Certificate of Eligibility
QUESTION:
I read in your column in a previous issue of the Philippine Digest about the requests of getting a certificate of eligibility (COE) for someone’s sibling. I want to acquire a COE for my brother who is an electronics and communications engineering graduate. He is 31 years old and worked for 8 years in various semiconductor companies in the Philippines and Taiwan. He is a test product engineer－final test and water test of integrated circuits－.
At present, he is employed at Philips Semiconductor Co., Philippines. My brother wants to work here in Japan as a product engineer. Does he qualify under the criteria of Japan Immigration law? If not, are there other options by which he can avail to be able to come here in Japan and work? Can you help us with our problem? Sir, we look forward to hearing from you soon.
Respectfully yours,
Virginia C. Saito
ANSWER:
According to the contents of the question of your email, your brother is considered to come under the status of residence “Engineer” and the meaning of it is as follows;
The “Engineer” is an activity to engage in services, which require technology and/or knowledge pertinent to physical science, engineering, or other natural science fields, based on a contract with a public or private organization in Japan. However, the activities of “Engineer” shall be excluding the activities under “Professor” column of Table (1) and excluding the activities described in the “Business Manager”, “Medical Services”, “Researcher”, “Instructor”, “Intra-company Transferee” and “Entertainment” columns of this Table.
For your information, the criteria of “Engineer” are as follows, and it must fulfill the following conditions. However, in cases where the applicant is to engage in a job that requires skills and/or knowledge concerning information processing, and has passed the examination on information processing skills that is designated by the Minister of Justice in the Official Gazette or has obtained the qualification on information processing skills that is designated by the Minister of Justice in the Official Gazette are except for the following conditions and in which case the condition provided in “Item-1” is not necessary to be fulfilled.
- The applicant must have graduated from or completed a course at a college or acquired equivalent education majoring in a subject relevant to the skills and/or knowledge necessary for performing the job concerned, or the applicant must have at least 10 years’ experience (including the period of time spent studying the relevant skills and/or knowledge at a college, college of technology, upper secondary school, the latter course of a secondary educational school or during a specialized course of study at an advanced vocational school.
- The applicant must receive no less salary than a Japanese national would receive for comparable work. If he comes under the above two conditions, he has a possibility to enter a country and reside in Japan as “Engineer” status of residence, which can be set to work.
However, first of all, it is important to find the company, because he does not start his work at a company which wants to employ him and use his technology and knowledge.
I am praying for his fortune.
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