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How to Hire a Japanese Chef: Steps, Visa, Pay, Cost and Timeline

The master sequence for hiring a Japanese or sushi chef in any country: a five question decision path, which visa routes are open, how to set pay, a costed hire and a week by week schedule.

Updated September 27, 2026 WashokuJob

Hire in this order: fix the role and pay band, confirm your country has an open work visa route at that pay, search locally for Japanese chefs who already have work rights, then recruit from Japan with the whole package in writing. Allow about 26 weeks to first shift for a sponsored chef, longer in Canada, a few weeks for a local hire. Where no route is open, as in the UK, hire locally or train your team.

For owners, GMs and group HR in any country. This page is the master sequence and decision path. A Japanese head office staffing an overseas branch should also read hiring for an overseas branch from Japan. Channel choice and its cost are on agency vs job board and recruiting channels in Japan; where the candidates are is on where to find Japanese chefs.

On this page

  1. The decision path in five questions
  2. Which markets are open, and what each makes you do first
  3. What to pay: the figures and the method
  4. What one sponsored hire costs in total
  5. Working back from the start date
  6. The role and a job description to copy
  7. Offer checklist and the first 30 days
  8. If your visa route is closed
  9. What to do this week

1. The decision path in five questions

Most failed hires fail on order: the owner finds a chef, then learns the route is closed or the salary floor is over budget. Answer these before you advertise, and run the local and Japan searches in parallel.

QuestionIf yesIf no
1. Do you need the chef working within eight weeks?Hire locally from people with work rights. No sponsored route below is that fast.Go to 2.
2. Does your country have an open sponsored route for a chef?Go to 3.See section 8.
3. Can you pay at or above that route's salary floor?Go to 4.Hire locally, or make the role senior enough to justify the floor.
4. (US) Is the business at least 50% owned by Japanese nationals?E-2 may work for a Japanese chef in a supervisory or essential skills role.O-1B for a chef of real distinction; EB-3 means years.
5. Is the candidate aged 18 to 30?A working holiday visa may avoid sponsorship (Australia, Canada, UK).Sponsor, using the schedule.

2. Which markets are open, and what each makes you do first

These are the employer steps that must finish before the chef can apply, and the official timings we could confirm in September 2026. Where a cell says "not confirmed", that gap can move your start date by weeks; check the official page before promising a date.

MarketRoute and pay floorEmployer steps firstOfficial timing confirmed
Australia482 Core Skills; Chef listed, limited service restaurants excluded. A$79,423 a year plus superSponsorship; two ads of at least 4 weeks within 4 months before nomination4 weeks of ads. Visa processing: not confirmed (interactive tool only)
CanadaLMIA, NOC 62200. High wage stream at or above the provincial threshold (Ontario C$36.92/hr)4 weeks of ads (low wage: 8, and not processed in Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa to 8 Oct 2026)LMIA average, August 2026: 90 business days high wage. Work permit: not confirmed
SingaporeEmployment Pass from S$5,600 a month (rises with age) or S Pass from S$3,300. No Work Permit for Japanese nationalsMyCareersFuture ad for 14 days unless exemptEP: within 10 business days online
MalaysiaEmployment Pass, basic salary from RM5,000ESD registration, MYFutureJobs posting5 + 10 working days, then 3 to 10, then EP 2 to 5
United StatesNo chef visa. E-2, O-1B, or EB-3E-2: prove Japanese ownership. O-1B: evidence, peer opinionO-1 petition: 15 business days with premium processing. Consulate: not confirmed
United KingdomSkilled Worker effectively closed to new overseas chefs since 22 July 2025See section 8

Detail and sources for every row: visa sponsorship for a Japanese chef.

3. What to pay: the figures and the method

How to set the offer:

  1. Choose the percentile: median for a station chef, 75th for a counter sushi chef or small kitchen head chef, 90th for an executive or omakase lead. Use city data; among large US metros the median runs from $57,940 (Miami) to $80,330 (Seattle).
  2. Raise it to the visa floor if needed.
  3. Pay flight and first housing as separate lines. Some floors, Malaysia's for one, count basic salary only.
  4. Show the chef the comparison with Japan in take home terms. At the rate in the box below, the US median is about 2.6 times the Japanese average.

Country figures: sushi chef salary by country.

4. What one sponsored hire costs in total

One chef on an Australian 482, four year nomination, turnover under A$10 million, paid at the floor. Fees current from 1 July 2026. Blank lines only you can quote.

LineA$Note
Salary, year one79,423Income threshold
Superannuation, 12%9,531
Sponsorship420
Nomination330
Skilling Australians Fund levy4,800A$1,200 × 4 years, paid upfront, not recoverable from the worker
Visa application charge4,015Employer may choose to pay
Known lines98,519
Recruitment channel Agency fee or listing
Flight, first month's housing Expected in practice

Other markets: budgeting an international chef hire.

5. Working back from the start date

Week 0 is the first shift. The visa block is an eight week placeholder; replace it with your route's published figure.

