purposes (however, as mentioned earlier, overseas university graduates who meet certain requirements are treated differently).

4. Latest Examination Trends and the Impact of New Criteria for April 2026 Employment

In November 2025, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan announced “New Application Criteria for International Students Scheduled to Start Employment in April 2026.” These criteria primarily concern changes from a student visa to work-related statuses of residence (such as Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services or Designated Activities No. 46), but they also affect how job hunting after graduation is handled.

Key points of the new criteria include, for example, the following.

• Operational guidance that encourages early applications in December to January, avoiding the traditional concentration of applications between January and March
• An expansion of cases in which document requirements may be reduced, similar to Category 2 companies, for companies that meet certain conditions
• Employment through dispatch or temporary staffing arrangements is excluded from eligibility for change of status, with direct employment being the basic requirement
• Streamlining of examination procedures, which may result in earlier notification of examination results

As a result, corporate recruitment schedules are increasingly tending toward earlier timelines overall. Consequently, the Designated Activities visa for continuing job hunting is no longer viewed as a system that allows graduates to “continue job hunting casually after graduation,” but rather as a system designed to support students who have been conducting planned and continuous job hunting while still enrolled, with closer scrutiny of actual job-hunting activities.

5. Required Documents and Key Points Emphasized in Screening

When applying for a Designated Activities visa for job hunting purposes, the following documents are generally required.

• A letter of recommendation issued by the school (including details such as attendance rate, academic performance, and job-hunting status)
• Documents demonstrating job-hunting activities (such as a list of applied companies, entry sheets, interview invitation emails, pass/fail notifications, and records of participation in company information sessions)
• Documents proving financial support for living expenses (such as a bank balance certificate, proof of financial support from family, or proof of part-time job income)
• Educational documents such as a certificate of graduation and academic transcripts
• An application for permission to engage in activities outside the status of residence (if part-time work is desired)

Through these documents, immigration officers examine “whether the applicant genuinely intends to work in Japan” and “whether the applicant has been continuously engaged in job hunting.” If the number of applied companies is extremely small, the activity period is short, or there are very few records of information sessions or interviews, the application may be deemed as merely an attempt to extend the period of stay, significantly increasing the risk of rejection.

6. Cases That Are Likely to Be Rejected

As a recent examination trend since around 2024–2025, cases in which applications for a change to Designated Activities (job hunting) are rejected have become increasingly noticeable. Typical examples include the following.

• The school refuses to issue a letter of recommendation, or the content of the letter is extremely negative
• The attendance rate falls significantly below 80%, or there is a history of frequent long-term absences
• The number of applied companies is very small, leading to the conclusion that job-hunting activities are insufficient
• The applicant applies only for positions that are clearly unrelated to their field of study
• The application is submitted hastily just before the expiration of the student visa
• There is a history of violations such as unauthorized activities outside the status of residence, excessive working hours, or unreported absences

In particular, cases where “a letter of recommendation cannot be obtained” are fatal, and even if all other conditions are well prepared, the likelihood of approval remains low. It is therefore essential to maintain good attendance, earn sufficient credits, and communicate effectively with the school while enrolled, so that a letter of recommendation can be issued smoothly when needed.

7. Important Points When Transitioning from Designated Activities to a Work Visa

When changing from Designated Activities (job hunting) to a work visa (e.g., Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services or Designated Activities No. 46), the following points will be strictly re-confirmed.

• Relevance between the applicant’s field of study and the job duties (to what extent what was studied is connected to the job content)
• Whether the employment type is direct employment (dispatch/temporary staffing arrangements are generally not eligible)
• The receiving company’s business performance and stability
• Whether the salary level is not extremely low compared with Japanese new graduates in the same industry and region
• Enrollment status in social insurance (a policy has been indicated that, from 2027 onward, changes/renewals of status of residence will generally not be permitted for those with unpaid insurance premiums)

A Designated Activities visa is, in essence, merely a “grace period for job hunting”, and it does not automatically guarantee approval of a subsequent work visa. Throughout the period of study and the Designated Activities period, it is important to carefully consider the choice of employer and employment conditions, and to conduct job hunting with a view to the future change of status of residence.

8. Procedural Flow After Securing Employment

Once an employer has been successfully secured, one of the following procedures will be carried out depending on the company’s policy and circumstances.

• An “Application for Permission to Change Status of Residence” to change the current status from Designated Activities to a work-related status of residence
• A method in which the company applies for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE), after which a change of status of residence or a new entry procedure is undertaken

The review period is generally about one to two months as a guideline, but depending on how the new criteria are implemented, it is expected that in some cases procedures may become slightly smoother, due to alleviation of peak-season congestion and increased use of online applications. However, reviews are often prolonged due to delays in the company’s document preparation or shortages in the applicant’s documents, so it is important to begin preparations as early as possible.

