Part-Time Work Rules for Vietnamese Students in Japan Under the Student Visa
By Muntasir • Published Sep 24, 2026 • Updated Sep 24, 2026 • Visas & Student Mobility, Study in Southeast Asia
Vietnamese students in Japan on a Student visa can work part-time only after getting a separate permission called shikaku-gai katsudo, capped at 28 hours a week during term and up to 8 hours a day during long school breaks. Working over the limit, or working in banned industries like adult entertainment, risks visa non-renewal and deportation.
📩 Apply for shikaku-gai katsudo at landing (airport immigration) or later at a regional immigration bureau
⏱️ Limit: 28 hours per week during term time, combined across all jobs
⏱️ During spring, summer and winter school breaks, the daily cap rises to 8 hours
🏠 Adult entertainment and gambling-related businesses are off limits regardless of hours
Keep pay slips and a simple hours log. Immigration checks this at visa renewal
The permission you need before working
A Student (ryugaku) visa does not include the right to work by default. Before taking any paid job, a Vietnamese student in Japan needs shikaku-gai katsudo kyoka, permission to engage in an activity outside what the visa status normally allows (Immigration Services Agency of Japan ).
Most students apply for this at the airport on arrival, where immigration can stamp the permission directly onto the residence card during landing procedures. Students who did not apply at landing, or who need to update it, apply later at a regional immigration bureau.
The hour limits
| Period | Limit |
|---|---|
| Regular school term | 28 hours per week |
| Spring, summer and winter school breaks | Up to 8 hours per day |
The 28-hour cap applies to total hours across every job combined, not 28 hours at each workplace separately. A student working 20 hours at one job and 15 at another is over the limit even though neither job alone looks excessive.
Work that is off limits
Jobs connected to the adult entertainment industry and to gambling-related businesses, including pachinko parlors, are banned for students under shikaku-gai katsudo, regardless of hours or pay. This applies even to roles that seem unrelated to the core business, such as kitchen or cleaning work at a venue that falls into a banned category.
Why compliance matters
Immigration checks part-time work history at every residence status renewal. Consistently working over the hour limit, or working in a banned industry, is grounds to refuse a renewal, and in serious cases can lead to deportation and future difficulty getting a Japanese visa of any type. Language schools and universities also monitor attendance, and immigration cross-checks attendance records against claimed study status when reviewing a student's file.
Separate from tax rules
The 28-hour immigration limit is not the same as any tax-free income threshold. Staying under 28 hours a week keeps a student's visa status compliant, but income above certain levels can still trigger Japanese income tax and residence tax obligations. Check current thresholds with the school's international student office or a tax advisor rather than assuming the visa hour limit and the tax-free income limit are the same number.
Staying compliant
Keep every pay slip and a running log of hours worked across all jobs, updated weekly rather than reconstructed later.
Tell each employer you are on a student visa with an hour cap. Employers who regularly hire foreign students already build shift schedules around it.
Confirm a new job is not in a banned category before accepting it, especially izakaya or bar work, since some venues sit closer to the adult entertainment line than they first appear.
Recheck your permission is current whenever you renew your residence status. Shikaku-gai katsudo is tied to the residence period, not permanent once granted.