Japan’s Highly-Skilled Professional (HSP) visa is the most desirable long-term residency option for Indian professionals in Japan — offering a path to permanent residence in as little as one to three years compared to the standard ten-year wait. This guide explains exactly how the points system works, and how the JLPT N1 + BJT combination maximises language points for Indian IT professionals and engineers.
How the HSP Points System Works
The HSP visa (在留資格 高度専門職) awards points across five categories: academic background (up to 30 points for a doctoral degree), professional career experience (up to 20 points for 10+ years), annual salary (up to 40 points for ¥10M+), job category and special achievements (bonus points for patents, research publications, designated universities), and language proficiency (up to 40 points). The HSP1 visa requires 70 points; the accelerated track for 3-year PR (instead of 5-year) requires 80 points; the 1-year PR track requires 80 points with a special exemption. Language points are among the most controllable and achievable points in the entire grid — making them the strategic focus for most Indian candidates optimising their HSP application.
Language Points Options
Language points in the HSP grid are available for Japanese proficiency and for English proficiency (if Japanese is not your native language). For Japanese: JLPT N1 = 15 points, JLPT N2 = 10 points, BJT J1+ (600+) = 40 points, BJT J2 (520–599) = 30 points, BJT J3 (420–519) = 20 points. For English: an IELTS 7.0 or PTE 65+ or equivalent adds further bonus points if claimed. The maximum language points from Japanese alone is 40 (via BJT J1+). Importantly, you can claim both Japanese and English language points simultaneously — a candidate with BJT J1+ (+40) and IELTS 7.0 (+bonus) can achieve maximum language points in the grid.
Optimal Strategy for Indian IT Professionals
A typical Indian IT professional with a B.Tech and five years of experience might accumulate approximately 60–65 base HSP points from education, experience, and salary. Adding JLPT N1 (+15 pts) brings this to 75–80 pts — enough for HSP1 but not consistently above 80 for fast-track PR. Adding BJT J1+ (+40 pts) instead of N1 alone brings the total to around 100 pts — well into the 80-point fast-track zone. The optimal language strategy for most Indian IT professionals in Japan is: pass JLPT N2 first (for employer recognition and work eligibility), then invest in JLPT N1 and BJT simultaneously to maximise HSP points. Practice JLPT and BJT format mocks at LanguageTest.in to benchmark your current language level and build a realistic timeline toward your target point total.
Ready to practise for JLPT? Take a full-length JLPT mock test at LanguageTest.in — AI-graded, timed, and structured exactly like the real exam.
Ready to practice?