SSW Visa from Myanmar: Requirements, Steps, and What to Watch Out For

Myanmar is an active sending country for Japan's Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) program, with workers predominantly entering through agriculture, food manufacturing, construction, and building cleaning. The application process from Myanmar involves several steps that require careful timing — especially because Myanmar is one of the six countries where the mandatory Japan Pre-Entry Tuberculosis Screening (JPETS) applies.

What You Need Before You Can Apply

The SSW visa is designed for "work-ready" workers. You cannot apply without first proving both your industry skills and basic Japanese language ability. These two qualifications happen before a Japanese employer can even submit your visa paperwork.

Skills evaluation test: Choose the SSW industry that matches the work you'll do in Japan. Prometric manages most computer-based skills tests, with exams offered in Myanmar multiple times per year. Tests cover your industry's technical knowledge plus practical skills. Fees range from approximately $25 to $100.

Japanese language test: You need to pass either the JFT-Basic (A2 level) or JLPT N4. The JFT-Basic is the faster option — results are available the same day and it's held up to six times per year. JLPT N4 is held only twice a year (July and December) and takes about two months to get results.

JPETS: The Mandatory TB Clearance for Myanmar Nationals

Myanmar is designated as a high TB-prevalence country by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. This means all Myanmar SSW applicants must complete the Japan Pre-Entry Tuberculosis Screening (JPETS) before receiving a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) or visa.

The process:

1. Visit a MHLW-designated Panel Clinic in Myanmar (listed on jpets.mhlw.go.jp)
2. Complete a chest X-ray
3. Receive a TB Clearance Certificate

This certificate is valid for 180 days from the X-ray date. Time this carefully — if your CoE application takes two months and then the visa application takes another month, your TB clearance needs to remain valid throughout. If it expires, you'll need to redo the screening.

Re-entry permit holders are generally exempt from JPETS on subsequent visits.

Finding a Legitimate Employer and Agency

Myanmar does not have the same government-to-government MoC infrastructure as Indonesia (BP2MI) or Vietnam (DOLAB). This makes the verification step more important — and more challenging.

The reliable way to verify:

• Check that the Japanese company (the Accepting Organization) is registered with Japan's Immigration Services Agency. Search the company name on the ISA's official portal at ssw.go.jp.
• If you're working with a sending organization in Myanmar, verify them on the OTIT (Organization for Technical Intern Training) approved-organizations list at otit.go.jp.

Any recruiter asking you to pay a fee of several thousand dollars for "placement" or "visa assistance" is operating illegally under Japanese law. Legitimate Japanese employers — and the Registered Support Organizations (RSOs) they hire — cannot charge workers for recruitment or support services. RSO fees (typically ¥20,000–¥40,000 per month) must be paid entirely by the employer.

The Application Process, Step by Step

1. Pass skills and language tests in Myanmar
2. Get your JPETS TB clearance from a designated Panel Clinic
3. Find a registered Japanese employer through a verified sending organization or direct search on SSW industry portals
4. Sign an employment contract specifying a salary equal to what Japanese workers earn for that role
5. Employer submits CoE application to the Regional Immigration Bureau in Japan — takes 1 to 3 months
6. Receive your CoE, then take it to the Japanese Embassy in Yangon for visa issuance — approximately 5 to 10 days
7. Enter Japan within 3 months of the CoE issue date. Your Zairyu Card (residence card) is issued at the airport on arrival.

Document Checklist for Myanmar Applicants

• Valid passport
• SSW skills test pass certificate
• JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 certificate
• JPETS TB Clearance Certificate from a Panel Clinic
• Health checkup card (completed by a physician, with Japanese translation)
• 4cm × 3cm photographs
• Resume / work history
• CoE (issued by the employer in Japan)

If you previously completed TITP Type 2 in the same industry, add: Technical Intern Training completion certificate. This exempts you from both the language and skills tests.

Legitimate Costs for Myanmar Applicants

These are the only legitimate costs. Total: approximately $400 to $1,000. Any fee described as "placement," "processing," or a "deposit" on top of this is not part of the legal SSW process.

What Life in Japan Looks Like on SSW

Your employer is legally required to provide a set of ten support services on SSW Type 1. These include:

• Pre-arrival orientation about your contract and life in Japan
• Airport pickup on arrival
• Help finding housing and setting up utilities
• Assistance with city hall registration, bank account setup, and mobile phone
• Life orientation (public transport, emergency procedures, social rules)
• Access to Japanese language learning resources
• A complaint and consultation system in your native language
• Quarterly check-ins with your employer and a support coordinator

If your employer is small and doesn't have bilingual staff to provide these services directly, they are required by law to contract a Registered Support Organization (RSO) to handle it on their behalf. Confirm which RSO your employer uses before you accept the job offer.

Salaries are set by the Japanese Labour Standards Act — equal to what Japanese workers earn for the same role in the same region. You are enrolled in Shakai Hoken (health insurance and employee pension). The pension is partially refundable as a Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment when you leave Japan after several years of contributions.

SSW Type 1 allows a maximum total stay of five years, with annual renewals. Family members cannot join you during this period. The path to bringing your family and staying long-term is SSW Type 2, which requires passing an advanced supervisory-level skills exam and typically two or more years of leadership experience on SSW Type 1.

The Japan Specified Skilled Worker Visa Guide walks through the full process step by step — including industry selection, test preparation strategy, employer verification, document assembly, and your rights once you're in Japan.

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