Should I start job hunting and change jobs now, or stay put until my PR points are locked in?

前提・状況

25-year-old foreign software engineer in Tokyo, JLPT N1, CS bachelor's from abroad. Arrived Aug 2025 and joined a large traditional Japanese IT company in Sep 2025, so I've been there one year. Salary about ¥5.9M/yr including bonuses; base went ¥260k → ¥320k/month within a year. The company pays about 80% of my rent (I pay ¥23k/month), which is worth roughly ¥1M/yr on top. Stable job, a side job is permitted, and the 3-year work visa is tied to this kind of work.

On the side I do skilled AI evaluation / benchmark-authoring freelance work for a US platform at $50–75/hr. It started in May 2026 and is growing fast: about $400 → $2,800 → $3,000 → $4,000+ per month, likely ¥3–4M this year. It's irregular, and immigration has just told me to get a side-activity permit, which needs my employer's written approval. HR is processing that now.

Long-term goal: permanent residency via the Highly Skilled Professional points route. I have 55/70 points. Plan: pass two IT certification exams this autumn (+10), then cross the ¥6M salary line with the April 2027 raise (+5), reaching 70 and starting the 3-year PR clock. Only employer salary counts for points, not side income. A job change means the points are recalculated on the new salary and the 3-year proof has to hold across employers. A job at ¥7M+ would make reaching 80 points (a 1-year PR clock) realistic, but I'd lose the rent subsidy, have only 1 year of experience on my CV, and would need to redo the side-job approval.

I also plan to finance a car within my visa period, so stable employment helps.