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What to Include in an Employment Contract for a Sponsored Chef

The master contract for a chef hired from Japan: fourteen clauses with English wording and a Japanese rendering, what the law requires in writing in the UK, Singapore, Australia, Ontario, New York and Japan, the five fields that must match the visa, and where visa cost clawback is banned.

Updated September 27, 2026 WashokuJob

A contract for a sponsored chef needs fourteen clauses: parties and start date tied to visa grant, title and duties matching the visa occupation, place of work, base pay, hours and rest days, overtime, leave, probation, notice, relocation and return travel, housing, repayment, confidentiality, and governing law and language. Title, duties, pay, hours and location must match the visa filing. In the UK, Australia, Singapore and US H-2B, sponsorship costs cannot be recovered from the chef.

For owners who have agreed terms with a chef in Japan and are about to hand a contract to a local lawyer. This page is the master contract: clause text to adapt, what the law requires in writing where we verified it, and the clauses that must match the visa. The offer letter that comes before it is in Chef offer letter template. Overtime rules by country are in Chef overtime rules, probation reviews in Chef probation period reviews, and relocation costs in Relocation package for chefs.

On this page

  1. What the law requires in writing
  2. Five fields that must match the visa filing
  3. Clause text to adapt, in English and Japanese
  4. Terms Japanese chefs often misread
  5. Can you recover visa costs from the chef?
  6. Non-compete and recipe clauses
  7. What to do this week

1. What the law requires in writing

We list only the rules we verified on official pages in September 2026. If your country or state is not here, ask your lawyer; do not assume there is no rule.

WhereRequirementDeadline
United KingdomA written statement of employment particulars: employer, name, job title, start date, pay, hours and days, holiday, place of work, expected length, probation, other benefits, obligatory trainingPrincipal statement on day one; wider statement within 2 months
SingaporeKey employment terms (KETs) in writing, on MOM's list of items (duties, working arrangements, pay, overtime, leave, probation, notice and others)Within 14 days of the first day of work
AustraliaThe Fair Work Information Statement to every new employee; a Fixed Term Contract Information Statement too for fixed term staffWhen the employee starts work
Ontario, CanadaEmployers with 25 or more employees: legal name and contact, where the employee will work, starting wage, pay period and pay day, anticipated hoursBefore the first day, or as soon as reasonably practicable after (since 1 July 2025)
New York State, USPay notice under Labor Law 195.1: pay rates, overtime rate, pay basis, payday, employer details, allowances claimedAt hiring. In English and the employee's primary language if the state offers a translation; Japanese is not among them
Japan (if a Japanese company is the employer)Labour Standards Act Article 15: pay, hours and other conditions must be made clear at hiring, some in a prescribed written formAt the time the contract is made

If your head office in Japan is seconding the chef rather than you hiring locally, see secondment agreements.

2. Five fields that must match the visa filing

Job title, duties, salary, hours and work location in the contract must be the same as in the visa or labour market application (nomination, LMIA, certificate of sponsorship, petition). A contract that quietly differs is a compliance problem, not a private matter. Before a promotion, pay change, new site or change in hours takes effect, ask your immigration adviser whether the change must be reported or needs a new filing.

3. Clause text to adapt, in English and Japanese

Give the lawyer the English column and the chef the Japanese one. Replace the brackets. These are starting points, not finished legal text.

ClauseEnglish wording日本語（料理人向け）
1. Parties and startThis agreement is between [legal employer name] and [name]. Employment starts on the later of [date] and the date the Employee is permitted to work in [country].本契約は［雇用主の正式名称］と［氏名］の間で結ぶものです。雇用開始日は、［日付］と、［国名］で就労が認められた日のいずれか遅い日とします。
2. PositionThe Employee is employed as [title matching the visa occupation]. Main duties: [list]. The Employer will not assign duties outside this occupation.職名は［ビザの職種と同じ職名］です。主な職務は［一覧］です。この職種の範囲外の業務は命じません。
3. Place of work[Address]. Any move to another site requires written agreement and confirmation that visa conditions allow it.勤務地は［住所］です。他の店舗への異動は、書面での合意とビザの条件の確認を条件とします。
4. PayBase salary [amount, currency] gross per [year/month], paid on [day]. Allowances, tips and service charge are paid in addition and are not part of base salary.基本給は額面で［金額・通貨］／［年・月］、毎［支払日］に支払います。手当、チップ、サービス料は基本給とは別に支払い、基本給には含みません。
5. Hours and rest daysNormal hours are [x] per week over [y] days, with [z] rest days per week. Time between split shifts [is / is not] working time.所定労働時間は週［x］時間・［y］日、休日は週［z］日です。中抜けの時間は労働時間に［含みます／含みません］。
6. OvertimeHours above normal hours are paid at [rate] or given as time off at [ratio], and recorded by [method].所定時間を超えた分は［割増率］で支払うか、［比率］で代休とします。労働時間は［方法］で記録します。
7. Leave[n] days paid annual leave plus public holidays under local law. [One return flight to Japan every [n] months, booked by the Employer.]年次有給休暇は［n］日、祝日は現地の法律によります。［［n］か月ごとに日本への往復航空券を1回、雇用主が手配します。］
8. ProbationThe first [n] months are probation, with reviews at [30 and 60] days. During probation either party may end employment with [notice].最初の［n］か月は試用期間とし、［30日目・60日目］に評価面談を行います。試用期間中の予告期間は［期間］です。
9. NoticeAfter probation, either party may end employment with [n] weeks' written notice, and never less than the legal minimum.試用期間後は、どちらからも［n］週間前の書面による予告で契約を終了できます。法定の最低期間を下回ることはありません。
10. Relocation and returnThe Employer pays [items, each with a cap]. If the visa is refused, [outcome]. If the Employer ends employment, it pays [return flight].雇用主は［項目と各上限額］を負担します。ビザが却下された場合は［扱い］とします。雇用主側から契約を終了する場合は［帰国の航空券］を負担します。
11. HousingHousing [is / is not] provided. Rent of [amount] is [deducted / paid by the Employee]; no deduction will take pay below the legal minimum.住居は［提供します／提供しません］。家賃［金額］は［給与から控除／本人が支払い］とし、控除によって法定の最低賃金を下回ることはありません。
12. RepaymentNo sponsorship, visa or recruitment cost will be recovered from the Employee. [Where lawful: the Employee repays [item] on this scale: [%] if leaving within [n] months.]スポンサー、ビザ、採用にかかる費用を本人に請求することはありません。［法律で認められる場合のみ：［項目］について、［n］か月以内に退職した場合は［割合］を返済します。］
13. ConfidentialityRecipes, supplier prices and customer information of the Employer are confidential during and after employment.雇用主のレシピ、仕入価格、顧客情報は、在職中も退職後も秘密として扱います。
14. Law and languageThis agreement is governed by the law of [country]. A Japanese translation is attached; if the versions differ, the [English] version prevails.本契約の準拠法は［国名］の法律です。日本語訳を添付しますが、内容が異なる場合は［英語］版が優先します。

