Japan starts issuing trainee visas

TOKYO: Japan has started issuing visas to Pakistani interns/trainees under the Technical Intern Training Programme (TITP) system in Japan, a statement said on Friday.

Under the system, Pakistanis with eighteen years of age and above would be eligible go to Japan for one year, three years, or five years respectively in eighty-five different work categories.

A prerequisite for obtaining a visa under the TITP is Japanese language proficiency for daily use and relevant work. At present, two public sector organisations in Pakistan, Overseas Employment Corporation and National University of Technology, under the TITP, are making agreements with Japanese organisations with the help of the Embassy of Pakistan in Tokyo, who intend to employ interns/trainees in Japan.

Both the institutions are currently working on a demand of various Japanese institutions and six interns/trainees trained by the National University of Technology have been issued visas by the Government of Japan. The interns/trainees can change their visa category to skilled worker after working as interns for three years.

In addition to the interns/trainees, the process of issuing visas to four interns/trainees of the Overseas Employment Corporation and more than fifty interns/trainees of the National University of Technology is in progress.

On instructions of the ambassador of Pakistan Raza Bashir Tarar, the Pakistani embassy is trying day and night for more and more Pakistani interns/trainees jobs in Japan. In that regard, the number of Pakistani interns/trainees in Japan can reach thousands in the future with the support of the Federal Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Development of Human Resources and the Federal Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.