Bulletin No. 01 VisaCompass Japan
Waitlist
The new visa rule is already in effect

Your Japan visa just got harder. Don't let your renewal fail.

As of April 15, 2026, Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services visa renewals require JLPT N2 or BJT 400+. If yours is coming up — we'll help you stay.

Reserve your early-bird spot See who this affects

JLPT registration is still open for the July 2026 exam. BJT runs year-round.

Effect · April 15, 2026
33 days since rule took effect
Not a countdown. A standing notice.
Window · July 5, 2026
47 days to the next JLPT
Registration open · BJT runs year-round
Section I
The personas.

Three letters from r/japanlife . Not invented; just visible.

Three of 475,000
· Reddit · 2025–26
M
Marisa
23 · JET ALT · contract ends Aug
No JLPT D−72 to renewal
I never signed up for the JLPT — it was never required. The new visa rule came out 2 days after the N2 registration closed. I'm scared I'll have to leave.
r/japanlife · u/Unusual_Foot5099 — 1 of 3
R
Raj
32 · Backend engineer · 10y in Japan
JLPT N1 Wants PR
I've paid every tax, every pension contribution, on time. I was expecting a 3-year extension so I could apply for PR. Immigration gave me 1 year. No reason given.
r/japanlife · u/MaddeningDay 895 ↑
A
Anna
29 · Spouse visa · divorce in progress
Spouse visa Renewal blocked
My visa was expiring and my wife wouldn't help me renew it. Immigration wanted to see her koseki and she refused. Finally immigration had to call her directly.
r/japanlife · u/consistently_random_ — 3 of 3
Section II
What we build.

Four tools. One file , one calendar, one place that speaks English.

In beta · early-bird
· Q3 2026 launch
01 · Compliance Calendar
Coming soon

One calendar, every deadline .

Residence card. Tax. Pension. JLPT. Re-entry. Renewals.

All your obligations on a single timeline — auto-pulled from your ward, your visa class, and your work. No more what month does my juuminhyou renew, again?

Personal Auto-sync Ward-aware
Get notified at launch →
Next 12 months 7 events
Jul 05 JLPT exam window action
Sep 30 Resident tax · Q2 due
Dec 02 BJT · backup option
Mar '27 Renewal window opens critical
02 · AI Notice Translator
Coming soon

Snap a photo. Get an English summary .

What the letter actually means. What to do. By when.

Government letters arrive in dense legal Japanese. We translate, summarise, and surface the deadline — so 領収 doesn't surprise you as forced wage garnishment.

OCR · JP→EN Deadline detector Action steps
Get notified at launch →
Scan → summary EN
Resident tax · final notice. ¥31,800 by May 30 — late payment triggers wage garnishment.
Source · Shinjuku-ku · conf. 0.96
03 · HSFP + PR Planner

See your PR path, today .

Plug in your degree, salary, age, JLPT. Get the route.

We score your Highly-Skilled points the same way Immigration does — and surface the fastest legal path to permanent residence. Try the live calculator below.

Live scoring What-if PR fast-track
Highly-skilled points You · 75
Needed for fast-track PR 75/80
Degree +20 Income +20 JLPT N1 +15 Exp +10 Age +10
Try with your own numbers ↓
04 · Category + 理由書
Coming soon

Survive Category 3 / 4 .

Detect your employer's category. Draft the statement of reasons.

Immigration's company-category logic is hidden. We auto-classify your employer and draft the 理由書 — the same playbook lawyers charge ¥150,000 for.

Auto-detect 理由書 draft Filed by 行政書士
Get notified at launch →
Employer category Cat 3 · detected
Cat 1 A Cat 2 B+ Cat 3 C Cat 4 D
理由書 generator · ready · 12 reasons drafted from your employer profile.
Try the math
HSFP calculator.

Five sliders. No signup. Your route to PR in under a minute.

Pure client-side
· no data leaves your browser
Try it · works in your browser

Your Highly-Skilled points

Your score
0
Fast-track at 80
Education
Annual income
Work experience
Age
Japanese level
Verdict

Adjust the inputs above to see your route.

It would be nice if the government just had an online portal that listed all the payments and rules. One single website where I can know whether all my payments are made and on-time.
r/japanlife · posted weeks before the new visa rule took effect 87 ↑

The government won't build that portal. So we're building it — focused, English-first, integrated with the certified immigration scriveners who can actually file your paperwork when needed.

We are not a law firm. We are software with a phone tree of 申請取次行政書士 behind it. Independent. Honest. Already in effect.

Section III
The waitlist.

Tell us about your case. We'll reach out before the next exam.

Early-bird
· free · capped
Early-bird

Reserve your spot. Free during beta.

We're onboarding renewals due in 2026 first. Tell us about your case — we'll match you to a scrivener and a study plan before your window opens.

  • Personal compliance calendar, day one
  • Letter translator credits during beta
  • Direct intro to a partnering 行政書士 if you need one
  • Priority on the Q3 2026 launch
Current visa
Japanese level
What would you pay per month?

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