Registered support organisations and support plans: what an administrative scrivener handles in Specified Skilled Worker hosting

In short: a registered support organisation is a body that is entrusted with implementing the whole of a "Type 1 Specified Skilled Worker support plan" on behalf of an employer hosting Specified Skilled Worker (Type 1) foreigners (the "host organisation"), and that has been registered by the Commissioner of the Immigration Services Agency (Article 19-23 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act). The registration is valid for five years, and there are requirements such as not falling under the grounds for disqualification (Article 19-26). The support plan must conform to the standards set by Ministry of Justice ordinance (Ordinance Establishing the Standards for Specified Skilled Worker Employment Contracts and Type 1 Specified Skilled Worker Support Plans, etc.; Ministry of Justice Ordinance No. 5 of 2019) and must incorporate mandatory support such as the pre-entry guidance. This article is general information organising the registration requirements, the grounds for disqualification, the mandatory items of a support plan, whether in-house support is possible, and the notification duties; it does not determine any individual permit outcome or make any legal judgement.

What does a registered support organisation do?

An employer hosting foreigners under the Specified Skilled Worker (Type 1) status of residence is called the "host organisation (accepting organisation)," and it has a duty to prepare a "Type 1 Specified Skilled Worker support plan" for each foreigner it accepts and to provide support for their professional, daily and social life in accordance with the plan (Article 2-5 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act). When it entrusts the whole of this support to an external body, the body receiving that entrustment is a registered support organisation.

A registered support organisation is a corporation or individual registered by the Commissioner of the Immigration Services Agency, and it implements the support plan under a contract of entrustment with the host organisation. A business that is not registered cannot be entrusted with support work for a fee. At the request of a host organisation or a support organisation, an administrative scrivener prepares and files the registration documents and the support plan, within the scope of administrative-scrivener work. For the flow of engagement, see Engagement Flow; for fees, see Fee Schedule; and for our services, see Services.

Category	Role
Host organisation (accepting organisation)	The party that concludes the employment contract with the foreigner and prepares the support plan
Registered support organisation	The body entrusted with implementing the whole of the support plan
Administrative scrivener	Preparation and filing of documents submitted to Immigration, such as the registration application and the support plan

What are the registration requirements and grounds for disqualification?

Registration is applied for with the Commissioner of the Immigration Services Agency (Article 19-24), and if the requirements are met, the applicant is entered on the register of support organisations (Article 19-25). The registration fee is a 28,400-yen revenue stamp, and the registration is valid for five years (Article 19-23). If it is not renewed, it loses effect at the end of the term.

The main registration standards and grounds for disqualification are as follows (each item of Article 19-26, paragraph 1).

Item	Content
Support structure	Having appointed a support supervisor and support staff, and having a structure capable of providing support in a language the foreigner understands
Past record, etc.	Having a record within the past two years of accepting mid- to long-term residents or of life consultation, etc. (conforming to the ordinance standards)
Grounds for disqualification	Not falling under, e.g., being within five years of imprisonment or a fine for violating immigration or labour laws, ties to organised crime, or certain notification violations

Whether grounds for disqualification exist, and whether the company's structure conforms to the standards, are ultimately examined by the Immigration Services Agency. Our office does not guarantee the outcome of a registration.

What items are mandatory in a support plan?

A Type 1 Specified Skilled Worker support plan must conform to the standards set by Ministry of Justice ordinance (Ordinance Establishing the Standards for Specified Skilled Worker Employment Contracts and Type 1 Specified Skilled Worker Support Plans, etc.; Ministry of Justice Ordinance No. 5 of 2019). The plan must incorporate all of the following mandatory support.

Mandatory support	Examples of content
Pre-entry guidance	Explanation of working conditions, activities and entry procedures after the employment contract is concluded
Transport on entry and departure	Transport between the airport and the workplace or residence
Securing housing and support for life contracts	Securing housing; assistance with bank accounts, mobile phones and utilities
Life orientation	Explanation of living rules, transport and emergency response
Accompaniment to public procedures	Assistance with and accompaniment to residence registration, social security and tax procedures
Provision of opportunities to learn Japanese	Information on Japanese classes, etc.
Responding to consultations and complaints	Consultation and advice in the native language
Promotion of exchange with Japanese people	Information on local events, etc.
Support for changing jobs	Support for finding new work when the employment contract is terminated for reasons on the host side
Periodic interviews and reporting to authorities	Periodic interviews by the support supervisor, and reporting in the event of legal violations

Of these, the indication of working conditions itself, the contents of the employment contract, and the enrolment procedures for social and labour insurance are duties of the employer (host organisation); acting on those procedures and labour management are the domain of a certified social insurance labour consultant, and taxation concerning the foreigner is the domain of a certified public tax accountant. Yotsuba Certified Social Insurance Labour Consultant Office and tax accountants are an independent business separate from Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office, and you contract with each separately. Our office receives no referral fee.

Have a question about your situation?

