Vietnamese workers at Koganei Seki Co., Ltd. in Gunma prefecture (Photo: VNA)Tokyo (VNA) – Among 219 foreigners getting the Specified SkilledWorker visas for people with vocational skills, 93 are Vietnamese, 33Indonesians and 27 Filipinos, according to the Japanese Immigration ServicesAgency.
The Japanese government began the new visa programme in April so as to increasethe number of foreign workers in the country.
Out of the 14 sectors eligible for working rights under the visas, food andbeverage manufacturing had the most visa holders at 49, followed by industrialmachinery production at 43, molding at 42, and farming at 31.
The agency officials said they hope to increase the number of foreign workersthat stay in Japan after acquiring such visas by offering tests in allavailable vocational fields by the end of March 2020. They are planning to giveapplicants more opportunities to take the tests both in Japan and abroad.
In order to qualify for the visa, an applicant must passa skills exams and Japanese language test or have gone through Japan’stechnical intern programme for at least three year.
The Specified Skilled Worker No.1 resident status allows foreigners to work in14 sectors for up to five years in total.
Meanwhile, proficient workers in the construction andshipbuilding fields can further extend their stay by earning the No.2 status,which allows holders to bring in family members and has no limit on the numberof times they can renew their visas./.
VNA
