Ikusei Shuro Vietnam Guide: Fees, Debt Traps, and How to Choose a Legitimate Sending Agency

Information current as of May 2026, based on the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam's notice on sending-fee ceilings (Japanese), the embassy's warning against predatory brokers (Japanese), the Immigration Services Agency 2022 fee survey (PDF), and the Ikusei Shuro Q&A. This is general information for Vietnamese applicants and their families. It is not legal advice. Final decisions should be confirmed with the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam, with DOLAB, or with a licensed gyoseishoshi after arrival in Japan.

If you are reading this in English, you are probably a Vietnamese worker already in Japan, a family member supporting an applicant from Vietnam, or a Japanese employer evaluating Vietnamese candidates. Either way, this article is designed to bridge the gap between what brokers in Vietnam tell prospects (often optimistic and incomplete) and what the actual rules say. We also link to our main Ikusei Shuro guide for the broader framework.

Why Vietnam matters most

Vietnam has been the largest sending country to Japan's technical-intern program for nearly a decade. As of October 2024, the technical-intern visa held 470,725 workers in Japan (per the MHLW Foreign Worker Notification statistics), and Vietnamese workers form the largest national cohort. Specific 2024 share figures by nationality within the TITP visa are published in detailed PDF annexes; the high-level pattern — Vietnam ahead of Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Myanmar, and Cambodia — has been stable since the early 2020s.

Vietnam also has the most severe debt problem of any sending country. The Immigration Services Agency's 2022 survey — the most comprehensive primary data available — found that Vietnamese trainees arrived in Japan with the following profile:

Indicator	Vietnam	Cross-country average (6 countries)
Borrowing rate (% who took out a loan)	~80%	54.7%
Average debt amount	¥674,000	¥547,000
Average total paid to sending agency	¥656,000	¥521,000

These are highest-in-class figures. They also correlate with the largest share of failed placements: in 2023, about 56% (5,481 of 9,753) of all technical-intern runaways were Vietnamese nationals, according to the Immigration Services Agency runaway statistics (PDF). The combination of high debt at departure and the prior ban on employer transfers created a "trapped" dynamic that the new Ikusei Shuro framework is explicitly designed to break.

The official Vietnamese regulatory chain

Two Vietnamese government bodies govern the sending process:

• MOLISA (Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs) — historically the parent ministry. Vietnam's March 2025 government restructuring merged MOLISA into the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA); the labour-export function and DOLAB continue under the new arrangement.
• DOLAB (Department of Overseas Labour) — operational unit that publishes the approved-agency list, monitors fees, and handles bilateral matters with destination countries including Japan. DOLAB remains active under the post-restructuring arrangement.

On the Japan side, two bilateral Memoranda of Cooperation (MOC) govern the relationship:

• The TITP MOC, in place since 2017 and revised since.
• The Specified Skilled Worker MOC, signed in 2019.

Both MOCs are expected to be updated or supplemented for Ikusei Shuro before April 2027; Vietnam and Japan are the largest bilateral pair in the new framework, and revised arrangements are a priority.

The fee ceilings — and what brokers usually charge instead

The Embassy of Japan in Vietnam's published ceiling notice sets these maximums for technical-intern programs:

Contract length	Maximum fee per worker (USD)	Approximate JPY equivalent (May 2026)
1-year contract	USD 1,200	~¥180,000
3-year contract	USD 3,600	~¥540,000

Two additional rules in the same notice:

• "Pre-departure collection is prohibited" — sending agencies may not collect fees from the worker before the worker has actually entered Japan and started work. In practice, this rule is widely violated; most Vietnamese workers do pay in advance, often through loans secured against family property.
• "Bro­kerage by unlicensed intermediaries is prohibited" — agencies must operate under their MOLISA / DOLAB license; sub-brokers who collect a finder's fee outside the regulated structure are illegal.

The 2022 survey's finding of ¥656,000 average total payment per worker — versus the legal ceiling of ¥540,000 (USD 3,600) — implies that the average Vietnamese trainee paid roughly 20% over the legal maximum. The Embassy and MOLISA both maintain channels for reporting overcharging, and the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam publishes a caution notice on predatory brokers.

