Japan HSP Visa - 80 vs 70 Points, Why the Gap Matters

The threshold for Japan's points-based Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) visa is 70 points, but the milestone that actually changes your life plan is 80 points. Here is what each tier gets you, and the fastest ways to close the gap.

What 70 points gets you

At 70 points you qualify for the HSP (i) visa, with privileges no standard work visa offers:

• A flat 5-year period of stay (standard visas are often 1 or 3 years)
• Permission for multiple activities (e.g., running a side business alongside employment)
• Your spouse may work full-time (not limited to the usual 28 hours/week)
• Subject to income and family conditions, you may bring your parents to help with childcare and hire a foreign domestic worker
• Permanent residency application after just 3 years (normally 10 years)
• Upgrade to HSP (ii) — indefinite period of stay — after 3 years

What changes at 80 points

Everything above stays, plus:

• The PR waiting period drops from 3 years to 1 year — by far the biggest difference. If PR is your goal, 80 points means getting there 2 years earlier.
• Via the J-Skip route, you can even move to HSP (ii) after just 1 year.

The three easiest ways from 70 to 80

1. Pass JLPT N1 (+15) or N2 (+10): language is the one item entirely within your control. If you already hold N2, upgrading to N1 adds 5 more points, and N1 stacks with the Japanese-degree bonus.
2. Check whether your university is on the designated list (+10): top-300 in the world rankings, SGU-funded Japanese universities, and Innovative Asia partner schools all count. Zero cost — you only need to verify.
3. Income brackets (+5 per step): crossing the next ¥1M bracket through a raise or job change scores immediately. Negotiating an offer from ¥7.99M to ¥8M is literally worth 5 points.

Not sure where you stand? Run the calculator on this site — the results page automatically lists your personal gap-filling options.