On 10 November 2026 Japan's Immigration Services Agency (ISA) updated and published the processing status of applications relating to Specified Skilled Worker (i) status in the food service sector.
In the food service sector, issuance of Certificates of Eligibility has been temporarily suspended since 13 April 2026. This page sets out what the ISA published, together with the statutory wording.
Overview
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date published | 10 November 2026 |
| Publishing authority | Immigration Services Agency |
| Scope | Applications relating to Specified Skilled Worker (i), food service sector |
| Start of the suspension | 13 April 2026 |
| Legal basis for the suspension | Article 7-2(4), Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act |
| Expected intake (intake cap) | 50,000 people |
Processing status by type of application (as published on 10 November)
| Type of application | Published status |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Eligibility | Change of status applications are processed first. Certificates are issued in order of receipt when issuance is possible in light of the monthly number of residents. Currently being issued for applications received up to 16 February 2026 |
| Change of status from Technical Intern Training (meal preparation at medical and welfare facilities) | Granted on completion of review as usual, for applications received up to 31 October 2026 |
| Change of status from Designated Activities (preparation for transition to Specified Skilled Worker (i)) in the food service sector | Granted on completion of review as usual, for applications received up to 31 October 2026 |
| Change of status from Specified Skilled Worker (i) (food service), i.e. job changes within the sector | All applications granted on completion of review as usual |
| Change of status from any other status | Granted for applications received up to 12 April 2026. Applications received on or after 13 April are in principle refused |
| Extension of period of stay | Granted in order on completion of review as usual |
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Try for free →Pending Certificate of Eligibility applications
The ISA published the following numbers of Certificate of Eligibility applications pending as at 10 November 2026 (preliminary figures).
| Period of receipt | Number |
|---|---|
| 17–28 February 2026 | 446 |
| 1–31 March 2026 | 1,806 |
| 1–12 April 2026 | 4,731 |
Applications received on or after 13 April 2026 are in principle not granted.
Points the ISA asks applicants to note
- Even while issuance and permission are suspended, the ISA may ask for corrections to, or additional, documents
- Certificates and permissions are granted in order of receipt within the expected intake, but the order may change depending on the application and documents, and applications may be granted out of order because of the applicant's period of stay
- Where an applicant's period of stay is expected to expire before their turn comes, the ISA may advise them to request that their pending application be amended into an application to change to, or to extend, Designated Activities (preparation for Specified Skilled Worker (i)) in the food service sector (extension is allowed only once)
- A person granted that Designated Activities status who wishes to continue the same activities should apply to change to Specified Skilled Worker (i) (food service) before their period of stay expires (roughly three months before); only the application form and a photograph are needed
- The ISA, regional immigration bureaus and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries cannot answer enquiries about the status of issuance or permission
- Technical intern trainees may not work after completing their training plan; those wishing to change status from Technical Intern Training should apply at least two months before the planned start of work
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Background to the suspension
The notice dated 27 March 2026 on the operation of the intake cap in the food service sector, published on the ISA website and setting out the policy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the ISA, stated that the number of Specified Skilled Worker (i) residents in the sector was about 46,000 at the end of February 2026 (preliminary figure) and was expected to exceed the expected intake (the intake cap of 50,000) around May 2026.
According to the ISA's notice of 13 April 2026, on 3 April the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries requested the Minister of Justice to suspend the issuance of Certificates of Eligibility under Article 7-2 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, and on 13 April issuance in the sector was temporarily suspended under paragraph 4 of that Article. Certificate of Eligibility applications in the sector received on or after that date are not granted.
Statutory wording
Article 7-2(3) of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act provides that the head of the relevant administrative organ with jurisdiction over a specified industrial field is to request the Minister of Justice to take measures temporarily suspending the issuance of Certificates of Eligibility when, based on the field-specific operational policy, they find that the human resources needed in that field have been secured.
Article 7-2(4) provides that, upon such a request, the Minister of Justice is to take measures temporarily suspending issuance based on the field-specific operational policy.
Article 7-2(5) applies paragraphs 3 and 4, with modifications, when issuance is to be resumed after a suspension: "have been secured" is read as "are insufficient", and "is to" is read as "may".
Sources
- Immigration Services Agency, processing status of Specified Skilled Worker (i) (food service) applications (published 10 November 2026): https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/10_00259.html
- Immigration Services Agency, temporary suspension of Certificates of Eligibility in the food service sector (13 April 2026): https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/03_00176.html
- Immigration Services Agency, operation of the intake cap in the food service sector (27 March 2026, PDF): https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001459999.pdf
- Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (e-Gov): https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/326CO0000000319
This page is compiled from material published by government agencies and from statutory text. Please consult a lawyer where a decision is needed on a specific residence status procedure or the hiring of foreign workers.