Japan HSP Points Calculator 2026 — Check Your Score for Free

Japan's Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) visa offers one of the fastest paths to permanent residency — as little as 1 year with 80+ points, or 3 yearswith 70+ points. But calculating your score isn't straightforward.

We built a free HSP points calculator that covers all three HSP categories and shows you exactly where you stand — plus tips on how to increase your score.

Try the Calculator — Free

What is the HSP Points System?

The Immigration Services Agency (ISA) assigns points based on your education, work experience, income, age, and special qualifications. The system has three categories:

Category A: Academic Research Activities — researchers, professors, R&D
Category B: Specialized/Technical Activities — engineers, IT specialists, designers, finance
Category C: Business Management Activities — executives, managers, entrepreneurs

Key Point Categories

Education (up to 30 points)

Doctoral degrees earn 30 points, Master's degrees 20, and Bachelor's degrees 10. A degree from a Japanese university or a top-ranked global university adds bonus points.

Work Experience (up to 15-25 points)

Points scale with years of relevant professional experience. The exact thresholds differ by category — Category C gives the most points for experience (up to 25 for 10+ years).

Annual Income (up to 40-50 points)

Higher income earns more points. For Categories A and B, ¥10M+ annual income earns 40 points. Category C has a different scale reaching up to 50 points for ¥30M+.

Age (up to 15 points — Categories A and B only)

Younger applicants get more points: under 30 earns 15, 30-34 earns 10, 35-39 earns 5. Age is not counted for Category C.

Bonus Points

JLPT N1 adds 15 points. Research achievements add 15–25 points depending on category — for example, Category A awards 20 points for one qualifying item (patent, published paper, or competitive research grant) and 25 for two or more, while Category B includes 15 points for a patent among other bonuses. Patents, published papers, and competitive research grants all qualify where the official table applies. A degree from a Japanese university adds 10. Professional qualifications, corporate positions, and growth-field projects can each add 5–10 points.

What Happens at Each Threshold

Score	PR Path	Residence Requirement
80+ points	Super fast-track	1 year continuous
70-79 points	Fast-track	3 years continuous
Below 70	General track	10 years (5 on work visa)

2026 Changes to Be Aware Of

Current PR approval fee is ¥10,000 (raised from ¥8,000 in April 2025)
Guideline updates in 2026 emphasize stricter tax and pension compliance review
Even past late tax/pension payments can affect eligibility review
Applicants should hold the longest available period of stay at time of application

Important HSP Accuracy Notes

Points must be maintained continuously through the full 1-year or 3-year qualifying period
For HSP scoring, expected annual remuneration is used — base pay plus bonuses, excluding overtime pay, commuting allowances, and housing allowances
The minimum annual income floor (¥3,000,000) applies only to Categories B and C — below this, HSP recognition is denied regardless of total points; Category A is not subject to this floor
For Categories A and B, income points for lower brackets are age-restricted — for example, ¥7M–8M gives 0 points if you are 40 or older
Every claimed bonus point requires supporting documents at submission

Official References

If you want to verify details directly, use the official ISA resources:

Check Your Score Now

Our calculator takes about 2 minutes. No signup required. You'll get your exact score, a breakdown by category, and personalized tips on how to improve it.