Hiring a Chef Abroad: Housing, Flights and Relocation Allowances

When you bring a chef from Japan, the next most common source of friction after salary is housing, travel and relocation allowances. If the chef arrives with it unclear how much the company covers, distrust sets in with the first rent payment.

This article splits these costs into what is set by law, what is needed because of visa or scheme rules, and what the company designs at its own discretion. The first two are set by national rules and leave no room for negotiation. Only the third is yours to decide.

1. Split the costs into three layers

Build the budget in the order 1, 2, 3. Layer 1 cannot be cut, and if you miss layer 2, a design like "we provide housing, so the salary can be lower" may fail at the visa assessment. Treatment varies by country, so always check how each country defines its salary requirements. An overview of work visas by country is in our country-by-country guide to work visas for chefs and sushi chefs.

2. Countries where the law puts costs on the employer

Canada: the LMIA low-wage stream

Under Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program, a position falls into the low-wage stream when the offered wage is below the provincial threshold (effective July 17, 2026; e.g. Ontario C$36.92/hour, British Columbia C$38.40/hour). Under the low-wage stream requirements of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) (updated September 18, 2026), the employer bears the following.

• Round-trip travel: the cost of getting to the work location at the start of employment and of returning to the country of residence at the end of the employment period. It cannot be recovered from the worker.
• Housing: provide suitable and affordable housing, or ensure it is available. "Affordable" is defined as housing costs below 30% of the worker's gross income.
• Private health insurance: for any period not covered by provincial or territorial public health insurance, the employer arranges and pays for private insurance covering emergency medical care.
• Recruitment fees: employers and recruiters acting for them must not charge workers recruitment fees, directly or indirectly.

The requirements page for the high-wage stream, by contrast, does not set out any obligation to pay for travel or housing. The high-wage stream still requires private health insurance and prohibits recruitment fees. So in Canada, the employer's obligations for the same chef change depending on whether the hourly wage is above the provincial threshold. For procedural details, see Canada LMIA for chefs.

United States: H-2B

H-2B is a non-agricultural work visa for seasonal or temporary needs. Under 20 CFR 655.20(j), the employer pays the worker's inbound and outbound transportation and subsistence during travel. Daily subsistence during travel is at least US$16.78 a day at the Department of Labor rates effective April 7, 2026, up to US$178 a day with receipts. H-2B, however, assumes a temporary need (generally within one year), and there is an annual cap. It is hard to use for a permanent chef at a restaurant open all year.

Other countries

The standard work visas of Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, the UK and others do not impose a blanket obligation on employers to pay for travel or housing (within what this article checked as of September 2026). Instead, minimum salary thresholds and levies (employment taxes) weigh heavily. A comparison of total costs is in Hiring costs for Japanese restaurants abroad.

3. Designing travel costs

Even in countries with no legal obligation, we recommend planning on the company paying the one-way flight on joining. For chefs in Japan, paying their own way to take up a job is a big burden, and it puts you at a disadvantage when compared with jobs at home.

Decide the following in advance.

• One way or return. If return, the conditions for the flight home (only at the end of the contract, including termination for company reasons, etc.).
• Cap and seat class. Actual cost of economy, capped at ○○, and so on.
• Baggage. Many chefs bring knives and tools, so it helps to decide who pays for extra checked baggage.
• Family. Whether you pay travel for accompanying family, and if so, for how many and on what conditions.
• Home leave. Whether you pay for a flight home once a year. As an investment in keeping people longer, it has a big effect.

On repayment clauses

A clause such as "travel costs must be repaid if you resign within one year" is treated very differently depending on the country and contract type. Article 16 of Japan's Labour Standards Act prohibits penalties for breach of an employment contract and fixing damages in advance. If the chef is seconded under an employment contract with a Japanese company, you have to work on the basis of that provision. Under Canada's low-wage stream, travel costs cannot be recovered from the worker in the first place. Even with a contract through the local company, avoid adding such a clause without checking with a local professional.

Rather than binding people with a repayment clause, a design where staying pays off, such as "a return flight home after one year of service", also works better for retention.

4. Designing housing

Housing shapes the chef's first two to three weeks after arrival. Depending on the country and city, a lease may require a local bank account, credit history, a guarantor or a large upfront payment, which can be a high hurdle for a chef who has just arrived.

Three approaches

If the chef pays a share

You can design company housing so the chef pays a fixed share. If you do, put the amount in the job posting and the contract, and check that deductions from pay are allowed under local law. Some schemes, such as Canada's low-wage stream, set out a ceiling for housing costs (below 30% of gross income).

Shared company housing

Having Japanese staff live together keeps costs down and prevents isolation. On the other hand, seeing the same people both at work and at home leaves no escape if relationships go sour. It helps to build in a way out, such as guaranteeing a private room or letting people choose after a year.

5. Relocation allowances and settling-in payments

Design a lump sum on arrival around costs such as these.

• Living costs until the first payday
• Furniture, appliances, bedding, and any cooking tools to add
• Set-up costs for a local phone, transport card and the like
• Costs of ending the lease in Japan and storing belongings

There is no set market rate. As a way of thinking, using "the period until the first payday × local living costs" as the minimum prevents the chef from running out of money right after arrival. Note that the amount needed changes with the pay cycle (monthly or fortnightly).

How lump sums and housing provided in kind are taxed locally differs by country. Check with a local accountant before deciding how to pay.

6. Procedures the chef handles in Japan

These are the chef's own procedures, but they will appreciate the company giving them as a checklist.

• Notice of moving abroad (海外転出届) for the resident register. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, individual inhabitant tax is levied by the municipality where the person is registered as living on January 1 of that year, on the previous year's income. If the chef understands how the timing of departure relates to inhabitant tax, next year's bill will not come as a shock.
• National Pension. Japanese nationals living abroad aged 20 to under 65 can join the National Pension voluntarily. Whether to join is the chef's decision.
• Residence notification (在留届). Under Article 16 of the Passport Act, anyone who establishes an address or residence abroad and stays three months or more must notify the consular officer for the area (embassy or consulate-general). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs directs people to its online residence notification system (ORRnet).
• Japanese bank account, phone and credit card. Some services stop working after moving abroad, so tell the chef to check before departure.

7. Local hire or secondment from Japan?

Restaurant companies headquartered in Japan can also hire through the Japanese company and second the chef to an overseas subsidiary. Social insurance treatment changes a great deal.

(Based on the Japan Pension Service's explanation. Treatment of extensions differs by agreement.)

As of June 2, 2026, social security agreements were in force with 24 countries. They include the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, Germany, France, South Korea, China, the Philippines and India, but not Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong or the UAE. If you post someone from Japan to a country without an agreement, contributions may be due in both Japan and the local country.

A secondment reassures the chef because their Japanese Employees' Pension continues, but it adds admin and cost for the company. A local hire, on the other hand, is simpler because everything runs through the local system. In practice, the choice comes down to the length of the posting and whether the chef is expected to return to Japan.

8. Common package designs

Amounts differ completely by country and city, so only the combinations are shown here.

Write what you decide in the same words in both the job posting and the employment contract. Example wording is in Writing a job posting, and retention after arrival is covered in our retention article. See also Relocation package for chefs for more detail.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Employer obligations, social insurance and tax treatment vary by country, visa type and contract type, and rules change. Check the primary sources below and consult a professional where needed.