HSP Visa: How to Boost Your Score from 70 to 80 Points — Salary, Education, Japanese, and Employer Strategies

Introduction

The Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) visa is a special residence status that offers preferential treatment to highly skilled foreign professionals in Japan. Normally, you need a score of at least 70 points to qualify, but if you reach 80 points or more, you can apply for permanent residency after just one year, which is a major advantage.

This article explains strategies for raising your score from the 70s to 80+ points, focusing on salary, education, Japanese language skills, and employer-related criteria. If you are aiming to apply for permanent residency through the HSP visa, this guide will help you plan effectively.

---

Chapter 1｜Basic Structure of the HSP Point System

The HSP point system evaluates several categories—academic background, work experience, salary, Japanese proficiency, research achievements, and employer criteria. If the total reaches 70 or more, you qualify as an HSP. The scoring is based on the official HSP point calculation table published by the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) (latest revision: March 13, 2024).

Category	Key Items	Max Points
Education	Bachelor, Master, Doctorate	30
Work Experience	3–10+ years	20
Annual Salary	¥5M–¥10M+	40
Japanese Proficiency	JLPT N1/N2, Japanese degree	15
Research & Employer Criteria	Papers, patents, J-Startup, etc.	25

To reach 80 points, you must combine multiple categories strategically.

---

Chapter 2｜Boosting Points with Annual Salary (Max 40 Points)

Annual salary carries the highest point weight and is the most practical category to raise in a short time.
Points vary by age group (academic/research or technical fields):

Salary (JPY)	≤29 yrs	≤34 yrs	≤39 yrs	40+ yrs
¥10M+	40	40	40	40
¥9M–9.99M	35	35	35	35
¥8M–8.99M	30	30	30	30
¥7M–7.99M	25	25	25	—
¥6M–6.99M	20	20	20	—
¥5M–5.99M	15	15	—	—
¥4M–4.99M	10	—	—	—

Practical points

• Prove salary with employment contracts and payslips
• Submit tax payment and income certificates for the past year
• Be cautious about timing if you plan to use a raise or job change to increase salary
• Sole proprietors and company directors can also count income if business activities are real and verifiable

💡 If you are short by about 10 points, salary increase is the fastest way to reach 80.

---

Chapter 3｜Boosting Points with Education and Work Experience (Max 30 + 20 Points)

Education and work experience are stable baseline elements for scoring.

Education

Degree	Points
Doctorate	30
Master’s	20
MBA / MOT (with bonus)	25
Bachelor’s	10
Multiple degrees (e.g., BA + MA)	+5

※ For the business/management field: Doctorate/Master/Professional degree = 20, MBA/MOT = 25

Work Experience

Experience	Points
3+ years	5
5+ years	10
7+ years	15
10+ years	20 (25 for business/management)

Practical points

• Overseas degrees are accepted (with certified translations)
• Prove work experience with employment contracts, reference letters, and payslips
• Timing applications at the 5-year or 10-year mark is effective

💡 Combining education and work experience can give you up to 50 points, forming the foundation of HSP qualification.

---

Chapter 4｜Boosting Points with Japanese Language Skills (Max 15 Points)

Japanese ability is another valuable category—N1 earns 15 points and can be achieved relatively quickly. This is often the easiest way to gain the last few points you need.

Qualification	Points
JLPT N1	15
JLPT N2	10
Japanese university/graduate degree	10

※ You cannot combine N1/N2 points with Japanese degree points (only the higher one counts)

Practical points

• Submit the official JLPT certificate
• Japanese degree counts as 10 points (no N1 needed)
• Japanese ability also improves your value to employers

💡 Japanese skills not only help with points but also create a positive impression for PR applications.

---

Chapter 5｜Boosting Points with Employer & Research Achievements (Max 25 Points)

If you work in a research or advanced technical field, you may also gain points from your employer or achievements.

Item	Points
Patents (as inventor)	15–20
Academic papers (3+ as corresponding author)	15–20
Government-funded research projects (before entry)	15–20
Executive position (Representative Director)	10
Executive position (Director / Executive Officer)	5
Working at a company under Innovation Support Measures	10 (20 if SME)
Working at an SME with R&D ratio over 3%	5
Investment management (financial human resource)	10

Practical points

• ⚠️ Being at a listed company alone does NOT give points (common misinformation)
• Check if your company is designated under Innovation Support Measures (MOJ notice)
• Provide objective evidence for research (papers, patents, presentations)
• Internal promotion can be used to gain executive position points

💡 A combination like Doctorate + 10 years experience + N1 + J-Startup can push you over 80 points quickly.

---

Chapter 6｜Practical Simulation: How to Reach 80 Points

Here’s an example of how someone in the 70-point range can reach 80:

Example: Currently around 70 points

• Master’s (20) + 5 years experience (10) + ¥7M salary (25) + N2 (10) + others (5)
  → Total = 70

Strategies

• Raise salary (¥7M → ¥10M) → +15 → 85
• Get N1 (from N2) → +5 → 75
• Reach 10 years experience → +10 → 80
• Move to a J-Startup company (innovation support) → +10 → 80

💡 Work backward from your PR application schedule to decide where to gain the extra points.

---

Conclusion｜Reaching 80 Points is Achievable with a Plan

With a clear plan, reaching 80 points under the HSP system is realistic. Salary, Japanese skills, and employer-related points can often be improved in the short term.

If you achieve 80 points, you become eligible to apply for permanent residency after just one year, and your spouse and children will also benefit from preferential treatment. It’s wise to plan early, keeping permanent residency and even naturalization in mind for the future.

Ishinagi Administrative Scrivener Office

“I want to obtain permanent residency quickly and securely.” “I’m worried about preparing all the documents.”
If this sounds like you, please feel free to contact our office in Osaka (Yodogawa-ku). We support clients from all over Japan, providing the most effective assistance based on our extensive experience with immigration procedures.

If you want to secure your permanent residency smoothly and confidently, contact our office today.

Related Articles