Under the Engineer / Humanities / International Services status, the way education and job duties are compared differs by type of school. Treating university, junior college and vocational school graduates the same can lead to hiring mistakes.
Japanese junior college graduates count as university graduates for this standard
Immigration Q&A expressly states that graduates of Japanese junior colleges fall within “university graduates” for the landing criteria. It is therefore inaccurate to say that a person is ineligible simply because a junior-college graduate does not hold a bachelor’s degree.
For university and junior-college graduates, a relationship between studies and the knowledge/skills required by the job is still examined, but immigration materials indicate that the relationship may be assessed relatively flexibly because universities provide broad academic and specialist education.
Japanese vocational schools generally require a stronger relationship
Graduates of Japanese specialized training colleges who obtain the title of “Diploma” (Senmonshi) or “Advanced Diploma” (Kodo Senmonshi) may satisfy the education requirement. Because such schools are vocational in character, a substantial relationship between the major and the proposed duties is generally required.
Practical difference
For university or junior-college graduates, it may be possible to explain the relationship by looking broadly at the faculty and courses taken. For vocational-school graduates, transcripts, course lists and syllabi often need to connect more specifically what the person studied with what the person will do after hiring.
Some recognized programs receive more flexible treatment
Graduates of programs certified by MEXT as “Career Formation Promotion Programs for International Students” may receive more flexible assessment of the relationship between the major and duties when changing to this status.
Foreign “vocational school equivalents” are not automatically the same
Graduating from an overseas institution that appears similar to a Japanese vocational school does not automatically satisfy the Japanese Senmonshi standard. The degree, length of study and curriculum must be checked.
Review transcripts before making the final offer
Finding out after the offer that the major and job do not connect can cause serious loss to both the employer and the candidate. Where possible, review the graduation certificate, transcript, major courses and work-history evidence before the offer or employment agreement—especially for vocational-school graduates.