9. Summary: Key Points for Changing from a Student Visa to a Designated Activities Visa

The Designated Activities visa for job hunting is positioned as “a system to provide international students who were unable to secure a job offer by graduation with a legitimate opportunity to continue job hunting.”

Therefore, in the actual screening process, “the intention to obtain employment, the reality of job-hunting activities, and the academic situation” are comprehensively assessed. If the applicant has conducted little to no job hunting and simply wishes to extend their stay, or if attendance is low and there are academic issues, the case may be deemed inconsistent with the purpose of the system, increasing the likelihood of rejection.

On the other hand, for international students who have been continuously applying to companies while enrolled and receiving career guidance in coordination with their school, using the Designated Activities visa can, in many cases, allow them to search for a suitable company without rushing.

Finally, to organize the content of this page, the key points regarding changing from a student visa to a Designated Activities visa can be summarized as follows.

• If the conditions are met, it is possible to change the status of residence from “Student” to “Designated Activities (Continuing Job Hunting)”.
• The period of stay is usually six months, and with one renewal, the applicant can continue job hunting while staying in Japan for a maximum of one year.
• The screening focuses on items such as the school’s letter of recommendation, attendance and grades, evidence of job-hunting activities, proof of living expenses, and relevance to the applicant’s major.
• Due to the new criteria for April 2026 employment and other developments, verification of actual activities and companies’ recruitment schedules have become even stricter and earlier.
• Designated Activities is merely a status of residence to continue job hunting, and it does not automatically guarantee future approval of a work visa.

If you feel anxious because graduation is approaching and you have not yet secured a job offer, or if you are considering changing to Designated Activities but are unsure whether you meet the requirements, we recommend consulting with a specialist or your school’s international student support office as early as possible, and proceeding with planned job hunting and status-of-residence preparations while still enrolled.

10. Overview of Support for Changing from a Student Visa to a Designated Activities Visa (Continuing Job Hunting After Graduation)

1. Service Overview

For international students who graduate (or complete) a Japanese university, graduate school, etc.,
the status of residence used to continue job hunting in Japan after graduation is the Designated Activities visa (outside the public notice) for the purpose of “continuing job hunting.”

This Designated Activities visa is not something that anyone can obtain automatically, and it is important that the applicant’s job-hunting results up to the time of graduation, and the reasonableness of continuing job hunting after graduation, are organized and explained in a way that can be clearly understood by the Immigration Bureau.

At ACROSEED Immigration Lawyer's Office, we carefully organize your activities during study abroad, job-hunting status, and future job-hunting plan, and design the application in line with key examination points such as “Why is a change to Designated Activities necessary?” and “Is there a reasonable basis for continuing job hunting after graduation?”

Eligible Applicants

• International students who are scheduled to graduate (complete) / have already graduated (completed) from a Japanese university, graduate school, or vocational school
• Those who do not have a job offer at the time of graduation and wish to continue job hunting in Japan
• Those whose student visa period of stay is approaching and need an appropriate change of status of residence
• Those who have job-hunting results but feel uncertain about how to explain them
• Those who want to securely connect to a future change to a work visa

2. Services Included

1. Determination of eligibility for changing from a student visa to Designated Activities (continuing job hunting)
2. Organization of job-hunting results to date (application status, selection history, etc.)
3. Design of a post-graduation job-hunting plan and activity schedule
4. Preparation and review of Immigration submission documents such as statements of reasons and explanatory documents
5. Filing/representation for the Application for Permission to Change Status of Residence with the Immigration Services Agency
6. Handling requests for additional materials during screening and providing supplemental explanations
7. Advice with a view to changing to a work visa after receiving a job offer

3. Advantages of Requesting ACROSEED

11. Pages Frequently Read Together with Designated Activities Visa Applications”

For Students

[For Students] Guide to Changing from Student Visa to Work Visa (2025 Edition)
[For Students] Guide to Changing from Student Visa to Engineer / Humanities / International Services (2025 Edition)
[For Students] Guide to Changing from Student Visa to Highly Skilled Professional (2025 Edition)
[For Students] Guide to Changing from Student Visa to Designated Activities (No.46) (2025 Edition)

For HR Managers / Employers

[For HR Managers] Visa and Procedure Guide for Hiring International Graduates (April 2026 Entry)
[For HR Managers] Guide to Obtaining the Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services Visa
[For HR Managers] Applying for the “Highly Skilled Professional” Visa for Foreign Employees
[For HR Managers] Application for “Designated Activities (Notice No.46)” Visa