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The Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) visa, known in Japan as Tokutei Ginou, is a residence status that lets foreign workers do hands-on jobs in industries where Japan cannot find enough staff. For most of 2024 and 2025 there were 16 established SSW job categories, running from nursing care and building cleaning to construction, aviation, farming and railways. In January 2026 the Japanese Cabinet approved 3 more fields (logistics warehousing, linen supply and resource circulation), so the official count is now 19. This guide explains the 16 established categories one by one and then clearly sets out where the 3 newer fields stand.
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Many embassy pages, agency brochures and older articles still say “16 fields”. That was correct before 2026, and those 16 remain the fields where real recruitment, testing and hiring are actually happening. The 3 newer fields are at a very early stage, and only one of them had begun accepting workers by the middle of 2026.
If you are an Indian or international jobseeker, this guide will help you see which field matches your background, what kind of work each one involves, which fields offer a longer-term SSW Level 2 path, and how to avoid the agents who misuse the SSW name.
What Is the Specified Skilled Worker Visa?
SSW was created in 2019 to bring in workers who already have a basic level of skill and Japanese. Unlike a degree-based work visa, it does not usually require a university qualification. Instead, you prove your ability by passing a skills test for one specific field and a Japanese language test.
There are two levels:
- SSW Level 1 (SSW i): For workers with basic skills. You can stay up to 5 years in total, and you cannot bring your family.
- SSW Level 2 (SSW ii): For experienced workers who pass a higher test and usually show leader or supervisor experience. There is no limit on total stay, and your spouse and children can join you.
Your visa is tied to one field. A welder approved under industrial product manufacturing cannot simply start work in a restaurant or a care home. Moving to another field means passing that field’s skills test and getting fresh permission from immigration.
The 16 Established SSW Job Categories at a Glance
The table below lists the 16 fields that were in place after the March 2024 expansion, with the kind of work each covers and whether an SSW Level 2 route exists.
| Field | Typical Work | SSW Level 2? |
| Nursing care | Helping elderly residents with meals, bathing, moving and daily life | No (separate Care Worker status instead) |
| Building cleaning | Cleaning offices, hotels, hospitals and commercial buildings | Yes |
| Industrial product manufacturing | Machining, welding, moulding, assembly, painting, inspection | Yes |
| Construction | Site trades such as formwork, rebar, scaffolding, interior finishing, plumbing | Yes |
| Shipbuilding and ship machinery | Welding, painting, fitting and outfitting ships | Yes |
| Automobile repair and maintenance | Routine inspection, servicing and repair of vehicles | Yes |
| Aviation | Airport ground handling and aircraft maintenance support | Yes |
| Accommodation | Front desk, guest service and restaurant service at hotels and ryokan | Yes |
| Automobile transportation | Truck, taxi and bus driving | No |
| Railway | Track and equipment maintenance, rolling stock work, operations | No |
| Agriculture | Crop farming and livestock work | Yes |
| Fishery and aquaculture | Fishing boat work and fish or seafood farming | Yes |
| Food and beverage manufacturing | Food processing, packing and hygiene work in factories | Yes |
| Food service | Cooking, serving and store work in restaurants | Yes |
| Forestry | Planting, thinning and logging work in forests | No |
| Wood industry | Sawmill and wood-processing work | No |
Exact job duties inside each field are defined by the ministry in charge, so always check that an offered job actually falls inside the field named on your visa.
Care, Cleaning and Accommodation Fields
Nursing Care
Care is the second-largest SSW field. Workers assist elderly residents in care facilities with eating, bathing, toileting and moving around. It needs the care skills test plus a separate care Japanese test, and it is one of only two fields (with construction) where a limit applies to how many SSW workers one employer can take on. There is no SSW Level 2 for care, because experienced workers can pass Japan’s national care worker exam and switch to the dedicated Care Worker residence status.
Building Cleaning
Building cleaning covers the inside of offices, hotels, hospitals and shopping facilities: floors, toilets, glass and common areas. It suits people who are reliable and physically active and who may not have trade skills. Level 2 requires, among other things, about 2 years or more of experience as a cleaning team leader.
