If you’re a foreigner living in Japan who’s been keeping an eye on political news over the last year or so, you’ll no doubt have heard talk of big changes to the rules around visas for foreign residents. While many of the exact changes are still currently at the proposal stage, some changes have been confirmed and there is no doubt that there are even more changes on the horizon. While this article will focus largely on permanent residency applications, which will see the most notable changes, we will also look at the big changes to application fees that will affect visas for all foreign residents going forward.
Visa Fee Increases
One of the earliest 2026 visa changes to be announced and by far the biggest shock to many people, was the huge increase in visa renewal and application fees. These were initially set to take effect from April 2026 and while the official list of new fees has not yet been announced, the proposed jumps are massive. One reason mentioned for this is that the government wants to bring the fees more in line with other developed nations. In this regard, visa fees in Japan were admittedly quite low compared to some other countries and in many cases, had not been increased in close to 40 years until a slight rise in April 2025. The 2026 change however will see some visa fees increase by a factor of 20.
One of the reasons for not increasing the fees previously was due to caps set on them previously that the government could not exceed. In March 2026, new caps were passed by the government increasing the maximum threshold significantly. The maximum permanent residency application fee cap was raised from 10,000 yen to 300,000 yen and standard visa renewals raised to 100,000. These are the maximum possible charges only and the actual fee for 2026 is expected to be 40,000 to 70,000 yen for regular residence visa renewals and up to 200,000 yen for permanent residency applications. The government has announced that the additional fees will help cover additional immigration staff and infrastructure as well as funding language support and other services.
One of the biggest criticisms of these fee increases is that while the fees are being increased to be brought more in line with other developed countries, salaries in Japan are still substantially lower than those countries therefore making the renewal costs feel much higher for those living and working here.
Changes to Permanent Residency Applications
The other big change for residents of Japan aside from fee increases, is that requirements and screening for permanent residency applications are set to become much stricter. While there is no news as to whether or not this will affect existing permanent residents in any way, new applicants for permanent residency will have some new requirements to meet in order to get their applications approved.
First of all, one major rule that has changed is that you must already hold a five-year visa in order to apply. Usually when you are issued or renew a visa in Japan, you are approved for either one year, three years or five years. This is a decision made by the immigration department at their discretion and most foreign residents never really know how long they’ll be given until their new residence card is in their hands. Previously, it was possible to apply for permanent residency on a three-year visa however going forward, this will no longer be allowed and only those with a valid five-year visa will be able to apply. This particular change actually has a fixed date for implementation and will take effect from April 2027.
Applicants will also now be subject to much stricter financial screening. This is something that has actually been in place for several years but is set to become even more strict going forward. Applicants need to have paid their taxes, health insurance premiums and pension. While screenings on these payments are already in place, going forward, the payment dates will be just as important as the payments themselves. Paying on time will be given a much greater weight and late payments of things such as your health insurance or pension may lead to an unfavorable assessment of an application.
One final change is that the income requirements have also been raised. Immigration typically looks at your ability to support yourself in Japan as well as your career stability and as such, a permanent residency application is now reported to require a minimum income level of at least 3 million yen a year with an additional 700,000 – 800,000 per year for each dependent.
Aside from these changes, the basic requirements for permanent residency applications remain the same: continuous residence in Japanese for 10 years (with some exceptions), stable income, a guarantor, no criminal record and payment of all taxes and social insurance.
Additional Proposals
Aside from the above changes which are more or less confirmed at this stage, there are additional proposals currently being considered by the government which may or may not go ahead. One particular proposal that has been somewhat divisive in the foreign community is a Japanese language proficiency requirement for permanent residency. The details of this are still very much under speculation with no real concrete information announced. This would not be something completely unheard of however, especially considering language requirements for permanent residency have been implemented in many countries including Canada, Germany, Australia and France for many years. Other proposals related to this that are under consideration include things such as mandatory language classes and classes on social rules in order to help foreigners integrate better into Japanese society.
Planning for your future in Japan
The dates that these changes will come into effect is still in discussion with most set to be finalized throughout the 2026 fiscal year. The visa fee hikes were initially planned to take effect from April 1st 2026; however, some sources are now saying that the final fee schedules may not be decided until March 2027. Several of the proposals that were initially made public in December have actually changed several times since so only time will tell exactly what the final outcome will be.
Permanent residency is something that many foreigners living in Japan hope to achieve one day and even though it is set to become slightly more difficult (not to mention much more expensive!), by ensuring you keep up to date with any changes as they’re announced, you can stay informed and prepare your application accordingly.
