Permanent Residency in Japan may cost ten times more under new rules

A permanent residency visa in Japan may soon cost over 100,000 yen (about ₹57,000), a sharp jump from the current 10,000 yen (about ₹5,700). The hike is part of a broader plan by the government to raise visa-related fees from next fiscal year, with several categories set for steep increases, as reported by Japan Today.

Among the changes, the fee for changing visa status or reissuing a visa for a stay of one year or longer, now 6,000 yen (about ₹3,420), is expected to rise by roughly 40,000 yen (about ₹22,800).

Officials say the higher charges will help support multiculturalism initiatives as Japan’s foreign resident population reaches new highs. The country now has 3.95 million foreign residents, according to the Immigration Services Agency.

The new pricing structure is aimed at bringing Japan’s visa fees closer to those in Western countries. To implement the changes, the government is preparing a bill for next year’s ordinary Diet session to revise the immigration control law, which currently caps fees at 10,000 yen.

Japan expects to collect tens of billions of yen through the revised structure. The money will go toward application processing, Japanese-language programmes, and removal of illegal residents. The move also comes after Japan recorded more than 3.96 million foreign residents in June and over 70,000 illegal overstayers in July, the Japan Times reported.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had earlier asked ministries to align visa costs with other major economies.

The move follows a smaller revision in April, when inflation pushed renewal and status-change fees from 4,000 yen to 6,000 yen (₹2,280 to ₹3,420) and permanent residency applications from 8,000 yen to 10,000 yen (₹4,560 to ₹5,700).

Separately, the Foreign Ministry is preparing to raise visa fees for visitors next fiscal year. A single-entry visa now costs ¥3,000 (around ₹1,710) and a multiple-entry visa ¥6,000 (around ₹3,420). These rates have been unchanged since 1978.

For comparison, a short-stay visa costs $185 (about ¥28,000 or ₹15,960) in the US and £127 (around ¥25,000 or ₹14,250) in the UK. The government plans to use the added revenue to deal with overtourism and other related needs.