The Japanese government published new guidelines tightening the requirements for permanent residency for foreign nationals, raising the required household income level and Japanese-language proficiency standards, as well as the application fee. According to AFP, a surge of last-minute applications this week resulted in long queues.
The Japanese government revised its guidelines on permanent residence for foreign nationals, tightening the requirements. The new guidelines require household income to remain consistently above the average income of Japanese households and applicants to possess Japanese-language proficiency at a certain level. The application fee was also raised from the previous ¥10,000 to ¥200,000.
At the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau, which AFP visited, applicants rushed to file before the changes took effect, with several hundred people forming a long queue. A university student from the United States waiting at the site said he had been waiting for more than 5 hours. The debate is reportedly intensifying against the backdrop of foreign-worker admissions and Japan’s declining birth rate and aging population.