HSP Points and Japan PR in 1 Year: How to Calculate Your Score

Japan's HSP point system: 80+ points = PR in 1 year, 70+ = 3 years. JLPT N2 now earns 10 bonus points. Full point table, examples, and retroactive claiming.

Bottom line: Japan's Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) point system lets you get permanent residency in 1 year (80+ points) or 3 years (70+ points) — compared to 10 years for the regular route. Points come from your education, income, age, and Japanese language ability. JLPT N2 earns 10 bonus points (N1 earns 15). You don't need to hold the HSP visa itself — you can claim points retroactively.

Information current as of March 2026 based on the ISA's Highly Skilled Professional point calculation table. For a full overview of PR requirements, see our complete PR guide.

How the HSP point system works

The system assigns points based on your qualifications across several categories. You need 70 points for PR in 3 years or 80 points for PR in 1 year. Points are calculated at the time of your PR application.

There are three HSP categories:

Category 1 (高度学術研究活動): Researchers at universities or research institutions
Category 2 (高度専門・技術活動): Engineers, IT professionals, specialists — most common for tech workers
Category 3 (高度経営・管理活動): Business managers and executives

Categories 1 and 2 share similar point criteria. Category 3 has some differences. Below is the breakdown for Category 2 (most common).

Point calculation: Category 2 (engineers/specialists)

Education (学歴)

Qualification	Points
Doctoral degree (博士)	30
Master's degree (修士)	20
Bachelor's degree (学士)	10
Multiple degrees (2+ qualifying degrees)	+5 bonus

Work experience (職歴)

Years	Points
10+ years	20
7–9 years	15
5–6 years	10
3–4 years	5

Annual income (年収)

Income	Points
¥10,000,000+	40
¥9,000,000–¥9,999,999	35
¥8,000,000–¥8,999,999	30
¥7,000,000–¥7,999,999	25
¥6,000,000–¥6,999,999	20
¥5,000,000–¥5,999,999	15
¥4,000,000–¥4,999,999	10
¥3,000,000–¥3,999,999	5

Note: Annual income is your gross salary from your employer, including bonuses. It does NOT include side income, investment returns, or one-time payments.

Age (年齢)

Age	Points
Under 30	15
30–34	10
35–39	5
40+	0

Japanese language ability (日本語能力)

Level	Points
JLPT N1 or BJT 480+	15
JLPT N2 or BJT 400+	10
Japanese university degree	10

Note: JLPT N2 earns 10 points — a fact many applicants overlook. You don't need N1 to get language bonus points. If you have N2 but not N1, those 10 points could be the difference between qualifying and not.

Bonus points (加算ポイント)

Condition	Points
Research achievements (patents, papers)	15–25
Employed at a company receiving government investment support	10
Employed at a J-Startup designated company	10
Graduated from a Japanese university	10
Graduated from a top global university (QS/THE/ARWU top 300)	10
Passed Japanese national qualification exam	5–10

Example: can you hit 70 or 80 points?

Example A — Software engineer, 28 years old, N2:

Master's degree: 20
5 years experience: 10
¥7,000,000 salary: 25
Age under 30: 15
JLPT N2: 10
Total: 80 points → PR in 1 year ✅

Example B — Marketing manager, 36 years old, no JLPT:

Bachelor's degree: 10
10 years experience: 20
¥8,000,000 salary: 30
Age 35–39: 5
JLPT: 0
Total: 65 points — needs 5 more for 70
Options: get JLPT N2 (+10) or a salary raise to ¥9M (+5)

You don't need the HSP visa

This is the part many people miss. You do NOT need to hold the 高度専門職 visa (HSP visa) to use the point system for PR. You can be on an Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa, a Professor visa, or any other qualifying work visa.

When you apply for PR, you submit the point calculation form and supporting documents showing that you would have qualified for HSP status at the relevant point in time (1 year ago for 80+ points, or 3 years ago for 70+ points). Immigration will verify your claimed points.

Retroactive claiming: You need to show you had 70+ or 80+ points at the time you're counting from (1 or 3 years ago) AND that you still have 70+ or 80+ points today. Both snapshots must qualify.

J-Skip: the fast lane for top earners

If your annual income is ¥20,000,000+ (researchers/engineers) or ¥40,000,000+ (business managers), you may qualify for J-Skip (特別高度人材制度), which offers:

Direct access to Highly Skilled Professional No. 2 visa (5-year, unrestricted activities)
PR eligibility after 1 year of residence
No point calculation needed — income alone qualifies

J-Skip was launched in April 2023 and remains available with no major changes as of March 2026.

How to apply for PR using HSP points

Calculate your points using the ISA's official point calculation form
Gather evidence for each point you claim — degree certificates, employment contracts, tax certificates, JLPT certificates
Wait the required period — 1 year (80+ points) or 3 years (70+ points) from the date you first qualified
Apply for PR at your regional immigration bureau with the point calculation form + evidence + standard PR documents

If you're unsure whether your qualifications count toward specific point categories, or need help gathering the right evidence, post your question on LO-PAL for free — a local helper can review your point calculation and help you prepare the documentation.

Get Your Point Calculation Reviewed

Missing even 5 points means the difference between PR in 1 year and waiting 10 years. Post your question on LO-PAL for free: a local helper can review your qualifications, identify bonus point opportunities you may have missed, and help you prepare the application. You only pay when you accept task help.