This article is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails. Read the Japanese original（日本語版を読む）
The absence of a cap does not mean that hiring in bulk without a plan is allowed. Hiring a large number of people one after another can lead to doubts about whether your management structure is over capacity and whether your business is stable. What screening looks at is one thing only: whether you have a structure that lets you train and keep employing these people responsibly after you accept them.
An enquiry from an accepting organisation in the building cleaning business about hiring a large number of people and how screening treats it.
It is precisely because there is no limit on numbers that hiring many people, and hiring continuously, without careful thought carries a risk of casting doubt on your company's structure and the stability of your business.
No cap is set, and for that very reason the actual state of the business is looked at strictly.
Under the 特定技能 system, a cap on the number of workers accepted is set for some fields, such as nursing care and the construction industry. A field with no cap, such as the building cleaning business, is treated that way because the state has judged that the shortage of workers there is especially serious, and securing labour through foreign workers is an urgent task.
Having no limit on numbers gives you a high degree of freedom. On the other side, the 地方出入国在留管理局 (Regional Immigration Services Bureau) checks the actual state of your business, and your structure for training and managing foreign workers, more strictly, from the point of view of "whether the absence of a limit is being abused".
It may leave a poor impression in 3 respects: your management structure, the stability of your business, and the purpose of the system.
Where you accept many 特定技能 workers at once, the question arises of "whether the management structure of the accepting organisation or the 登録支援機関 (registered support organisation) can cope with that number". Specifically, the following points are looked at.
A situation where you suddenly need many workers can suggest a lack of stability that comes with rapid business expansion, or raise the suspicion that you are hiring simply to get through a temporary busy period. Your most recent financial statements and sales forecasts are checked to see whether a business of a size to match the extra staff, and stable earnings, can be expected.
The 特定技能 system aims not only at securing labour, but also at developing people who can play an active part in the field concerned. Where an unnatural number of workers is accepted, or where people keep leaving after a short time, the authorities become wary that this is a substitute for improper use of the 技能実習制度 (the Technical Intern Training system), or simply "lending people". They look at whether the duties of the foreign national you are applying for are work that is at the core of building cleaning, rather than incidental tasks.
3 preparations: applying in stages, proving your support structure, and explaining the stability of the company.
On the number of workers each support officer looks after (支援担当者1人あたり), no uniform cap is set under the law as it stands. However, under the amendment that comes into force on 1 April 2027 (令和9年4月1日), a new standard is created: fewer than 50 people holding 在留資格「特定技能1号」 (Specified Skilled Worker (i)), and fewer than 10 特定技能所属機関 (organisations accepting them) under contract, per 支援責任者 or similar person. Building a structure now that matches your numbers is itself preparation for that new standard.
What screening really looks at is this: whether you have the structure and the will to accept one foreign worker as a member of Japanese society, to train that person responsibly, and to keep employing them steadily. Prepare your documents and build your structure carefully, so that your "planning" and your "good faith" come across.
No cap is set. This is because the state has judged that the shortage of workers there is especially serious and that securing labour through foreign workers is an urgent task. For that very reason, the actual state of the business and the management structure are looked at strictly.
3 points: whether your management structure can cope with that number, whether rapid business expansion has left you lacking stability, and whether this is a substitute for 技能実習 or simply lending people.
Apply in stages, a few at a time if you can, and explain why you need this number of people, together with objective material such as contracts and figures showing the volume of work. Show as well that you are increasing the number of support officers and that you have secured accommodation. On the number of workers each support officer looks after (支援担当者1人あたり), no uniform cap is set under the law as it stands, but under the amendment that comes into force on 1 April 2027 (令和9年4月1日) a new standard is created: fewer than 50 people holding 在留資格「特定技能1号」 (Specified Skilled Worker (i)), and fewer than 10 特定技能所属機関 (organisations accepting them) under contract, per 支援責任者 or similar person.
In addition to your most recent financial statements, explain the reasons why results are growing (the introduction of new technology, an increase in the number of clients and so on) and show that the extra staff are essential to the growth of the business. Material showing the ratio of Japanese employees is also useful.
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This page is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails.