The Japanese government has delivered a major shock to foreigners hoping to settle permanently in the country, raising the application fee for permanent residency 20-fold, from 10,000 yen to 200,000 yen (roughly $1,270), effective October 1. Beyond the steep fee hike, Tokyo has introduced three strict new conditions for settlement, meaning the “Japan dream” will now come at a significantly higher cost. Until now, foreigners temporarily residing in Japan needed to pay only 6,000 yen to extend their visa or change residency status, but these older rules have been completely overhauled under the new structure.
Under the revised system, fees will now vary according to length of stay: 10,000 yen for a short three-month residence permit, rising to as much as 75,000 yen for a five-year permit, while permanent residency applications require the full 200,000 yen fee — more than ₹1.22 lakh in Indian currency. Paying the fee alone, however, will not suffice, as Japan has attached stringent eligibility conditions. The first concerns income: permanent residency will be granted only to applicants with a stable income at or above Japan’s national average household income, which stood at around 5.75 million yen annually as of the latest 2024 figures.
The second condition, set to take effect from next April, requires applicants to demonstrate proficiency in the Japanese language, equivalent to that of an “independent user.” The third condition concerns pension contributions, requiring applicants to show expected pension benefits comparable to those of a person who has worked in Japan and paid into the employee pension scheme for 30 years, though financial assets may be considered where projected pension benefits fall short of that threshold.
The overhaul comes as part of a broader push by the government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to tighten immigration controls amid a rapidly growing foreign population in the country. Japan’s foreign resident population is estimated to have reached around 4.12 million by the end of 2025, a rise of 9.5 percent over the previous year — a sharp increase that has fuelled public concern over security and social change, and immigration featured as a major issue in last year’s upper house election, which saw a sharp rise in support for the “Japanese First” Sanseito party. The new measures are intended to filter permanent residency applications more strictly in response to this unease.
Even though Japan continues to face a shrinking workforce and acute labour shortages amid a rapidly ageing population, and foreign workers remain essential to many sectors of its economy, authorities say they want to ensure that those granted permanent settlement are rule-abiding and possess stable income and qualifications over the long term. The new rules, officials indicate, are designed to achieve exactly that, even as the steep fee increase and additional conditions have drawn criticism from foreign residents already living in Japan.