How to verify a legitimate sending agency

Before signing anything with any sending agency, do these five checks:

1. Verify the agency on DOLAB's approved list. DOLAB publishes the official list of MOLISA-licensed sending agencies (派遣機関) authorized to send workers to Japan. If the agency name is not on the list, walk away — full stop.
2. Cross-check the agency name on Japan's side. The OTIT website (sender list) publishes the foreign sending agencies that Japanese supervising organizations are partnered with. A reputable agency appears on both lists.
3. Get the fee structure in writing, in Vietnamese. Insist on a Vietnamese-language contract that states: total fee, what it covers, payment timing, refund conditions. If the agency refuses to provide a written contract, that is a fatal red flag.
4. Confirm any pre-departure training is free or fairly priced. Some agencies charge ¥100,000+ for "Japanese training" that is not actually required by Japan — fees beyond the registered ceiling are illegal.
5. Ask about the destination supervising organization on the Japan side. Reputable agencies will name the supervising organization (kanri kyokai / 監理団体, under Ikusei Shuro: 監理支援機関) up front and let you see the receiving company's profile. Vague "we'll match you after arrival" answers are a red flag.

The single most reliable signal of a legitimate agency is willingness to put everything in writing — fees, timing, destination, conditions for refund — in Vietnamese, with the agency's MOLISA license number clearly stated on the document.

Japanese language: JFT-Basic and JLPT in Vietnam

Ikusei Shuro requires CEFR A1 Japanese on entry. Vietnamese applicants typically meet this through:

• JLPT (Japanese-Language Proficiency Test) — administered annually in major Vietnamese cities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. JLPT N5 satisfies the A1 threshold.
• JFT-Basic (Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese) — administered year-round by Prometric in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. From August 2026, JFT-Basic separately reports A1, A2.1, and A2 results, making it the most flexible exam for Ikusei Shuro entry. See the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam JFT-Basic information page (Japanese).
• Certified 100+ hour training course — completing an approved pre-departure Japanese course at a registered school can substitute for an exam pass, but be cautious: if you take this route, you cannot rely on the language credential later for transfer eligibility, and you may need to take an actual exam during Year 1 to meet the transfer requirement.

The Japan Foundation maintains a network of Japanese-language schools in Vietnam; the JFT-Basic page (above) lists exam dates and test centers.

What changes under Ikusei Shuro (vs. technical intern)

Issue	Under TITP (until 2027)	Under Ikusei Shuro (from April 2027)
Maximum stay	5 years (1+2+2)	3 years (extendable 1 year if exam fails), then SSW1 (5 yrs) → SSW2 (indefinite)
Sending agency fee ceiling	USD 3,600 / 3-year (MOC)	Same ceiling, with receiving Japanese company covering a portion
Job transfer in Japan	Effectively prohibited	Allowed after sector waiting period (1–2 years) and 5 conditions
Family accompaniment	Not allowed	Still not allowed (only at SSW2)
Japanese on entry	None required (caregiving: N4)	A1 / JLPT N5 / JFT-Basic A1 or 100+ hours training
Wage rule	Same as Japanese (often violated)	Same as Japanese (with stricter monitoring + plan-level review)

For Vietnamese workers, the most impactful single change is the new transfer right. Under TITP, leaving an exploitative employer meant either enduring or running away (失踪) — the latter destroyed the visa and forced underground work. Under Ikusei Shuro, a worker who has completed the sector waiting period, passed the basic skill test, and holds JLPT N5 or equivalent can lawfully transfer through Hello Work or the Supervising/Support Organization to a different "excellent"-rated company. Full transfer rules are in our transfer rights guide.

What to verify in your contract before signing

A reasonable Ikusei Shuro contract should include all of these. Each missing item is a red flag.

• The Japanese receiving company's name, address, and sector.
• The Supervising/Support Organization's name and license number on the Japanese side.
• Your starting wage (yen amount, frequency, payment method).
• Overtime, night-shift, and holiday premiums (LSA requires at least 25%, 25%, and 35% respectively).
• Housing arrangement and rent (which should reflect market value, not a markup).
• The total sending-side fee in USD, the maximum allowed under the bilateral MOC, and explicit confirmation that no money is collected pre-departure (per Japan's notice).
• Refund conditions if the placement falls through before departure.
• Any loans — terms, repayment schedule, interest rate, collateral.

If your contract is in Japanese only, ask for a Vietnamese translation before signing. Reputable agencies provide one.

The "borrowing trap" — and how to avoid it

The pattern that has defined Vietnamese TITP exit-to-runaway is: worker borrows ¥500,000–¥1,000,000 from family or moneylenders before departure, arrives in Japan with debt obligations that exceed first-year disposable income, and faces wage abuses on top of debt. Without the lawful transfer option, the only escape was running away, which violated the visa and destroyed prospects of staying legally.

Three concrete steps to reduce this risk:

1. Stay within the legal fee ceiling. USD 3,600 (≈¥540,000) for a 3-year contract. Anyone asking for more is illegally exploiting you.
2. Resist pre-departure payment. The bilateral framework prohibits it. If an agency insists on full payment before you board the plane, this violates the Japan-side rules. Push back; if necessary, walk away.
3. Borrow from family if possible, not from moneylenders. Family loans without interest are recoverable from first-year savings. Moneylender loans (especially against family land) compound at predatory rates and become unrecoverable.

