Japan to Merge Visa Quotas to Reopen Foreign Meal-Prep Jobs for Hospitals

Japan halted visas for foreign meal-preparation workers when the food-service sector reached 49,290 of its 50,000-person quota. To remedy severe staffing gaps in hospitals, nursing homes and schools, officials intend to fold the meal-service category into the food-and-beverage manufacturing quota, which still has unused slots under the Specified Skilled Worker (i) program. The merger proposal will be presented to an expert panel within the month, with a cabinet decision expected by year-end, allowing the resumption of visas for medical and welfare facilities while keeping the suspension for restaurants.

The Specified Skilled Worker scheme caps at 805,700 workers through FY2028, covering industries where domestic labor falls short. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has been conducting a fact-finding survey, and the Immigration Services Agency notes that foreign workers in food-and-beverage manufacturing total 101,922, approaching its own limit of 133,500.