JLPT and Japan's highly skilled professional visa: N1 is 15 points, N2 is 10, and 70 opens the door
Japan's points-based system for highly skilled foreign professionals adds up your education, work experience, salary, age and bonuses. At 70 points you qualify for the Highly Skilled Professional status and its preferential treatment. Japanese is one of the bonuses: the JLPT N1 is worth 15 points and N2 is worth 10.
Everything below was read on 9 November 2026 on the Immigration Services Agency of Japan's pages for the points system: the overview, "How are points evaluated?", the preferential treatment page, the points calculation table (PDF) and the 2017 notice on shorter waits for permanent residence.
Three categories, one pass mark: 70
The agency sorts highly skilled work into three categories: advanced academic research, advanced specialised or technical work, and advanced business management. You are scored in the category of the work you will do, on items such as education, work experience, annual salary and research record, plus bonuses. The system has run since 7 May 2012.
The pass mark is 70 points in every category. In the technical and management categories there is also a floor: an annual salary of at least 3 million yen is required whatever your points.
Where Japanese earns points
Bonus 8: 15 points for the JLPT N1, or for having graduated from a foreign university with Japanese as your major.
Bonus 9: 10 points for the JLPT N2, but not if you already score bonus 7 or bonus 8. Bonus 7 is 10 points for a degree from a Japanese higher-education institution.
The BJT counts too. The table's notes accept equivalent ability shown by another test, and give the example of the BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test: 480 or more counts as N1, 400 or more as N2. See how the BJT is scored.
Our reading of the table: the N2 bonus is the one that cannot be stacked. N1 (15) and a Japanese degree (10) can both count, for 25 points, while N2 with a Japanese degree gives you only the degree's 10.
What 70 and 80 points get you
With 70 points you get a five-year period of stay, the longest the law allows, and you can combine activities that would normally need separate statuses. Applications are processed first: the agency aims at 10 days for pre-entry screening and 5 days for residence screening, and says it can take longer.
Permanent residence normally needs 10 years in Japan. As a highly skilled professional, you can apply after 3 years of continuous activity at 70 points, or after 1 year at 80 points or more. That is why 10 or 15 Japanese points can matter even when you already pass: they can be the difference between 70 and 80.
Your spouse can work in a range of statuses without meeting the usual education and experience conditions, and under conditions you can bring a parent (household income of 8 million yen or more) or a domestic worker (10 million yen or more). Highly Skilled Professional (ii) has an unlimited period of stay.
Which level to aim for
If you are a few points short, N2 is the cheaper 10: it is one level below N1 in the JLPT's five levels. If you are aiming at 80 for the one-year route, or already hold a Japanese degree, only N1 adds anything.
If your work Japanese is stronger than your exam Japanese, the BJT's one score from 0 to 800 may be the easier route to 400 or 480. Check the current table before you apply: the agency revised its special additions on 31 March 2026.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Adding N2's 10 points on top of a degree from a Japanese university.
Counting one or the other, or taking N1 to stack with the degree.
The table excludes the N2 bonus for anyone who scores bonus 7 (a Japanese degree) or bonus 8.
Assuming only the JLPT is accepted.
Checking whether a BJT score of 400 or 480 is quicker for you.
The table's notes name the BJT as an example of an equivalent test.
Stopping at 70 points when you plan to stay.
Counting how far 80 is: Japanese points can close the gap.
At 80 points, permanent residence can be applied for after 1 year instead of 3.
Questions
How many points is JLPT N1 worth for Japan's highly skilled professional visa?
15 points. Graduating from a foreign university with Japanese as your major also gives 15, and a BJT score of 480 or more is accepted as equivalent.
How many points is JLPT N2 worth?
10 points, unless you already score the bonus for a degree from a Japanese higher-education institution or the N1 bonus. A BJT score of 400 or more is accepted as equivalent.
How many points do you need for the highly skilled professional visa?
70 points in your category. In the technical and management categories you also need an annual salary of at least 3 million yen.
How soon can a highly skilled professional get permanent residence in Japan?
After 3 years of continuous activity with 70 points, or after 1 year with 80 points or more, instead of the usual 10 years.
Last updated