Cambodia has a memorandum of cooperation with Japan on Specified Skilled Workers. Overseas employment is administered by the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MLVT) through licensed recruitment agencies.
Confirm current requirements with the MLVT, the Japanese embassy and the official Japanese bodies before acting.
The steps
- Language test - JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 and above. JFT-Basic in Cambodia, how to register.
- Sector skills test: the skills test explained.
- A licensed recruitment agency, verified with the MLVT.
- Employer and contract: reading an SSW contract.
- Cambodian departure formalities and documentation.
- Certificate of Eligibility from Japan: Certificate of Eligibility explained.
- Visa, departure, arrival, work. Your first month of Japanese at work.
Where candidates lose time
Waiting to start Japanese. The language test is the longest lead time and the only step entirely within your control. Nobody can sit it for you and no agency can accelerate it.
Deciding the sector late. The skills test is field-specific, so an undecided candidate cannot prepare: the sectors list.
Inconsistent documents. Your name must be spelled identically on your passport, your certificates and every form. A mismatch stalls a Certificate of Eligibility application.
On agencies and fees
Get every cost in writing, itemised, before paying anything. Verify any licence independently. No legitimate employer or agency holds your passport, and no legitimate arrangement requires a penalty payment for leaving a job.
Debt-funded migration is the single biggest risk to a worker’s wellbeing in Japan, because it removes the ability to walk away from a bad employer. Agency red flags and reading an SSW contract.
Questions to ask an agency before committing
- What is the total cost, itemised, and what is refundable?
- Which Japanese employer is this, and what is their address?
- What is the monthly pay, and what will be deducted? (Salary and deductions.)
- What accommodation is provided and at what rent? (Housing and rent.)
- Who provides the support plan in Japan? (Registered support organisations.)
- Can I see the contract in Khmer before signing?
An agency that cannot answer these in writing is not one to use.
Common sectors
Agriculture, food and beverage manufacturing, construction, manufacturing and building cleaning.
The step to take now
The language test gates everything and is free to measure. Our free exam demo is a complete 48-question JFT-Basic mock under exam conditions - sit it and you will know where you stand today.