Accommodation
Accommodation covers front desk, planning, guest service and restaurant service at hotels and traditional inns. Because guests speak to you directly, stronger Japanese helps a great deal, and English or other languages can be a plus at tourist hotels.
Manufacturing and Heavy Industry Fields
Industrial Product Manufacturing
This is a broad field that combined several older manufacturing categories. It covers work like machining, metal pressing, welding, plastic moulding, electronic assembly, painting and quality inspection. ITI-trained candidates in fitting, welding, machining or electrical trades often find this field the closest match to their training.
Shipbuilding and Ship Machinery
Shipyards need welders, painters, fitters and outfitters. Work is often outdoors or inside large hull blocks, and it can be physically demanding. Japan’s shipbuilding sector has one of the highest shortages of skilled workers among industrial jobs.
Food and Beverage Manufacturing
The largest SSW field by far. Workers process, cook, pack and check food in factories making bento, bread, seafood products, noodles and similar items (alcoholic drinks are excluded). It suits freshers who can follow strict hygiene rules and work standing for long shifts.
Construction, Transport and Aviation Fields
Construction
Construction covers many site trades, including formwork, rebar, scaffolding, interior finishing, plumbing and civil works. Construction employers must meet extra conditions before hiring SSW workers, and Level 2 asks for experience as a team leader or foreman on site.
Automobile Repair and Maintenance
Workers do daily and periodic inspection, servicing and repair of cars at garages and dealerships. A motor mechanic or automobile ITI background is useful here.
Aviation
Aviation covers two areas: airport ground handling (baggage, cargo, aircraft towing and ramp work) and aircraft maintenance support. Airports such as Narita, Haneda and Kansai depend heavily on ground handling staff.
Automobile Transportation
Added in 2024, this field covers truck, taxi and bus driving. You need a Japanese driving licence, and passenger driving generally calls for a higher level of Japanese than truck work. There is no Level 2 in this field.
Railway
Also added in 2024, railway covers track maintenance, electrical equipment work, rolling stock manufacturing and maintenance, and some operational roles. Only a small number of SSW workers are in this field so far.
Farming, Fishing, Forestry, Wood and Food Service
Agriculture
Agriculture covers crop farming (vegetables, fruit, greenhouses) and livestock work such as dairy and poultry. It is one of only two fields where dispatch (agency-placed) employment is allowed, which means some workers move between farms by season.
Fishery and Aquaculture
Workers join fishing boats or work at fish and shellfish farms. Dispatch employment is also allowed here.
Forestry and Wood Industry
Both fields were added in 2024. Forestry covers work in the forest itself, while the wood industry covers sawmills and wood processing. Very few SSW workers had joined either field by mid-2026, and neither has a Level 2 route.
Food Service
Restaurant cooking, serving and store work. Important: since 13 April 2026, new Certificates of Eligibility for SSW Level 1 food service have not been issued because the field was about to exceed its limit of 50,000 workers. People already in Japan in this field can still change jobs within it, but anyone abroad who is promised a “restaurant SSW visa” in 2026 should treat that offer with great caution.
The 3 Newer Fields Added in 2026
On 23 January 2026, the Cabinet added three fields, raising the total to 19. These are real, but they are not yet working like the 16 established fields:
- Linen supply: Washing, finishing and supplying linen such as hotel sheets and hospital laundry. SSW Level 1 applications have been accepted since 1 June 2026, but only 3 people held this status at the end of July 2026.
- Logistics warehousing: Warehouse receiving, storage, picking and dispatch. The ministry published its operating guidelines in September 2026, but the timing of the skills test was still being adjusted at that point, and no workers held this status yet.
- Resource circulation: Recycling and waste resource work. Test details are still to be announced by the Ministry of the Environment, and no workers held this status yet.
In short, do not believe anyone who says these new fields are “fully open” or who asks you to pay for a guaranteed warehouse or recycling visa. Until official tests are running, a genuine visa in these fields is not possible for most applicants.
Which Fields Employ the Most SSW Workers?
