Announcement: We Are Now a Registered Support Organization (SSW)
日本語版はこちら:
Announcement: We Are Now a Registered Support Organization
Strengthening Support for Specified Skilled Worker Employers
Tommy’s Legal Service has completed its registration as a Registered Support Organization for the Specified Skilled Worker program. We support employers by connecting immigration procedures, support plans, and post-hiring support operations in a practical and compliance-focused manner.
Practical point: Hiring Specified Skilled Worker No. 1 employees requires more than filing an immigration application. Employers must also prepare and implement a support plan, provide consultation support, conduct regular interviews, keep records, and manage required notifications.
What is a Registered Support Organization?
A Registered Support Organization, or RSO, is an organization registered to implement support plans for Specified Skilled Worker No. 1 employees on behalf of accepting organizations, namely employers hiring SSW workers.
Under the Specified Skilled Worker No. 1 system, employers must establish a support structure so that foreign workers can work and live in Japan stably. Employers may provide the required support in-house, but legal knowledge, multilingual communication, recordkeeping, and notification management can be a significant burden, especially for companies hiring SSW workers for the first time.
At Tommy’s Legal Service, we combine immigration application support as an administrative scrivener office with practical support services as a Registered Support Organization. We help employers review the entire process from pre-hiring planning to post-arrival operations.
Main support areas
In SSW cases, preparing immigration forms is only one part of the process. Employers must also review industry eligibility, job duties, employment conditions, support structure, and ongoing compliance after hiring.
We review the industry field, job duties, workplace, employment conditions, number of workers, and the candidate’s residence status.
We organize pre-arrival guidance, life orientation, consultation systems, regular interviews, and the scope of outsourced support.
We assist with change of status to SSW No. 1, Certificate of Eligibility applications, and extension applications.
We support housing, administrative procedures, Japanese language learning, consultation handling, and other post-hiring matters.
We help conduct regular interviews, keep support records, and identify operational issues at an early stage.
We assist with required notifications, support-related issues, and improvements to employment and support operations.
Typical mandatory support items
Support for Specified Skilled Worker No. 1 employees must be provided in a language that the foreign worker can understand. Typical mandatory support items include the following.
- Pre-arrival guidance
- Transportation support upon entry into and departure from Japan
- Housing support and assistance with essential contracts for daily life
- Life orientation after arrival
- Information and assistance for public procedures
- Information on Japanese language learning opportunities
- Consultation and complaint handling
- Support for interaction with Japanese society
- Job-change support in the event of involuntary separation
- Regular interviews and reporting to public authorities when necessary
The actual support method and recordkeeping should be adjusted based on the employer’s situation, employment structure, nationality, work location, and outsourcing scope.
Who should consider our support?
- Companies planning to hire Specified Skilled Worker employees for the first time
- Employers deciding whether to provide support in-house or outsource it to an RSO
- Companies that need to prepare a support plan but are unsure about implementation
- Employers who want to organize immigration applications and support operations together
- Companies reviewing regular interviews, consultation handling, recordkeeping, and notifications
- Employers who want to strengthen foreign employment compliance
Important operational changes from April 2025
From April 1, 2025, the Specified Skilled Worker system introduced operational changes to notification items, notification frequency, and document submission rules. Periodic notifications have been changed to once a year, but regular interviews must still be conducted at least once every three months.
| Item | Practical point |
|---|---|
| Regular interviews | Interviews must be conducted at least once every three months. Records and responses to issues are important. |
| Periodic notifications | The notification frequency has changed to once a year. Employers should confirm the target period, filing window, and attachments. |
| Ad hoc notifications | Notifications or reports may be required when employment continuation, standard compliance, or support implementation becomes difficult. |
| Document submission | Depending on employer history, online filing, electronic notifications, and company size, certain document omissions may be available. |
Immigration rules and operations may change. Please check the latest official information from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan before filing applications or notifications.
Languages
We provide consultations in Japanese and English. Other languages may be supported through interpreters when necessary.
Consultation for SSW and RSO matters
We will review your industry, planned number of employees, candidate status, scope of support outsourcing, and immigration procedure needs, then propose a practical support plan and quotation.
日本語版はこちら:
