The Atarashift Blog
Insights for working in Japan
Guides, interviews, and honest advice for international talent building a career in Japan.
The Atarashift Blog
Guides, interviews, and honest advice for international talent building a career in Japan.
J-Find lets recent grads of 91 top-ranked universities live in Japan for up to two years to job hunt. Who qualifies, costs and how to apply.
The J-Find visa lets you move to Japan without a job offer and look for work in person for up to two years. You qualify if you graduated in the last five years from a university ranked in the top 100 of at least two of three world rankings. You also need ¥200,000 in savings when you apply. In January 2026, 91 universities made the official list.
Key Takeaways
- J-Find is a Designated Activities status for job hunting or preparing a startup in Japan. No employer or job offer is needed.
- You need a degree from a university in the top 100 of two of three world rankings, awarded within five years, plus ¥200,000 in savings.
- The January 2026 list has 91 universities in 16 countries and regions. 33 of them are in the United States.
- You can stay up to two years in total, renewing every year or every six months. Similar job-hunting statuses count toward the two years.
- The COE application is free. A J-Find renewal costs ¥18,000 for six months or ¥33,000 for one year at the counter.
Looking for roles right now? Browse jobs in Japan with visa sponsorship.
J-Find is the English name for Japan's "Future Creation Individual" system. The Immigration Services Agency (ISA) launched it in April 2023. Officially, it is the status of residence "Designated Activities (Future Creation Individual)".
Most work visas in Japan start with an employer. A company hires you and files for your Certificate of Eligibility. The Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is the document you use to get a visa at an embassy. You arrive with a job. J-Find flips that order. You arrive first, then look for a job or prepare to start a business.
ISA's outline names three activities you can do on J-Find:
That last line matters. Paid work on J-Find is allowed, but ISA ties it to funding your job hunt or startup. ISA's J-Find page and outline do not publish a weekly hour limit for this work.
You must meet all three requirements on ISA's J-Find page. There is no points test and no minimum salary, because you don't have a job yet.
| Requirement | What ISA asks for | How to prove it |
|---|---|---|
| Listed university | A degree from a university in the top 100 of at least two of three rankings (QS, THE, ARWU). A graduate degree from one also counts | Diploma copy or certificate of graduation |
| Recent graduate | No more than 5 years since your degree was awarded | Date on your diploma or certificate |
| Savings | ¥200,000 or more in your own bank account at the time you apply | Bank statement or passbook copy |
A few details catch people out:
ISA publishes a list of eligible universities. The current version is dated January 2026 and has 91 universities. We analyzed ISA's PDF and counted them by country.
| Country or region | Universities on the list |
|---|---|
| United States | 33 |
| United Kingdom | 11 |
| China | 7 |
| Australia | 6 |
| Hong Kong | 5 |
| France, Germany, Sweden | 4 each |
| Canada, Netherlands, Switzerland | 3 each |
| Japan, Singapore, South Korea | 2 each |
| Belgium, Denmark | 1 each |
Counted by Atarashift from ISA's "A list of Universities eligible for J-Find", as of January 2026.
Some examples from the list: Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, the University of Toronto, McGill, ETH Zurich, the National University of Singapore and Seoul National University. Two Japanese universities are on it: the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University.
Reading the January 2026 list, we found no university from India, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam or the Philippines. If your university isn't listed, check the latest QS, THE and ARWU tables. If it isn't in the top 100 of at least two, and you have no graduate degree from one that is, J-Find is not open to you. You would apply for jobs from abroad instead.
On J-Find, your job is to find a job. In practice, that means you can:
Because you live in Japan during your search, you can say yes to interviews at short notice. After you arrive, ISA requires you to register your address, as for other residents. Our guide to opening a bank account in Japan covers another early step.
J-Find covers job hunting and work to fund it. When you get an offer, you apply for a work status that fits the job. We cover that below.
The maximum stay is two years in total. Each grant is for one year or six months, so you renew during your stay.
The two-year cap is shared with similar programmes. ISA's outline says it includes past stays on:
The outline ends that list with "etc.", so other similar statuses may also count. So if you already spent a year job hunting in Japan on another status, you may have only one year left on J-Find.
To renew, ISA asks for documents showing that you are actually job hunting or preparing a startup. Keep a record of applications, interviews and meetings as you go.
There are two routes, depending on where you are.
From outside Japan: Certificate of Eligibility. The COE application is filed at a regional immigration bureau in Japan, by you or by a representative ISA allows. With the COE, you get a visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate, then enter Japan. ISA's standard processing period for a COE is one to three months. For recent processing data, see our guide to COE processing times.
From inside Japan: change of status. If you already live in Japan on another status, such as Student, you apply to change it. ISA's standard processing period is one to two months.
Since the January 2026 update of ISA's online residence application system, J-Find applications can also be filed online.
ISA's J-Find page lists these for the main applicant:
Documents in a foreign language need a Japanese translation. Japanese certificates must be issued within the last three months.
The COE itself is free. Fees apply when you change status or renew in Japan. Since 1 October 2026, those fees depend on the period of stay you are granted.
| Application at the counter | Period granted | Fee (revenue stamps) |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Eligibility | Any | Free |
| Renewal or change of status | Over 3 months, up to 6 months | ¥18,000 |
| Renewal or change of status | 1 year | ¥33,000 |
ISA fee tables for change of status and extension of stay, applications received from 1 October 2026. Online fees are set separately by ISA. ISA says some applicants qualify for a reduced fee of ¥10,000.
Plan your savings with these fees in mind. Over two years, you could pay for one change or entry and one or more renewals. That is on top of rent and living costs.
Applications received on or before 30 September 2026 still pay the old ¥6,000 fee. Our work visa renewal guide explains the new fee table in more detail.
Yes. A spouse and children you support can come on their own status, "Designated Activities (spouse of J-Find, etc.)".
They cannot work automatically. ISA says a spouse or child needs permission to engage in an activity outside their status before taking a job. Their applications need proof of the family relationship, such as a marriage or birth certificate, and a copy of your residence card or passport.
You apply to change your status from J-Find to a work status that matches the job. For many office jobs, that is Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services. Our guide to the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities visa explains what that status covers.
The change of status is a normal ISA application. The standard processing period is one to two months. The fee is ¥33,000 at the counter if you're granted one year, and more for longer periods. Our change of status guide has the full fee table and recent processing times.
Under Article 19 of the Immigration Control Act, you can't do paid work outside your status without permission. So wait for the approval before you start the new role.
If you graduated from a top-ranked university and earn well, also check the Highly Skilled Professional visa. It can open a faster path to permanent residence.
It depends on your savings and how much time you can spend in Japan without a salary.
| J-Find | Hired from abroad | |
|---|---|---|
| Job offer needed first | No | Yes |
| Who applies for the COE | You, or a representative ISA allows | Staff of your future employer can file it |
| Paid work while searching | Only to supplement your funds | Not applicable |
| Time limit | 2 years in total | Not applicable |
J-Find suits you if you qualify, have ¥200,000 or more in savings, and want to be in the room for interviews. Applying from abroad suits you if you aren't on the list or want a salary from day one. For a sense of how long each route takes, see how long it takes to get a job in Japan.
Not exactly. It is a Designated Activities status for job hunting and startup preparation. You can take paid work to supplement the funds for those activities. Once you have a job, you change to a work status.
Only if it now meets the ranking rule. You must have graduated from a university in the top 100 of at least two of the three rankings. The ISA list reflects rankings as of January 2026. ISA tells applicants to check the latest QS, THE and ARWU tables when they apply.
Yes. ISA's requirement covers a degree awarded on completing a graduate course at a listed university. The five-year limit then runs from that degree.
ISA requires at least ¥200,000 in your own savings when you apply. That is a minimum, not a budget. Two years in Tokyo will cost far more, and renewals cost ¥18,000 or ¥33,000 each at the counter.
You can apply for a change of status from Student to J-Find once you meet the requirements. That includes having the degree from a listed university. The two-year limit includes time on Continued Job Hunting status, so plan which status to use.
Check the ISA list for your university and the date on your diploma. If both work, start gathering your bank statement and documents now. While you search, let employers find you too. Atarashift lets verified companies in Japan that hire internationally come to you. Upload your profile once and get scouted.
From abroad, plan on three to six months from first application to first day. Each step with official 2025-2026 data, from job search to visa.
Tokyo pays about 20% more and has 2.8 times the work-visa holders. Osaka's rent is a third lower. Government data on jobs, pay and costs.
12 IT companies in Japan that confirm visa sponsorship on their own careers pages, from Rakuten and Mercari to AI labs and IT services firms, checked Oct 2026.
