MMoving to Japan

PR via hsp points (academic)

  • July 13, 2025

I wanted to clear a few enquiries on how the points are being counted before i consult an agent.

  1. Does foreign work experience (research assistant) count? Like 3 yrs for 5 points

  2. Do first authorships in foreign reputable journal (impact factor >10) count toward publication point or does it require corresponding/last authorships

  3. If i have a MPhil and a PhD in the same field, can it be counted for extra 5 points?

  4. If i land a postdoc job in japan say in RIKEN, does the pay count towards salary for points? I believe the income is considered scholarships and not taxed?

Thanks for all the help!

by Livid-Adeptness6021

1 comment

  1. >Does foreign work experience (research assistant) count?

    *Relevant* work experience counts, yes. A research assistant position might be a bit tricky to justify as “relevant”, but if the lab you were working in was doing research related to your field it’ll probably work.

    >If i have a MPhil and a PhD in the same field, can it be counted for extra 5 points?

    Generally speaking you only get points for the highest level of education completed.

    >does the pay count towards salary for points? I believe the income is considered scholarships and not taxed?

    If it’s an untaxed stipend it *probably* won’t count as salary. But that’s definitely something to ask an attorney about

    >Do first authorships in foreign reputable journal (impact factor >10) count toward publication point or does it require corresponding/last authorships

    From the official points table:

    *Past record of research papers (limited to those for which the applicant is the corresponding author), which appeared in an academic magazine registered
    in an academic research paper database used by Japanese national organizations: 3 papers or more*

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