Japan Slashes Permanent Residency Options Amid Record Foreign Population

Japan has increased the fee for foreigners seeking permanent residency by 20 times, from 10,000 yen to 200,000 yen. This change took effect on October 1 and applies to applications submitted after this date. However, those who applied before September 30 will still be charged the old rate of 10,000 yen.

The steep increase is part of a broader overhaul of Japan's permanent residency system. Revised guidelines introduce stricter standards on income and pension eligibility, while a Japanese-language requirement has been introduced. Most of the new criteria will apply to applications filed from April 2027, although the revised income standard can apply to applications submitted as early as April 2026.

The government has linked the fee increases to the rising administrative burden of managing a growing foreign population. Japan's foreign resident population has reached record levels, with 4.125 million foreigners in the country at the end of 2025, up from about 2.23 million a decade earlier.