Japan’s permanent residency now costs 20x more and demands a B1 language test

Japan is getting more selective about who gets to stay. With foreign residents hitting a record 3.96 million in June 2025 and tourist numbers surging from 25.1 million to 42.7 million in just two years, the country’s immigration agency has quietly rewritten the playbook for permanent residency — skimming the pool to people who earn more, pay into the system longer, and actually speak the language.

The most eye-catching change is the application fee: a 20-fold hike to 20,000 yen, or roughly $1,260. That is still a bargain next to the UK (about $4,261) or the US (which can top $10,000, per citizenship firm Arton). But money is only the start.

What you’ll now need

Applicants must earn above the average Japanese household income — about $36,350 a year in 2024 — and demonstrate pension benefits matching roughly 30 years in the country’s employee pension program. Fall short on the pension front and you can top up with additional “financial assets,” though the guidelines don’t specify how much.

There’s also a language bar: a “proficient” grasp of Japanese, defined as B1 or above on the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test. Exactly how you’ll prove it is still unclear. The income rule retroactively hits applications filed from April 2026, while the pension requirement kicks in April 1, 2027.

Armand Arton, CEO of Arton Capital, frames the shift bluntly: “Financial security alone is no longer enough. Applicants must also demonstrate a genuine commitment to living and working in the country, as well as integrating into Japanese society.”

Eligibility itself is unchanged: 10 continuous years of residence, at least five under a work or residence visa, with no single absence over six months. You can dodge the decade if you’re a “highly skilled foreign professional” or married to a Japanese resident for five-plus years.

If you clear the bar, file at a local immigration office with your health insurance card and proof of on-time resident taxes — then wait four to six months for a decision. Meet none of it? Short-term pathways like the five-year highly skilled professional visa are still on the table.