4. Terms Japanese chefs often misread

TermJapaneseWhy it causes trouble
Gross vs net pay額面・手取りChefs compare take home pay with Japan. Show both in the offer.
Base salary vs allowances基本給・手当Some visa floors count base salary only, so allowances may not help you meet them.
Fixed overtime allowance固定残業代Common in Japan. If you use one, state the hours it covers and the rate beyond them (clause 6).
Notice period予告期間Can differ from the two weeks a chef may know from Japan. State it in weeks (clause 9).
Governing version優先する言語A translation that differs from the original causes disputes. Say which one wins (clause 14).

5. Can you recover visa costs from the chef?

This is the clause owners most often get wrong. The verdicts below cover the routes we verified; for anything else, assume no until a lawyer says yes.

Country and routeVerdictWhat the rule says
Australia, approved work sponsorsNoMigration Regulations 1994, reg 2.87: a sponsor must not recover from another person costs of becoming a sponsor, of the nomination, or specific to recruiting the worker (including migration agent costs).
United Kingdom, sponsored workersNoThe Home Office says a licence may be revoked if the sponsor asks the worker to pay the fee or any costs linked to the employer's application.
Canada, low wage LMIANoRound trip transport and required health insurance must not be recovered from the worker; no recruitment fees may be charged or recovered, directly or indirectly.
United States, H-2BNo20 CFR 655.20(o): the employer may not seek or receive payment of any kind for obtaining labour certification or employment, including attorney and recruitment fees.
Singapore, work pass holdersNoMOM lists receiving money in connection with employing a foreign employee as an offence (fine up to S$30,000, jail up to 2 years, or both), and deducting employment costs such as the levy from salary as an infringement.
Other routes (E-2, O-1, EU permits, Gulf)Not verifiedWe could not confirm a rule. Take local advice before writing any repayment clause.

Where some recovery is lawful, keep it narrow: list the exact items, reduce the amount month by month, and never deduct below minimum pay. A completion bonus at 12 or 24 months often does the same job with less friction.

6. Non-compete and recipe clauses

California's Business and Professions Code section 16600 voids noncompete clauses in employment contracts, however narrowly drawn. The FTC's national Non-Compete Rule never took effect and was removed from the Code of Federal Regulations on 12 February 2026, so state law decides. Elsewhere, courts usually enforce restraints only if reasonable in scope and length. Clause 13 (confidentiality), a lawful non-solicitation clause for staff, and written recipes owned by the business protect you better.

7. What to do this week

  1. Copy the clause table into a draft and fill every bracket.
  2. Check the five fields against your visa filing, line by line.
  3. Send the draft to a local employment lawyer with section 5 marked.
  4. Send the chef the Japanese column early; a chef in Japan will want a signed contract before resigning.

Checked 27 September 2026. Singapore's levy and pass rules, the Australian Migration Regulations (compiled after each amendment) and Ontario's employment standards change often; recheck them before each hire. The other rules change only by legislation.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make a chef repay visa costs if they quit early?

Not for sponsorship costs in Australia, the UK, Canada's low wage stream, US H-2B or Singapore. For other routes we could not confirm a rule, so take local advice and keep any clause to specific, lawful items on a reducing scale.

Does the contract have to be in Japanese?

None of the rules we verified requires a Japanese version, and New York's pay notice is not offered in Japanese. Attach a Japanese translation anyway and state which language prevails.

What must match between the contract and the visa application?

Job title, duties, salary, hours and work location. If one changes later, ask your immigration adviser before the change takes effect.

Should I include a non-compete clause?

In California it is void, and elsewhere a broad one is often unenforceable. A confidentiality clause covering recipes and supplier prices, plus written recipes, usually protects you better.

Where do probation and overtime rules go?

Put the numbers in clauses 5, 6 and 8. The country rules behind them are on our overtime and probation pages, so this contract does not repeat them.

General information, not legal or immigration advice. Employment and sponsorship rules differ by country, state and visa route and change frequently. Have a qualified local lawyer review any contract before use.

Sources

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