This paper clarifies changes in the acceptance of foreign workers in the agricultural sector under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in the usage of systems related to immigration status, focusing on an analysis of the actual conditions of agriculture in Hokkaido, where large-scale farm management is most concentrated in Japan. With the introduction of not only the Foreign Technical Intern Training System, but also the Specified Skilled Worker System, which has made it possible to use multiple statuses of residence, Hokkaido agriculture has changed from farm production and harvesting by individual management to production area management by agricultural cooperatives. Employment opportunities for foreign workers have expanded, from staffing at collection and shipping facilities, to professional farming support personnel such as dairy farm helper user associations. As a result, there is a need for further improvement in labor management at individual management or agricultural cooperatives, and due to competition for human resources, further improvement in working conditions and living support is also required.
