Can an international student start on April 1?

In short: an offer alone lets no one work — not until the change of residence status is granted. Under "Student" status, employment is not possible. The Immigration Services Agency asks those hoping to start work in April to apply between December 1 and the end of January (viewed 14 August 2026). Where to place the start date is a decision for the offer stage.

This page is for owners and HR staff hiring, or about to hire, international students as new graduates. The change-of-status application itself is the work of 四葉行政書士事務所 (a separate business from this office, engaged under a separate contract); this article covers only the labour side while the permission is pending — offer documents, start-date design, and the run-up to joining.

Does an offer mean they can work from April?

Not by itself. "Student" status does not contemplate employment as its activity, so work as an employee becomes possible only once the change to "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" or another working status is granted. The decision belongs to the immigration authority; neither this office nor a gyoseishoshi can promise a grant.

On timing, there is a primary source. The Immigration Services Agency notes that applications concentrate from January to March, that missing documents or late filing may mean review does not finish by the hoped-for date, and asks April starters to apply between December 1 and the end of January. Review processing times are published monthly by the Agency. In short: "April 1 joining" is a date that only works when planned backwards from the autumn offer.

What an expired or absent status means for the company is covered in Which expires first — the period of stay or the employment contract? — the offence of promoting illegal work (Immigration Control Act, Article 73-2) accepts no plea of ignorance.

How do we handle the period before the grant?

Three design principles:

• No work. Employment before the change is granted is not possible. If pre-joining training is contemplated, whether it amounts to remunerated activity is immigration territory — check with the gyoseishoshi (四葉行政書士事務所, a separate business) before moving
• Write the start date conditionally. In the offer letter and written conditions, state that joining is premised on the grant of the status change, and set the procedure for pushing back the start date if the grant is delayed (Can a job offer be withdrawn?)
• Verify the residence card, then start. After the grant, confirm the new residence card against the original — then work begins

What if it doesn't arrive in time?

The first tool is pushing back the start date. If the offer documents set out the procedure, you move the date by that procedure and the person's agreement — nothing more.

Where the application is refused, the treatment of the offer depends on what the documents say and on the individual facts. Withdrawal of an offer faces case-law constraints (see Can a job offer be withdrawn?); this article does not decide the question. Matters turning contentious belong to an attorney. The conclusion is the same either way: what you wrote into the offer documents decides what options remain.

What does the company prepare, and when?

When	What the company does	Who
Offer (autumn)	Offer letter (grant of status change as a premise; push-back procedure), disclosure of working conditions	Shakai hoken roumushi (this office)
To November	Application documents assembled; the company-side papers vary with the application type	Gyoseishoshi (四葉行政書士事務所 — a separate business)
December 1 – end of January	The person applies for the change of status (the Agency's recommended window)	The person + gyoseishoshi
After grant	Verify the new residence card (original)	Company (we prepare the checklist)
Joining	Pre-employment health check, social and employment insurance enrolment, the employment status notification	Shakai hoken roumushi (this office)

Note: from 1 December 2025, graduates (and expected graduates) of Japanese universities, among others, may omit certain documents in the change from "Student" to "Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services" and similar (per the Agency's materials, viewed 14 August 2026; whether the omission applies is a question for the application side — the gyoseishoshi).

What can 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 do?

四葉社会保険労務士事務所, in Kohinata, Bunkyo City, provides — within recruitment and hiring support — the offer letter and written conditions designed around the status-change premise, the start-date push-back procedure, and the full set of joining procedures. Consultation is free of charge. Fees are in the fee schedule; the whole flow of foreign employment is in Hire one foreign employee — how many counters do you need?.

Whom to consult

The change-of-status application — its prospects, documents and timing — goes to 四葉行政書士事務所 (a separate business from this office, engaged under a separate contract). The grant or refusal is decided by the immigration authority. Offer disputes go to an attorney; payroll taxation to a tax accountant. In every case, no referral fees change hands.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Does April 1 actually work out?
A. The Agency asks April starters to apply between December 1 and the end of January, and warns that missing documents or late filing may push review past the hoped-for date. Processing times are published monthly, but no one can promise when an individual grant lands. That is precisely why the practical answer is a push-back procedure written into the offer documents.

Q. Can they work part-time for us until the grant?
A. Part-time work within the "Student" activity permission (28 hours a week) and employment as staff are different things — and after graduation the enrolment premise lapses. The individual judgment is immigration territory and not one this office makes; if the design is in doubt, confirm with the gyoseishoshi. On student part-timers, see Employing an international student — how do you count the 28 hours?.

Q. What does the company submit for the application?
A. The company-side documents vary with the application type (the organisation's category; whether document omission applies). Ask the gyoseishoshi handling the application (四葉行政書士事務所 — a separate business) what to prepare and by when. This office covers the contract-side documents and the joining procedures.

Q. The application was refused. What happens to the offer?
A. It depends on the offer documents and the individual facts. Withdrawal faces case-law constraints, so before acting unilaterally, check what the documents provide and consult an attorney where a dispute looms. For the next hire, the greatest prevention is writing the condition and the procedure into the offer documents.

Sources for this article

• Immigration Services Agency, "To those planning to apply for a change from 'Student' to a working residence status" (viewed 14 August 2026) — the December 1 to end-of-January application window for April starters; the document omissions available from 1 December 2025
• Immigration Services Agency, "Processing times for residence examinations" (viewed the same day) — published monthly
• Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (出入国管理及び難民認定法, Cabinet Order No. 319 of 1951), Article 73-2 (promoting illegal work) — current text confirmed on e-Gov on 14 August 2026
• The pre-employment health check (Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health, Article 43) and the employment status notification (Act on Comprehensive Promotion of Labour Measures, Article 28, paragraph 1) are covered in the linked articles

This article is general information. It does not enter the prospects of any application or the suitability of any status (the immigration authority decides; applications are gyoseishoshi work). Judgments that fit your particular circumstances are made by a qualified professional after a meeting. Written by Joji Uramatsu (Shakai Hoken Roumushi (Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant), Gyoseishoshi (Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist), Registered Real Estate Transaction Specialist).