Tell us about your residency, permit or administrative procedure enquiry.

Chat on LINEContact us

Under what conditions can you provide in-house support without entrusting it?

A host organisation may implement the support plan in house without entrusting it to a registered support organisation. In that case, however, the host organisation itself must conform to the standards for the support structure (by ordinance). Specifically, it must satisfy requirements such as having a record within the past two years of accepting mid- to long-term residents, or having an officer or employee who was engaged within the past two years in life-consultation work for mid- to long-term residents, and then appoint a support supervisor and support staff.

On the other hand, where the whole of the support plan's implementation is entrusted to a registered support organisation, the host organisation is treated as conforming to the standards for the support structure (Article 2-5 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act). Whether to choose in-house support or entrustment is a management decision based on the internal structure, language capability and cost; the final judgement on conformity with the standards is made by the Immigration Services Agency.

What happens if you neglect notifications and renewal?

A registered support organisation has duties such as notification of changes when there is a change in the registered particulars (Article 19-27) and notification when it suspends or abolishes support work (Article 19-29). If it neglects notification of the status of support implementation, makes a false notification, or fails to provide support properly, it may become subject to the guidance and advice of the Commissioner of the Immigration Services Agency, and on certain grounds its registration may be revoked (Article 19-32). If the registration is revoked, it can no longer continue support work, and the host organisation that entrusted it will need to arrange a different support structure.

Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office is a separate business from Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. The registration application and preparation of the support plan are handled by an administrative scrivener; the indication of working conditions and the social- and labour-insurance procedures by a certified social insurance labour consultant; taxation by a certified public tax accountant; and disputes over the status of residence by a lawyer, each as an independent business under a separate contract. Our office receives no referral fee. For the flow of engagement, see Engagement Flow; for fees, see Fee Schedule; and for our services, see Services.

FAQ

Q. How long is a registered support organisation's registration valid?
A. The registration is valid for five years (Article 19-23 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act). To continue support work after the term, renewal is required, and without renewal it loses effect. The new-registration fee is a 28,400-yen revenue stamp.

Q. Must a host organisation always entrust support to a registered support organisation?
A. No. If the host organisation conforms to the standards for the support structure (by ordinance), it can implement the support plan in house. Where it does not conform or cannot handle it in house, it has the option of entrusting the whole of the support plan's implementation to a registered support organisation. When the whole is entrusted, the host organisation is treated as conforming to the standards for the support structure.

Q. What should be written in a support plan?
A. The plan must incorporate all of the mandatory support—pre-entry guidance, transport on entry and departure, securing housing and support for life contracts, life orientation, accompaniment to public procedures, provision of opportunities to learn Japanese, responding to consultations and complaints, promotion of exchange with Japanese people, support for changing jobs, and periodic interviews and reporting to authorities—and must conform to the standards of the Ministry of Justice ordinance (Ministry of Justice Ordinance No. 5 of 2019).

Q. Can an administrative scrivener also handle working conditions and social-insurance procedures?
A. Applications for the status of residence, registration of a support organisation, and preparation of the support plan are the work of an administrative scrivener. On the other hand, the indication of working conditions, the contents of the employment contract, the enrolment procedures for social and labour insurance, and labour management are the domain of a certified social insurance labour consultant, and taxation that of a certified public tax accountant, each as an independent business under a separate contract. Our office receives no referral fee.

Sources (Primary Information)

• e-Gov Law Search, "Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act" (Cabinet Order No. 319 of 1951), Articles 2-5, 19-23, 19-24, 19-25, 19-26, 19-27, 19-29 and 19-32 (the Specified Skilled Worker provisions were added by Act No. 102 of 2018 and came into force on 1 April 2019) (accessed 2026-09-12)
• e-Gov Law Search, "Ordinance Establishing the Standards for Specified Skilled Worker Employment Contracts and Type 1 Specified Skilled Worker Support Plans, etc." (Ministry of Justice Ordinance No. 5 of 2019) (accessed 2026-09-12)
• Immigration Services Agency, "Application for registration of a support organisation" (registration fee 28,400 yen; valid for five years) (accessed 2026-09-12)
• Immigration Services Agency, "Operational Guidelines on the Acceptance of Specified Skilled Worker Foreigners" and the supplement "Operational Guidelines on the Support of Type 1 Specified Skilled Worker Foreigners" (accessed 2026-09-12)

This article is general information and does not guarantee the outcome of any individual registration, the judgement of conformity of a support structure with the standards, or the grant or refusal of a status of residence. The registration application and preparation of the support plan are handled by an administrative scrivener; the indication of working conditions and the social- and labour-insurance procedures by a certified social insurance labour consultant; taxation concerning the foreigner by a certified public tax accountant; and disputes over the status of residence by a lawyer, each as an independent business under a separate contract. Our office receives no referral fee. Individual judgements depend on a meeting with a qualified professional and on the examination by the Immigration Services Agency. Written by Joji Uramatsu, administrative scrivener and licensed real estate broker.