Weeks before startWhat happens
26Role, pay band and route confirmed; budget approved
25 to 21Local and Japan searches together; Australian ads go live
20 to 17Video interviews, practical task, references
16Written offer signed, conditional on the visa
16 to 14Sponsor steps. Chef gathers police certificate (about two weeks in Tokyo), employment certificates, licence certificate
14 to 6Visa processing (placeholder)
6Chef resigns: two weeks' legal notice on an open ended contract (Civil Code Art. 627), a month or more by custom
2Flight, housing, airport pickup, first rota

Canada: add 4 weeks of ads and about 18 weeks of LMIA processing, so start near week 44. Singapore: 14 days of ads plus up to 10 business days shrinks the visa block to about four weeks.

6. The role and a job description to copy

"Japanese chef" is four different hires: head chef (15+ years, runs the kitchen), counter sushi chef (10+ years, faces guests), station chef or sous (5 to 10 years, often below visa floors), and a fixed term technique transfer (6 to 24 months). Decide which, then send this in both languages.

Job description skeleton / 求人票の骨子
Position / 職種: [head chef / counter sushi chef] [料理長／カウンターの寿司職人]
Restaurant / 店舗: [seats, covers a day, price per head, guests] [席数・1日の客数・客単価・客層]
Reports to / 上長: [owner / GM] [オーナー／総支配人]
Duties / 業務: [menu, purchasing, prep, counter, training N staff] [献立・仕入れ・仕込み・カウンター・N名の指導]
Experience / 経験: [N years, N at the counter] [和食N年以上、うちカウンターN年]
Pay / 給与: [amount, currency, gross, per month or year] [金額・通貨・総支給・月額または年額]
Hours, days off / 勤務時間・休日: [hours a week, days off, annual leave] [週の労働時間・週休・年次休暇]
Visa / ビザ: [route; who pays each fee] [経路・各費用の負担者]
Relocation / 渡航・住居: [flight, housing, how long] [航空券・住居・期間]
Start / 着任日: [date] [日付]

7. Offer checklist and the first 30 days

Written offer checklist / オファーに入れる項目
1. Gross pay, currency, pay day, overtime / 総支給額・通貨・支払日・残業
2. Who pays each visa and government fee / ビザ・公的費用の負担者
3. Who pays the flight out and the flight home / 往路と復路の航空券の負担者
4. Housing: provided or allowance, amount, how long / 住居：現物か手当か、金額、期間
5. Hours, days off, annual leave / 労働時間・休日・年次休暇
6. Probation, and what happens if either side ends it in the first six months, including any repayment / 試用期間と、6か月以内に解消する場合の扱い（返還の有無）
7. Authority over menu, purchasing and hiring / 献立・仕入れ・採用の権限
8. The offer depends on the visa being granted / ビザ取得を条件とする

First 30 days (employer)
Before arrival: housing ready, pickup booked, first week rota sent.
Week 1: bank account, phone, tax number, local registration. Walk the supplier list together.
Week 2: agree menu changes and the authority set in the offer.
Week 3: find the biggest ingredient gap and fix it.
Week 4: first review, with a Japanese speaker if needed.

After that: retaining Japanese chefs.

8. If your visa route is closed

9. What to do this week

  1. Decide which of the four roles you are hiring and the percentile you will pay.
  2. Check your route and floor on the official page for section 2.
  3. Put your target start date into the section 5 table.
  4. Ask staff and the local Japanese community for candidates with work rights.
  5. Fill in the job description and have a Japanese speaker check it.

Figures that expire: Australian thresholds and fees change each 1 July; Canadian wage thresholds and the refusal to process list change during the year (current list to 8 Oct 2026); ESDC updates LMIA times monthly; BLS and MHLW pay data each spring. Exchange rate: Federal Reserve H.10, 18 September 2026, ¥156.87 per US$. Checked 27 September 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to hire a chef from Japan?

About 26 weeks from decision to first shift for a sponsored hire, working back from the start date. Canada takes longer because of advertising and an average LMIA time of 90 business days in August 2026. A chef who already has local work rights can start within weeks.

How much does it cost to hire a Japanese chef?

For one chef on an Australian 482 paid at the floor, salary, super and government fees total A$98,519 in year one. Recruitment, flights and housing come on top.

Can I sponsor a sushi chef in the UK?

Not a new hire from overseas, in practice. Chefs are medium skilled and on neither shortage list, so new Skilled Worker sponsorship has been effectively closed since 22 July 2025. Hire people already in the UK or on the Youth Mobility Scheme.

What salary should I offer a Japanese chef?

Start from the official median for your city, move to the 75th or 90th percentile for counter or head chef roles, and raise it to the visa floor if that is higher. Compare it for the chef against the Japanese average of about ¥3.79 million a year.

Do I need a recruitment agency?

Usually not. An agency suits one urgent senior hire or a confidential replacement; repeat hiring is cheaper through listings and referrals. The arithmetic is on the agency vs job board page.

General information, not legal or immigration advice. Visa rules, thresholds and fees change; check the official sources below or take professional advice before relying on any figure.

Sources

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