Employing a foreign housekeeper / nanny / maid
Foreign housekeepers who wish to obtain a visa allowing them to work in Japan must be employed by foreign employers holding certain types of visas and fulfilling certain requirements. In other words, the most important requirements for this visa are centered around the employer rather than the housekeeper him/herself. It is not possible for non-Japanese housekeepers to obtain work visas through Japanese employers, it is only possible to obtain this visa through the employment of select non-Japanese employers.
The minimum monthly salary for a nanny is currently 200,000 yen per month (as of the date of this article – July 2016). Nannies can live together with their sponsoring family, or can live separately.
Visa Sponsor
The following visas allow its holder to sponsor a housekeeper or nanny. In other words, housekeepers and nannies needing a work visa need to be employed by a non-Japanese employer holding one of the following visas
(a) Diplomat / Official Visa
(b) Legal / Accounting Services
(c) Investor / Business Manager Visa (visa category name changed to “Executive / Business Manager” from April 2015)
- This is a visa for corporate executives and managers (please see our Investor / Business Manager Page for more details). The sponsor must also fulfill certain additional requirements, such as either (i) having at least one child under the age of 13 at the time of applying for the housekeeper or nanny’s visa (and at the time of future visa renewals) OR (ii) having a spouse who is unable to dedicate herself / himself to daily household activities due to illness or injury (an important point to note is that this is generally interpreted to include cases where the sponsor’s spouse works full time under a work visa – does not include part time work under special permit to engage in other activities).
(d) Highly Skilled Foreign Professional Visa
- This is a special visa based on points, for expats or applicants with high salary and strong educational or career backgrounds (please see our Highly Skilled Visa Page for more details). The sponsor must also fulfill certain additional requirements, such as (i) having a household annual income of at least 10 million yen, AND either (ii-a) having at least one child under the age of 13 at the time of applying for the housekeeper or nanny’s visa (and at the time of future visa renewals) OR (ii-b) having a spouse who is unable to dedicate herself / himself to daily household activities due to illness or injury. In special cases where the housekeeper or nanny has been employed by the same employer in a third country and will be arriving in Japan with the same employer to accompany him / her due to the employer’s relocation to Japan, the above additional requirement (ii) does not apply.
If you are considering to sponsor a housekeeper or nanny but do not currently hold any of the above visas, we recommend that you consider the possibility of changing to one of the above – generally, the criteria for the Highly Skilled Foreign Professional Visa is not as high as one may imagine, and many international families that have the need to consider or the financial capability to consider hiring domestic help would qualify for this visa.
Work Visa Procedures
Visa consulting, visa structuring and application services
Contact us for free initial consulting or to inquire about visa options and services. Whether you are an individual with new career plans or questions/concerns regarding your visa status, or a corporation seeking a smooth and efficient solution to facilitate your hiring process or in search of an accredited agency to submit visa applications on behalf of your employees, contact us to discuss your needs. Personalized visa solutions and services by an accredited Immigration agency available in both native English and Japanese.
update: 2016-07-12