Japan toughens guidelines for granting permanent residency

Japan’s immigration agency revised its guidelines on Thursday for granting permanent residency to foreign nationals. Under the new guidelines, applicants must have an income above the average for Japanese households and demonstrate a certain level of projected pension benefits. The revised rules are scheduled to take effect in April 2027.

The guidelines will also require applicants to demonstrate Japanese-language proficiency at the level of an “independent user.” The income requirement will apply retroactively to applications made from April 2026 onward. Immigration authorities said the goal is to ensure that foreign applicants are financially independent. The average annual household income was around 5.75 million yen ($36,500) in 2024.

Applicants must also have projected pension benefits equivalent to those payable after 30 years of enrollment in the employees’ pension program at their income level when they apply. In principle, applicants must have lived in Japan for more than 10 years to qualify for permanent residency. The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has also been seeking to tighten regulations on the acceptance of foreign nationals, while fees for residence status applications were sharply increased on Thursday.

The revised guidelines also make it more difficult for spouses of Japanese nationals or permanent residents to qualify. Previously, they could obtain permanent residency after at least three years of marriage and one year of residence in Japan. Under the new guidelines, they must have been married for at least five years and lived in Japan for at least three years.

The Immigration Services Agency received around 5,000 public comments after releasing the draft guidelines in August. Some people questioned the use of average household income, saying a small number of wealthy individuals could raise the average and that the median income might better represent typical households. Permanent residents can stay in Japan indefinitely without restrictions on their activities while keeping their original nationality.

Edited using generative AI tools. 
Source; https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261001/p2g/00m/0na/013000c#cxrecs_s

Comprehension

What new financial requirement will foreign applicants need to meet for permanent residency?
When will the revised permanent residency guidelines take effect?
What level of Japanese-language proficiency will applicants be required to demonstrate?
How have the requirements changed for spouses of Japanese nationals or permanent residents?
Why did some people question the use of average household income as a requirement?

Discussion

Why do you think a country might require permanent residency applicants to be financially independent?
Do you think learning the local language is important for people who want to live permanently in another country? Why?
What challenges might foreign residents face when trying to meet stricter permanent residency requirements?
Should spouses of citizens have different requirements from other permanent residency applicants? Why or why not?
What are some advantages and disadvantages of using average income to determine financial requirements?
Why might the median income be considered a better measure of typical household income?
What responsibilities should foreign residents have when they plan to live permanently in another country?
What factors would you personally consider important when deciding whether to live permanently in another country?

Vocabulary

permanent residency — legal status allowing a foreign national to live in a country indefinitely
guideline — an official recommendation or rule explaining how something should be done
applicant — a person who formally asks for something
financially independent — able to support oneself without relying on others for money
proficiency — a high level of skill or ability
retroactively — applying a new rule to something that happened before the rule was introduced
threshold — a minimum level or amount required for something
median — the middle value in a set of numbers arranged from lowest to highest