# 出入国管理及び難民認定法 / Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act — 第二十条の二 (Article 20-2) This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/ja/immigration-control-act/art-20-2. Every law, and how to address a provision: https://japanlaw.org/llms.txt. The same laws as MCP tools (no sign-in): https://japanlaw.org/mcp. - Law: 出入国管理及び難民認定法 (Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act), 昭和二十六年政令第三百十九号 - English title "Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act": Ministry of Justice translation - Kind: Act — the distinction between 法律 (Act), 政令 (Cabinet Order), 省令 (Ministerial Order) and 条例 (local ordinance) decides who may issue it and what it may say. - Issued as a Cabinet Order and given the force of an Act, which is why its number says 政令: Some rules made during the Allied occupation were issued as Cabinet Orders, as orders implementing Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration, and an Act passed in 1952 gave them the force of an Act. They keep the Cabinet Order number they were issued under, which is why e-Gov lists the law as an Act while its number says 政令 (Cabinet Order). The Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (出入国管理及び難民認定法) is one: it was promulgated in 1951 as the Immigration Control Order (出入国管理令), Cabinet Order No. 319 of 1951, has had the force of an Act under Article 4 of Act No. 126 of 1952, took its present title on 1 January 1982, and every amendment on e-Gov's record of it was made by an Act. - Provision: 第二十条の二 (Article 20-2)（高度専門職の在留資格の変更の特則） — address `art-20-2` - Text in force since: 2026-10-01 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/ja/immigration-control-act/art-20-2 - e-Gov law ID: 326CO0000000319 — never renamed. A permanent link, `/l/{lawId}/{address}` on this site, redirects to the page. - Every provision below carries its address and its URL on the line under it. - Japanese text: e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁). English: as marked on each line below. Only the Japanese as published by the government has legal effect; the text below is a copy of it. Every English rendering below is a translation and says which kind: the Ministry of Justice's translation, or this site's machine translation, whose model and date the Sources list names. They are never merged and never substituted for one another. --- ### 第二十条の二（高度専門職の在留資格の変更の特則） — (Special Provision on Changes to the Status of Residence of "Highly Skilled Professional") caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System art-20-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/immigration-control-act/art-20-2 **第一項** 高度専門職の在留資格（別表第一の二の表の高度専門職の項の下欄第二号に係るものに限る。）への変更は、前条第一項の規定にかかわらず、高度専門職の在留資格（同表の高度専門職の項の下欄第一号イからハまでに係るものに限る。）をもつて本邦に在留していた外国人でなければ受けることができない。 art-20-2/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/immigration-control-act/art-20-2/par-1 Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, the change to the status of residence of "Highly Skilled Professional" (limited to those pertaining to item (ii) of the right-hand column under "Highly Skilled Professional" in the Appended Table I (2)) may not be granted, unless it is for a foreign national residing in Japan with the status of residence of "Highly Skilled Professional" (limited to those pertaining to item (i), sub-items (a) through (c) in the right-hand column pertaining to "Highly Skilled Professional" in the same Table). Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第二項** 法務大臣は、外国人から前条第二項の規定による高度専門職の在留資格（別表第一の二の表の高度専門職の項の下欄第二号に係るものに限る。）への変更の申請があつたときは、当該外国人が法務省令で定める基準に適合する場合でなければ、これを許可することができない。 art-20-2/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/immigration-control-act/art-20-2/par-2 If the Minister of Justice receives an application from a foreign national for a change to the status of residence of "Highly Skilled Professional" (limited to those pertaining to item (ii) in the right-hand column pertaining to "Highly Skilled Professional" in the Appended Table I (2)) pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (2) of the preceding Article, the Minister may not grant permission for the change unless the foreign national conforms to the standards provided for by Ministry of Justice Order. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第三項** 法務大臣は、前項の法務省令を定めようとするときは、あらかじめ、関係行政機関の長と協議するものとする。 art-20-2/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/immigration-control-act/art-20-2/par-3 The Minister of Justice is to consult with the heads of the related administrative organs in advance, when seeking to establish the Ministry of Justice Order set forth in the preceding paragraph. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System --- ## Cites - art-20-2/par-1: 別表第一の二 → 出入国管理及び難民認定法 別表第一 (Appended Table 1), appdx-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/immigration-control-act/appdx-1 - art-20-2/par-1: 前条第一項 → 出入国管理及び難民認定法 第二十条第一項 (Article 20, paragraph (1)), art-20/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/immigration-control-act/art-20/par-1 - art-20-2/par-2: 前条第二項 → 出入国管理及び難民認定法 第二十条第二項 (Article 20, paragraph (2)), art-20/par-2 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/immigration-control-act/art-20/par-2 - art-20-2/par-2: 別表第一の二 → 出入国管理及び難民認定法 別表第一 (Appended Table 1), appdx-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/immigration-control-act/appdx-1 - art-20-2/par-3: 前項 → 出入国管理及び難民認定法 第二十条の二第二項 (Article 20-2, paragraph (2)), art-20-2/par-2 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/immigration-control-act/art-20-2/par-2 ## Cited by 6 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction. - 出入国管理及び難民認定法 第二十条第一項（在留資格の変更） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/immigration-control-act/art-20/par-1 - 出入国管理及び難民認定法 第二十条の二第三項（高度専門職の在留資格の変更の特則） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/immigration-control-act/art-20-2/par-3 - 出入国管理及び難民認定法 附則第五条第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/immigration-control-act/suppl-4211-79/art-5/par-1 - 出入国管理及び難民認定法 附則第三条第五項（在留資格に関する経過措置） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/immigration-control-act/suppl-4261-74/art-3/par-5 - 出入国管理及び難民認定法第二十条の二第二項の基準を定める省令 制定文（一） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/highly-skilled-professional-ii-criteria-ordinance/enact-1 (e-Gov law ID 421M60000010051) - 出入国管理及び難民認定法第二十条の二第二項の基準を定める省令 第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/highly-skilled-professional-ii-criteria-ordinance/par-1 (e-Gov law ID 421M60000010051) --- ## Sources - e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 出入国管理及び難民認定法 — the text in force from 2026-10-01 (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/326CO0000000319/20261001_508AC0000000032), retrieved 2026-10-05 - Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act — Ministry of Justice translation (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3624/tb), retrieved 2026-09-13 - This site's parser, version 225 — 出入国管理及び難民認定法 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-10-05