Japan Highly Skilled Professional Visa: The Privilege of Bringing a Domestic Helper and Your Objective Legal Obligations as an “Employer”

This article is written by a Japanese local.

One of the most attractive privileges of Japan’s “Highly Skilled Professional” (HSP) visa is the ability to bring a “domestic helper” (maid or nanny) previously employed in your home country or previous posting location to Japan. While this is a privilege generally strictly denied under standard work visas, assuming it is “easy to just bring a maid along” will lead to serious compliance violations.

Bringing a domestic helper means you become an “employer bound by labor laws” in Japan. This article explains the strict requirements where the Immigration Control Act and Japanese Labor Law intersect, and the absolute compliance regulations you must adhere to as an employer.

1. The “Absolute Requirements” to be Permitted to Bring a Helper

[Summary] A household annual income of over 10 million JPY is mandatory. For new hires, objective proof of strict family circumstances, such as “having a child under 13,” is required.

To obtain a visa (Designated Activities) for a domestic helper, strict conditions are imposed on both the household of the HSP holder (you) and the domestic helper themselves.

(1) The “10 Million JPY” Household Income Wall

It is an absolute requirement that your annual income (or the combined income with your spouse) is at least 10 million JPY. If this financial capacity cannot be objectively proven, Immigration will determine that you “lack the ability to properly employ a domestic helper at Japanese price levels,” and the application will be denied.

(2) Differences Between “Continued Employment” and “New Employment”

[When bringing them with you from abroad (Continued Employment)]
You must have a past track record (employment contracts and salary payment records) proving you have “continuously employed the domestic helper for over 1 year” prior to your relocation to Japan.

[When hiring a new helper in Japan or bringing a new one from your home country (New Employment)]
You will not be granted permission simply because you want someone to do housework. There must be a clear and reasonable justification (proven by medical certificates or resident records), such as having a “child under 13 years old” in the household or a “spouse who is unable to engage in daily housework due to illness.”

2. The Greatest Risk: The “200,000 JPY or More” Monthly Payment and Evidence Preservation

[Summary] Home country salary standards do not apply. You must pay a minimum of 200,000 JPY monthly via “bank transfer” to retain objective evidence for Immigration’s renewal screening.

The biggest pitfall for many foreign executives is setting the remuneration amount and payment method. The logic of “I hired them for 50,000 JPY a month in my home country, so the same amount is fine in Japan” is entirely unacceptable under the Immigration Control Act.

The law explicitly mandates paying the domestic helper “a remuneration of 200,000 JPY or more per month.” Furthermore, paying this “in cash” is extremely dangerous. When the domestic helper’s visa is up for renewal, Immigration will demand proof that you are “actually paying 200,000 JPY every month.” Without the objective evidence of bank transfer history, you will be suspected of “sham employment” or “promoting illegal labor.” Not only will the helper’s visa renewal be denied, but it will also severely impact your own legal status as the employer.

3. Legal Management as a “Worker,” Not “Family”

[Summary] Japanese Labor Standards apply. You must fulfill employer responsibilities, including covering return flight costs and reporting job separations to Immigration.

While the domestic helper might feel like family, under Japanese law, they are a fully recognized “worker” with whom you have concluded an “employment contract.”

You are required to treat them in accordance with the Japanese Labor Standards Act, providing appropriate working hours, holidays, and living environments. Additionally, as an absolute rule at the time of employment, the contract must explicitly state—and you have the obligation to fulfill—that “the employer will fully bear the return travel expenses (e.g., flight tickets) when the domestic helper departs Japan.”

4. Practical Q&A: Taxes and Trouble Handling

[Summary] Domestic helpers are subject to Japanese taxes and social insurance. If they abscond, you must report it to Immigration immediately to maintain your own compliance.

Q. Do I need to deduct taxes and insurance premiums from the domestic helper’s salary?

A. Yes. As residents of Japan, domestic helpers are obligated to pay income tax and residence tax. As the employer, you have a duty to handle appropriate tax processing in salary calculations and, if necessary, support their declarations to the Japanese tax office.

Q. What should I do if we have a dispute and I fire them (or if they run away)?

A. You must immediately (within 14 days) submit a “Notification Concerning the Contracting Organization (Report of Separation)” to the Immigration Services Agency. Since the domestic helper’s visa is premised on “working under you,” the premise of the visa collapses the moment the employment contract ends, and as a rule, they must return to their home country. Failing to report this or turning a blind eye to them working illegally elsewhere will result in a negative evaluation when you renew your own HSP visa.

Conclusion: Privilege Comes with “Japanese Compliance”

Bringing a domestic helper is a powerful privilege that dramatically improves an executive’s life in Japan. However, it comes with “grave responsibilities as an employer based on Japanese law.”

If you neglect building a solid legal framework that clears both Immigration and Labor laws—such as drafting employment contracts, preserving monthly bank transfer records, tax processing, and rules for covering return expenses—your own stay in Japan will be jeopardized. Discard personal emotions and home-country customs, and strictly enforce labor management in accordance with Japan’s rigorous laws.