Drastic Tightening of Permanent Residence and Immigration Rules for Foreigners from Japan

In line with the policy of tightening border and immigration controls led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the Japanese government has made it difficult for foreigners living in the country to obtain permanent residence.

According to the new rules that will come into effect gradually, foreigners who want to reside permanently in Japan will be required to document an annual income above the country average and prove that they can communicate in Japanese fluently in daily life.

In addition, applicants will need to document that they have made a retirement contribution equivalent to an individual who has paid uninterrupted social security contributions for 30 years in the country. Previous guidelines did not have clear lower limits for minimum income, language proficiency and retirement period.

'THE FEE WAS INCREASED FROM 10 THOUSAND TO 200 THOUSAND'

With the new regulation, the permanent residence permit application fee was increased 20 times from 10 thousand yen to 200 thousand yen. Hundreds of people who wanted to complete their applications before the price increase and new criteria came into effect formed long queues in front of immigration offices in the capital Tokyo.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in his statement on his virtual media account, stated that with the increase in the foreign population in the country, some concerns and a perception of injustice have arisen in the public; He stated that these steps were taken to maintain social peace and to establish 'orderly coexistence' with foreigners.

WORKFORCE WARNING FROM THE BUSINESS WORLD

The tightened rules coincided with a period when Japan was experiencing a chronic demographic crisis. In the country where birth rates have bottomed out and the population is rapidly aging, business world representatives and experts warned that closing the doors would further fuel the deepening employment gap in many sectors.