Hi everyone,
I’d like to get some second opinions from people who’ve gone through PR / HSP in Japan or are familiar with the system.
My situation:
– I’m currently on a Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services visa.
– I renewed my visa last year and received 3 years (valid until 2028).
– Based on the points system, I reached 90+ points around late September 2025.
My understanding is that this makes me eligible to apply for permanent residence after 1 year, so around September 2026.
Recently, I consulted an immigration lawyer (scrivener). Their general recommendation was to change to HSP first, mainly as a safety measure (to know the points early instead of waiting 1.5 to 2 years, longer status: he said I will be give 5 years on the spot, less renewal stress, backup options if PR takes long or gets rejected).
However, I’m hesitating because:
- My PR points depend heavily on my current employer.
- Changing to HSP requires submitting full points documentation now.
- I don’t plan to change jobs before PR.
- I already have a long visa (until 2028).
The key question I want to sanity-check with the community is:
👉 If I change to HSP now, does that in any way reset or delay the PR eligibility timeline based on points? In other words, assuming I already reached 90+ points in Sept 2025, would I still be able to apply for PR around Sept 2026 even if I switch to HSP in the meantime?
The lawyer’s explanation was that PR eligibility under the points-based route depends on when you met the points requirement, not on the visa category you hold, and that switching to HSP does not reset the clock, but I’d really appreciate hearing from people who’ve experienced this directly or looked into it deeply.
If you’ve:
– applied for PR directly without switching to HSP,
switched to HSP before PR, or confirmed this with immigration / another lawyer,
I’d love to hear your experience.
Thanks a lot!
by Usual-Two4781