Japan Slaps High Fee Hike on Foreigners Seeking Permanent Residency

Japan has raised its permanent residency fee from 10,000 yen to 200,000 yen as part of efforts to tighten regulations for foreigners seeking to settle in the country. The new fee, which took effect on October 1, is a 20-fold increase.

The move aims to address concerns about the growing administrative burden of managing Japan's foreign population, which reached a record 4.125 million at the end of 2025. This number has increased from around 2.23 million a decade earlier.

In addition to the fee increase, revised guidelines have introduced stricter standards for income and pension eligibility. Applicants must now demonstrate that they can support themselves financially and have projected pension benefits meeting a certain benchmark.

The government has also made Japanese language proficiency a factor in permanent residency screening, with most of these new requirements taking effect from April 2027.