The Philippines administers overseas employment more actively than most source countries. For Specified Skilled Worker candidates this means an additional layer of process - and considerably more protection than exists elsewhere.
Confirm current requirements with the Department of Migrant Workers, POLO/MWO in Japan, and the official Japanese bodies. Procedures change.
The steps
1. Language test. JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 and above. JFT-Basic is held regularly in the Philippines: JFT-Basic in the Philippines, how to register.
2. Sector skills test for your field: the skills test explained.
3. Registration in the Philippine system. Deployment of Filipino workers abroad runs through government-accredited channels, and SSW deployment to Japan is covered by the bilateral arrangement between the two countries.
4. An accredited recruitment agency, or a direct-hire arrangement where permitted. Verify accreditation independently.
5. Employer and contract, with the contract verified through the Philippine system: reading an SSW contract.
6. Certificate of Eligibility, applied for in Japan by the employer: Certificate of Eligibility explained.
7. Visa, then the exit clearances the Philippine system requires.
8. Departure and the first month. Your first month of Japanese at work.
What the extra layer buys you
The verification of your contract through official channels means your terms have been checked against standards before you leave. That is real protection, and it is worth the additional time.
It also means shortcuts are dangerous. Leaving outside the official process - on a tourist visa, through an unaccredited fixer - forfeits that protection and can create problems on return.
Fees
Regulated, and the rules are clearer than in most countries. Ask for a full itemised statement before paying anything, and be suspicious of any request for large payments in cash.
No legitimate agency or employer holds your passport: agency red flags.
Common sectors
Filipino candidates are strongly represented in:
- Nursing care - where the separate care language test also applies in many roles
- Food service and food manufacturing
- Building cleaning
- Construction and manufacturing
Note for care: English ability, common among Filipino candidates, does not substitute for Japanese. The work is conducted in Japanese with Japanese residents.
Start with the language test
It is the part you can begin today, and it decides your timeline more than any other step.
Our free exam demo is a complete 48-question JFT-Basic mock sat under the real exam’s rules, and the practice test explains every answer in Filipino.