In its latest move on reforming immigration, Japan has officially revised its guidelines for granting permanent residency to foreign nationals and these will take effect in April 2027, according to a news report by Kyodo News. Guidelines include Japanese language-proficiency and having an above-average income compared with Japanese households.
To learn about the events that preceded the new residency fees, click here, here and here.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Kyodo News report. Some parts in boldface…
Japan’s immigration agency on Thursday revised its guidelines for granting permanent residency to foreign nationals, requiring applicants to have an income above the average for Japanese households and demonstrating a certain level of projected pension benefits.
The revised guidelines, which are set to take effect in April 2027, also require applicants to demonstrate Japanese-language proficiency at the level of an “independent user.”
The income requirement will be applied retroactively to applications made from April 2026 onward, as the immigration authorities aim to ensure that foreign applicants are financially independent. The average annual income per household was around 5.75 million yen ($36,500) in 2024.
The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been seeking to tighten regulations on the acceptance of foreign nationals. Fees for residence status applications were also hiked sharply on Thursday.
Applicants will also be required to have projected pension benefits equivalent to those payable after 30 years of enrollment in the employees’ pension program at their income level at the time they apply.
In principle, applicants must have lived in Japan for more than 10 years to qualify for permanent residency.
Previously, spouses of Japanese nationals or permanent residents could obtain permanent residency if they had been married for at least three years and had resided in Japan for at least one year.
However, the revised guidelines raise those thresholds to five years of marriage and three years of residence.
The Immigration Services Agency received around 5,000 public comments since it unveiled the draft guidelines in August.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Are you convinced that the Japanese government is executing the right moves with the revised guidelines? Do you think this latest immigration reform by Japan could inspire other nations to follow suit? What do you think could be the reasons why foreigners want to live permanently in Japan without following their rules, without paying their bills and without learning the Japanese language?
You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.
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