Immigration figures for the end of July 2026 show 432,016 people on SSW Level 1. The biggest fields were:
- Food and beverage manufacturing: 101,922
- Nursing care: 81,436
- Industrial product manufacturing: 63,032
- Construction: 52,366
- Food service: 49,290
- Agriculture: 44,952
- Shipbuilding: 11,693
- Building cleaning: 10,514
Smaller fields included automobile maintenance, fishery, aviation and accommodation, each with a few thousand workers, while automobile transport, wood industry, railway and forestry had fewer than 1,000 each. The government has also set an upper limit of 805,700 SSW workers through March 2029. Food manufacturing, construction, care and agriculture are reported to be close to their limits too, so availability can change at short notice.
Indicative Salary in Selected SSW Fields
SSW workers must be paid at least as much as a Japanese worker doing the same job. Across all fields, survey data puts the average at a little over ¥2 lakh per month including allowances. The figures below are typical job-offer levels for roles in the main fields:
| Position | Indicative Monthly Salary |
| Caregiver (Nursing Care) | ¥250,000 (base plus regular allowances) |
| CNC Machine Operator (Industrial Products) | ¥250,000 |
| Scaffolder (Construction) | ¥310,000 |
| Food Factory Worker (Food Manufacturing) | ¥250,000 – ¥342,000 |
| Building Cleaner | ¥220,000 |
These are indicative averages, not promises. Actual pay depends on the prefecture, the employer, overtime and night shifts, and deductions for tax, social insurance and any dormitory.
How to Qualify and Apply Safely
To get SSW Level 1 from abroad, you generally need to:
- Choose one field that suits your skills and check it is accepting workers.
- Pass that field’s skills test. Each field has its own organiser, for example JAIM for industrial products, JAC for construction, OTAFF for food manufacturing and food service, and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for care.
- Pass a Japanese test at around A2 level. Many candidates take the JFT-Basic computer test, which scores from 10 to 250, with 200 needed to pass.
- Get a job offer and employment contract from a Japanese employer.
- Let the employer apply for your Certificate of Eligibility, then apply for the visa at the Japanese embassy or consulate.
Former technical interns who completed Level 2 training in good standing are usually exempt from the skills test in the same field and from the general Japanese test (the care Japanese test is not waived). Test dates and locations change often, so check the official SSW portal (ssw.go.jp) or the organiser’s own website.
For Indian applicants, Japan and India signed an SSW Memorandum of Cooperation in January 2021, and NSDC is the official Indian contact point. If an Indian recruiting agent is involved, check that the agent holds a valid licence on the government’s eMigrate portal. Never pay an unlicensed agent, and remember that a job advert is not a visa guarantee: immigration makes the final decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there 16 or 19 SSW job categories in 2026?
Officially there are 19. The 16 established fields have been in place since March 2024, and 3 more were added in January 2026. Only linen supply among the new three had started accepting workers by mid-2026.
Which SSW field is easiest for freshers without experience?
Food and beverage manufacturing, building cleaning and agriculture are often chosen by freshers because they rely less on trade skills. You still need to pass the field’s test and a Japanese test.
Can I apply for SSW food service from India right now?
New Certificates of Eligibility for food service SSW Level 1 have been suspended since 13 April 2026. Check the Immigration Services Agency’s announcements before acting on any restaurant job offer.
Which SSW fields allow me to bring my family later?
Family can join only under SSW Level 2, which exists in 11 fields. Care workers have a separate route through the Care Worker status.
Can I switch from one SSW field to another?
Yes, but you must pass the new field’s skills test and get a change of status permission from immigration before starting the new job.
Do I need a degree for the SSW visa?
No. SSW is based on tests, not degrees, which is why many 10th pass, 12th pass and ITI candidates consider it.
Final Words
The 16 established SSW categories remain the realistic options for most applicants in 2026, with food manufacturing, care, industrial products, construction and agriculture taking the largest numbers. The 3 newer fields are worth watching, but they are not yet a dependable route. Pick a field that fits your skills, prepare properly for the tests, and rely on the Immigration Services Agency, the official SSW portal and NSDC rather than on promises from unknown agents.
Disclaimer: All salary figures mentioned in this article are indicative estimates based on published job listings and industry data and may vary by employer, location, experience, and contract terms. They do not represent a guaranteed salary, job offer, or visa approval.