That wish gave Office Ray its name. For people coming to Japan from overseas, the first days bring something new at every turn: the language, the systems, the rules of daily life. A workplace is where people earn a living, and it also shapes their future. That is why we think about the workplace starting from each worker’s life.
Registered Support Organization
A workplace people choosecan light up a life.
Under the Specified Skilled Worker system, workers can choose where they work.
What matters is getting procedures right, and every day that follows.
Starting from each worker’s life, language, and future,
we work with companies to build workplaces worth staying in.
Office Ray is a Registered Support Organization for Specified Skilled Workers.
People put down roots
in the places they choose.
Our view
In April 2019, Specified Skilled Worker status was created as a status of residence for accepting foreign nationals with a certain level of expertise and skills, in response to Japan’s worsening labor shortage. Within the same job category, among other cases, workers can move to a new workplace once they obtain permission to change their status of residence. The choice is the worker’s.
SSW (i) allows a total stay of up to five years, in principle. Will those five years carry on to SSW (ii), and to life with family? We believe the deciding factors are not only wages and the work itself, but also a stable daily life, being able to communicate, and a future workers can picture with their families.
We deliver the support the law requires, reliably. Then, together with the company as the employer, we put in place, one by one, the reasons for workers to put down roots here. That is Office Ray’s work.
01About
About Us
Our story and philosophy
For people facing hardship,
we want to be a ray of light.
02Context
Specified Skilled Workers in numbers
The worker chooses.
The workplace is put to the test.
The number of people living in Japan with Specified Skilled Worker status grew from 1,621 at the end of December 2019 to 444,256 at the end of June 2026. The government has set the projected intake of Specified Skilled Workers through the end of March 2029 at 805,700, a figure applied as the upper limit. As the numbers grow, we believe workers will more often compare workplaces and choose between them.
In 2023, SSW (ii), the path to working in Japan for the long term, was expanded to 11 fields. Can a workplace carry the five years of SSW (i) on to SSW (ii)? We suggest sharing the path to SSW (ii) with workers from the time they are hired.
444,256Specified Skilled Workers in JapanEnd of June 2026 (preliminary). SSW (i): 425,961; SSW (ii): 18,295
2.3timesGrowth in SSW (ii)From 7,955 at the end of December 2025 to 18,295 six months later (about 2.3 times). A status with no limit on renewals that allows workers who meet the requirements to live with their families
805,700Projected intake of Specified Skilled WorkersThrough the end of March 2029. Cabinet decision of January 23, 2026
2027.4A turning point for the systemRevised support-system requirements for SSW (i), and the start of the Employment for Skill Development system
Sources: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, “Key points on the number of Specified Skilled Workers in Japan (end of June 2026)” (September 2026); “Operational status of the Specified Skilled Worker system”; “Main provisions of the field-specific operational policies” (Cabinet decision of January 23, 2026); and “Revision of the support-system requirements for Specified Skilled Workers (i)” (all in Japanese). Residence figures are preliminary.
03Business
Services
Explore our services
01Support
Support for Specified Skilled Workers
We take on all 10 support items required by law, from advance guidance to interviews at least once every three months, in a language the worker fully understands.
Learn more 02In-houseIn-house support consultation
For companies that already provide support in-house, or want to switch to it. With the April 2027 revision of requirements in view, we offer consultation on your support system, support plan, and how to run interviews and keep records.
Learn more 03PhilippinesHiring from the Philippines
Hiring Philippine nationals requires procedures on the Philippine side, separate from Japan’s residence procedures. We offer consultation on applications to the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) and can attend the interview as an interpreter.
Learn more 04LanguageInterpreting and translation
Interpreting and translation between Japanese and Tagalog or English, at the request of companies: for job interviews, explanations of employment terms, and other settings where accurate understanding is the basis of every promise.
Learn more 05FAQFrequently asked questions
Differences from Technical Intern Training, outsourcing support, workers changing jobs, the path to SSW (ii), and costs. We answer what you will want to confirm before hiring, based on the facts of the system.
Learn more04Today
Registration and how we support
2022RegistrationA Registered Support Organization registered by the Commissioner of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (22登-007707)
4languagesConsultation languagesIndonesian, Tagalog, English, and Vietnamese
10itemsSupport under the planWe take on all support required by law
2waysSupport optionsFull outsourcing of support, and consultation on in-house support
As of October 2026
05News
News
View allOn the record
Everything,
in plain view.
Registered Support Organizations provide support under registration by the Commissioner of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan. Office Ray publishes its approach to support under the law, its approach to protecting workers’ rights and livelihoods, and its registration details. The registration details can also be checked in the registry published by the Immigration Services Agency.
Contact
Before you decide,
let's talk.
Whether to accept workers, outsource support or do it in-house —
we welcome consultations even before you have decided.
Work can bring light into people’s lives.