Are specified skilled workers required to undergo a medical examination? Find out why and what to be aware of

Why is a medical examination required to obtain Specified Skills residence status?

The reason why specified skilled workers are required to undergo health examinations is because of their "Specified Skills" residence status.

The following screening criteria are set for obtaining Specified Skills status of residence.

1. Be 18 years of age or older
2. Be in good health
3. Possess a passport issued by the government of a country or region that will cooperate in the smooth execution of deportation
4. No security deposit has been collected
5. If you are paying money to a foreign institution, you must fully understand and agree on the amount and details with the institution.
6. If the sending country has established procedures to be followed, those procedures must be followed.
7. Regarding the expenses to be borne regularly by the foreign national, such as food and accommodation costs, the contents of the benefits to be provided in return are fully understood and agreed upon, and the amount of the expenses is equivalent to the actual cost or other appropriate amount, and a detailed statement or other necessary documents are presented.

One of these criteria is "2. Being in good health," so you will be required to submit the results of a health check.

Being in good health is a condition for obtaining a status of residence, so if you are diagnosed as being in poor health during a medical examination, you will not be able to apply for a status of residence.

Documents required to prove the health status of specified skilled workers

The documents required to prove the health status of specified skilled workers are the "Individual Health Examination Record" and the "Examination Participant Declaration Form."

The form can be downloaded from the Immigration Services Agency's website.
List of application and notification forms for Specified Skills

We will introduce the necessary contents and points to note when creating the "Personal Health Examination Form" and "Patient Declaration Form."

[Individual Health Checkup Card]

• Doctor's signature required
• The results of the health check must be translated into Japanese and attached.
• The document must be written in a language that can be fully understood by specified skilled workers applying for the status of residence.

[Patient's declaration form]

• To be completed after undergoing a health check

The "Patient's Declaration Form" is a form in which you declare to your doctor all of your medical history, hospitalization history, surgical history, and medication history, and also declare that you have undergone a medical examination by a doctor.
Therefore, it must be completed after undergoing a health check.

Where can specified skilled workers receive health checkups? Check the costs involved

If you are already in Japan, you will have your health check at a Japanese hospital, or if you are still abroad, you will have your health check at a hospital overseas.

There is no designated hospital to visit, but the options will be narrowed down to hospitals where you can undergo all of the health check items listed on your "Personal Health Check-up Form."

The health examination items on the "Individual Health Examination Form" are as follows.

• Medical and work history investigation
• Examination of subjective and objective symptoms
• Chest X-ray
• height
• body weight
• BMI
• Waist circumference
• Vision
• Hearing
• Measuring blood pressure
• Anemia test
• Liver function tests
• Blood lipid test
• Blood glucose testing
• Urine tests
• Electrocardiography

Please note that medical standards vary by country and region, so the content of the tests may differ.
Therefore, if you are seeking medical treatment overseas, we recommend that you request treatment at a large hospital such as a national hospital.

For people living overseas, there are no legal rules regarding who should pay for medical examinations, but the rules vary depending on the sending country.
It is necessary to check in advance whether the cost should be borne by specified skilled workers himself or by the accepting company.

The estimated cost of a health check in Japan is around 10,000 yen.
The cost of medical examinations after entering Japan will be borne by the accepting company.

Also check the points to note when having specified skilled workers undergo health checkups

Please note the following points when having specified skilled workers undergo a health check.

Note 1: There is an expiration date

After undergoing the medical examination, you will need to apply for Specified Skills residence status within a certain period of time.

In addition, the expiration date differs depending on whether you are applying for certification (new entry into Japan) or applying for permission to change your status (changing your residence status as a technical intern trainee or international student, etc.) as follows:

• If you are applying for a visa status: Within 3 months of the date of the medical examination
• If you are applying for permission to change your status of residence: Within one year from the date of your medical examination

Caution 2: There are some test items that require caution

If any abnormal findings are found in the chest X-ray, which is one of the diagnostic items in a health checkup, a sputum test must be conducted to confirm that it is not active tuberculosis.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has reported that the number of tuberculosis patients overseas has been increasing in recent years.
In the future, "pre-entry tuberculosis screening" will be introduced, which will require travelers to be free of tuberculosis before entering the country if they meet the following conditions:

• Those who are nationals of countries with a high number of tuberculosis patients diagnosed after entering Japan while residing there (Philippines, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Nepal, Myanmar)
• Foreign nationals who wish to enter and reside in Japan as mid- to long-term residents

The pre-entry tuberculosis screening system is scheduled to be implemented in eligible countries that are ready after July 1, 2020, but has not yet started as of November 2024.

If it is tuberculosis, the public health center may also investigate your company.
Therefore, future developments regarding screening implementation will require close attention.

Note 3: If there are any abnormalities, you will need to submit additional documents

If you undergo all the tests and are found to have health problems that make it difficult for you to perform your duties steadily and continuously, your application for Specified Skills residence status may be denied.

If there is an abnormality in the "Doctor's Diagnosis" section of the "Personal Health Examination Form," but there is no problem with the operation, additional documentation will be required.
Specifically, it is a document stating "a doctor's opinion that although there is an abnormality, there is no problem with the device being able to operate."

The condition for this document is that it must be "clear that it was created by a doctor, hospital, etc."

Summary: A medical examination and document submission are required to apply for Specified Skills visa

To apply for Specified Skills visa, you will need to undergo a medical examination and submit certain documents.

Health examinations are also required when hiring Japanese nationals on a full-time basis, but for specified skilled workers, one of the conditions is "good health," so they are required to undergo health examinations.

The documents you will need to submit when taking a health check are the "Health Check Individual Form" and the "Patient Declaration Form."

The place where the health checkup is conducted will depend on the place of residence of the foreign nationals to be accepted, but it can be either in Japan or overseas.
However, this is subject to the condition that all test items on the "Personal Health Examination Form" can be tested.
Health checkups have expiration dates, so be sure to pay attention to the date of your checkup.

In the case of people living overseas, there is no legal rule as to whether the cost of the pre-acceptance medical examination should be borne by specified skilled workers himself or by the accepting company.
However, rules vary depending on the sending country, so be sure to check in advance.

The estimated cost of a medical examination after entering Japan is approximately 10,000 yen, which will be borne by the accepting company.

In addition, due to the increase in the number of tuberculosis patients overseas in recent years, Japan will also begin to implement pre-entry tuberculosis screening for people of certain nationalities.

If there are abnormal findings but there are no problems with operation, you can apply by attaching a document issued by a medical institution stating this.

If you are a company considering hiring specified skilled workers in the construction industry, please feel free to contact JAC!
We also introduce specified skilled workers.

*This article was written based on information from November 2024.