Designated activities: Job hunting after graduating from university or other educational institutions

About Job Hunting in the First Year After Graduation

If international students who have obtained the title of specialized expert by graduating from a university or specialized vocational school wish to remain in Japan and continue their job hunting after the expiration of their residence period under the "Student" visa,

• there are no issues with their current residence status
• they have a recommendation from the educational institution they graduated from to continue their job search

in such cases, a change to a residence status for job hunting (designated activities, with a duration of 6 months) is permitted, and an additional extension of the residence period is allowed, enabling them to stay in Japan for one more year for job hunting after graduation.

About Job Hunting in the Second Year After Graduation

International students who have been granted a change to a residence status for job hunting after graduating from university and are engaged in job hunting,

• are eligible for employment support projects conducted by local governments (limited to those that meet the criteria set by the authorities)
• receive a certificate from the local government confirming their participation in the project
• wishing to participate in job hunting activities that include internships in the second year after graduation
• as long as there are no issues with their residence status

in such cases, a change to a residence status for job hunting (designated activities, with a duration of 6 months) to participate in the project is permitted, and an additional extension of the residence period is allowed, enabling them to stay in Japan for one more year (during the second year after graduation) for job hunting through the project.