Five Points Registered Support Organizations Should Consider When the Specified Skilled Worker “Food Service Industry” Cap Is Reached

Introduction: Purpose of This Document

On March 27, 2026, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan announced that the number of Specified Skilled Worker (i) residents in the food service sector is expected to reach the acceptance cap of 50,000, and indicated a policy of, in principle, suspending new acceptance from April 13 onward.

Many readers have likely already reviewed the Immigration Services Agency announcement itself. Rather than summarizing the announcement, this document organizes five issues directly tied to management decisions for registered support organizations.

Issue 1: Quantifying “Remaining Capacity” in Other Sectors

When considering shifting personnel from food service to other sectors, the most important decision-making factor is “which sectors have how much remaining capacity.” The following figures are based on publicly released data.

† Expected acceptance figures are based on the Cabinet Decision of March 29, 2024, according to materials published by the Immigration Services Agency. For food service, the Immigration Services Agency announcement of March 27, 2026 explicitly states “50,000.” Note that the expected acceptance figures were revised by the Cabinet Decision of January 23, 2026, with a total of 805,700 across all sectors, and the latest sector-by-sector figures should be confirmed through information published by the Immigration Services Agency. Resident numbers are from Table 2 of the Immigration Services Agency’s “Number of Specified Skilled Worker (i) Foreign Nationals Residing in Japan (as of the end of June 2025).” Note that the figures have increased further as of April 2026.

Issue 2: Practical Hurdles in Changing Sectors — The Barrier of Non-Interchangeable Exams

It is often said that “workers can simply move from food service to food and beverage manufacturing,” but caution is required because the skills evaluation exams are not interchangeable.

Procedures Required to Move from Food Service to Food and Beverage Manufacturing

Route for Technical Intern Training Completers

When Technical Intern Training (ii) has been completed in good standing, the Specified Skilled Worker sectors available for transition are designated by job category.

• Medical and welfare facility meal preparation work → Food service and food and beverage manufacturing; transition to both is possible
• Technical intern training occupations related to food and beverage manufacturing → Food and beverage manufacturing; skills exam exempted
• No technical intern training occupation directly corresponds to food service

Issue 3: What Can Be Done by April 13 — Practical Judgment on Last-Minute Applications

Only about ten days remain. A calm assessment is required.

Items That May Still Be Possible

• Application for permission to change status of residence for residents in Japan: Applications “accepted before” April 13 will be processed sequentially within the expected acceptance limit. However, examination usually takes two to three months, so this means “getting onto the examination track,” not a guarantee of approval.
• Application for Certificate of Eligibility for new entrants from overseas: Same as above. However, the Immigration Services Agency has explicitly stated that it will prioritize processing changes of status of residence for residents in Japan, so issuance of COEs is expected to face considerable delays.

Issue 4: Reassessing Specified Skilled Worker (ii) as an “Alternative Route”

Often overlooked, Specified Skilled Worker (ii) is not counted toward the expected acceptance limit or cap. This has been the consistent treatment since the system began in 2019.

In other words:

• Even if the SSW(i) cap of 50,000 in food service is reached, transitioning to SSW(ii) in food service avoids the cap restriction
• The SSW(ii) evaluation exam for food service is being conducted, following the expansion of eligible sectors from 2023
• However, SSW(ii) requires “skilled expertise,” including at least two years of practical experience, passing the SSW(ii) evaluation exam, and Japanese Language Proficiency Test N3 or higher

Use Cases for Registered Support Organizations

Foreign personnel who have been staying in Japan as SSW(i) in food service for three to four years are at the stage to consider transitioning to SSW(ii). By transitioning to SSW(ii):

• The maximum period of stay no longer applies; renewals are possible
• Accompanying family members become possible
• Support obligations by registered support organizations no longer apply, meaning委託 fee revenue for registered support organizations disappears

Issue 5: Predicting the “Next Sector to Stop” and Acting First

Food service is the first sector in the Specified Skilled Worker system to reach the acceptance cap in the form of a full-scale long-term suspension. There was a precedent in 2022 when the industrial machinery manufacturing sector temporarily stopped due to exceeding its cap, but it was resolved in a short period through the integration of the three manufacturing sectors. However, other sectors carry the same risk.

Sectors to Watch in Order of High Utilization Rate

1. Food and Beverage Manufacturing (utilization rate approx. 60%): This sector has the largest number of residents and a fast growth pace. Inflows from food service may accelerate this further. There is a risk that a cap issue will become apparent in two to three years.
2. Construction (utilization rate approx. 54%): There are also limits based on each company’s number of regular employees, so the sense of tightness is greater than the sector-wide figures suggest.
3. Agriculture (utilization rate approx. 45%): Due to seasonality, the utilization rate fluctuates throughout the year, but the trend is upward.

Implications for Registered Support Organization Management Strategy

• Dependence on a single sector is a management risk. Registered support organizations that grew as food-service specialists are the most affected this time.
• Organizations should quickly build systems capable of handling multiple sectors, including administrative scrivener networks, exam information, and customer bases.
• Whether cross-sector application management is possible within the system will determine the competitiveness of registered support organizations going forward.

Summary: Three Actions

This document was prepared based on publicly available information as of April 3, 2026. Please confirm the latest operational status through information published by the Immigration Services Agency.
This document is intended to provide general information and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult an administrative scrivener or other professional regarding decisions on individual applications.