The recently introduced Highly Skilled Foreign Professionals visa in Japan, provides a number of benefits and exemptions that exist for those with other types of visas. This new visa category aims to provide stimulus to the Japanese economy by granting special permission for foreigners recognised as being highly skilled, to engage in certain business activities. Advantages include granting permission for an applicant’s spouse to engage in employment without restrictions, preferential treatment with immigration processing, permission to sponsor the visa of a domestic helper, automatically being granted a 5 year period of stay, relaxed requirements for gaining permanent residency, permission for applicants parents to reside in Japan and permission to engage in multiple activities outside one’s visa category. To find out more about the benefits of this visa and what the requirements are to qualify, visit the H&R Group’s Japan Info Swap.