Overview
- The agency published revised guidelines that will take effect in April 2027 and apply the new income threshold retroactively to applications filed from April 2026.
- Applicants must show household income above Japan’s average (about ¥5.75 million in 2024) and provide projected pension benefits equal to 30 years of employees’ pension contributions at their income level.
- The rules add a Japanese-language requirement at the 'independent user' level and lengthen residency tests, including raising spousal eligibility from three years’ marriage and one year of residence to five years’ marriage and three years of residence.
- Application fees were raised sharply, triggering a rush to file under old rates and creating immediate administrative and financial impacts for people with pending or planned applications.
- The agency received roughly 5,000 public comments, with critics saying using the average household income can be skewed by high earners and warning the changes will make it harder for many long-term foreign residents and family members to secure permanent status.