TOKYO: Japan's immigration agency on Thursday (Oct 1) 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, Kyodo News reported.
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 (US$36,500) in 2024.
The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (pic) 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 programme 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.
Regarding the income requirement, some public comments argued that the average income figure could be raised sharply by a small group of wealthy individuals and that the median would provide a more accurate measure of the typical household.
Permanent residents can remain in Japan indefinitely without restrictions on activities while retaining their original nationality. - Bernama-Kyodo