If you have already paid more than the legal ceiling, you have a legitimate complaint. The Embassy of Japan in Vietnam, MOLISA, and DOLAB all have channels for reporting overcharging. The complainant's identity is generally protected.

After arrival in Japan: your first 90 days

Within	What to do
Day 1	Confirm your 在留カード (residence card) is given to you — never to the employer. If the employer asks to "hold" your card, refuse.
Week 1	Complete city hall registration (住民票). Open a bank account in your own name (most banks now accept residence card + MyNumber notification).
Week 2	Confirm enrollment in 健康保険 (health insurance) and 厚生年金 (employee pension). These are mandatory — if your employer says otherwise, that is a violation.
Month 1	Confirm receipt of your first pay slip. Check that gross pay, overtime, deductions, and net pay match your contract. Save it.
Month 2–3	Get your basic skill test scheduled. Start preparing for JLPT N5 if you came in via the 100-hour training route — you will need a real exam pass for transfer eligibility.
If anything wrong	Call OTIT's Vietnamese-language hotline (OTIT main page) — confidential, independent of supervising organization. For wage issues, the Labor Standards Inspection Office is the formal channel.

Common scams targeting Vietnamese workers

Three patterns to watch for:

• "Premium placement" agencies in Vietnam. Some brokers charge ¥1,000,000+ promising a "high-paying placement at a famous company." These claims are almost always false — wages are set by the receiving company plan, not the sending agency, and a premium fee buys no privilege. The Embassy of Japan in Vietnam publishes warnings against these brokers.
• "Document service" charges in Japan. After arrival, some predatory entities — sometimes connected to underground broker networks — offer to "fix your residence card paperwork" or "help with visa renewal" for ¥50,000–¥200,000. The Immigration Services Agency handles all these matters at no cost. Pay only an actual gyoseishoshi if needed.
• Fake hardship-transfer "facilitators." A new pattern emerging in 2026 anticipates Ikusei Shuro's hardship transfer route. Brokers promise to "arrange a hardship transfer in 2 weeks" for ¥150,000+. The hardship transfer is administered by OTIT and the Labor Standards Inspection Office at no cost to the worker. Refuse to pay anyone for this.

Frequently asked questions

I already paid ¥800,000 to my sending agency in 2024 — am I a victim?

Possibly. Under the bilateral framework, ¥800,000 exceeds the USD 3,600 ceiling. You may have a claim against the sending agency. Discuss with the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam (which can advise on the complaint route), or with MOLISA's Inspectorate.

Can I bring my wife and child to Japan on Ikusei Shuro?

No. Family accompaniment is not allowed during Ikusei Shuro. It becomes available only at SSW2 (Specified Skilled Worker 2), typically reachable after about 8 years total in Japan on the work track. See our long-term roadmap.

I want to switch from technical intern to Ikusei Shuro before my Stage 2 ends. Should I?

Almost certainly not. Switching restarts the clock to 3 years and forfeits the "good completion" SSW1 exemption that Stage 2 graduates have. Stay on TITP and use the "good completion" path. See our transition guide.

My current Vietnamese sending agency is closing. What happens?

If you are already in Japan, the Japan-side supervising organization (or its new Supervising/Support Organization) is responsible for your remaining program. The closure of the Vietnamese agency does not by itself affect your status. If your Japan-side supervising organization is also closing, OTIT will facilitate a transfer to a new one.

What's the realistic timeline to permanent residence?

Roughly 10–18 years from first arrival, assuming you complete Ikusei Shuro, transition to SSW1, then SSW2, and meet permanent-residence criteria (tax payment, pension contributions, no immigration violations). Our long-term roadmap walks through each stage.

Sources

• Embassy of Japan in Vietnam — sending fee ceiling notice
• Embassy of Japan in Vietnam — predatory broker warning
• Embassy of Japan in Vietnam — JFT-Basic information
• Immigration Services Agency — 2022 TITP fee and debt survey (PDF)
• Immigration Services Agency — TITP runaway statistics (PDF)
• MHLW — Foreign Worker Notification statistics (October 2024)
• OTIT — Approved foreign sending agencies list
• OTIT — Vietnamese-language consultation hotline
• Immigration Services Agency — Ikusei Shuro Q&A

If you are evaluating an agency in Vietnam, verify on the DOLAB approved-agency list and OTIT's partnered-agency list before signing anything. If you are already in Japan and facing problems, OTIT's Vietnamese-language hotline is confidential and independent.