The process for informing the Immigration Bureau is very easy, and can be done entirely online via the “Immigration Bureau e-Notification System” (ENS) at the following link:

https://www.ens-immi.moj.go.jp/NA01/NAA01S/NAA01STransfer

As mentioned above, this applies to the following residence categories:

• Engineer
• Instructor
• Intra-company Transferee
• Investor/Business Manager
• Legal/Accounting Services
• Medical Services
• Professor
• Researcher
• Skilled Labor
• Specialist in Humanities/ International Services
• Student
• Technical Intern Training
• Trainee

Be sure to read the FAQ / Q&A if you need more information, and (in most cases) press the “For mid- to long-term residents” button to get started.

The whole process should take about ten minutes.

To create a new account, you need to click on the “Authentication ID Issued” link below the main login space.

Be sure to remember to write down your “Authentication ID” and “Password” somewhere safe, too, because this system is likely one that you might only use once every few years.

Note:  This is a personal responsibility. A company may inform you about the process when you leave their employ, but they otherwise have nothing to do with the procedure.

Another thing to think about is your residence status if you are changing from working at a language school to working for a dispatch company or vice-versa.

In these cases, you will need to apply to change your residence status from “Specialist in Humanities/ International Services” to “Instructor” or vice-versa.

Additionally, if you are looking at doing part-time work, you will likely need to apply for permission to work outside of your category (especially if you are working for a dispatch company!).

We sincerely recommend that you do this.

We’ve heard of people being denied a visa renewal for working long-term outside of their correct residence category.

We can’t confirm if this is immigration policy, but it’s something to be very careful of!