As of May 2026, the Japanese Diet is deliberating on a proposed amendment to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act. At the heart of this reform lies a significant increase in fees related to residence status — a change projected to affect approximately 2.3 million people annually, including foreign residents and their families.
In this article, I will explain the contents of the proposed amendment, the policy background behind it, the practical steps both individuals and companies should take, and the concerns I hold as a practitioner working on the front lines. The article is intentionally detailed, because the implications extend years into the future for life planning and corporate strategy alike.
- 1. Overview of the Amendment: What Is Changing, and by How Much?
- 2. Why Now? The Government’s Rationale
- 3. Not an Isolated Reform: Reading the Broader Tightening Trend
- 4. Concerns Regarding Refugee Applicants and Those in Financial Hardship
- 5. Action Steps for Foreign Nationals
- 6. Action Steps for Employers and HR Professionals
- 7. The Quality of Documentation in an Era of Stricter Review
- 8. A Broader Perspective on the Future of Foreign Talent in Japan
- 9. How to Engage Our Office
1. Overview of the Amendment: What Is Changing, and by How Much?
The core of the proposal is a sharp increase in the statutory ceiling for residence-related fees.
| Category | Current Ceiling | Proposed Ceiling |
|---|---|---|
| Extension of period of stay / Change of status | JPY 10,000 | JPY 100,000 |
| Permission for permanent residence | JPY 10,000 | JPY 300,000 |
The actual amounts charged will be set by Cabinet Order after the bill passes. The government has indicated the following direction:
- Stays of three months or less: approximately JPY 10,000 (currently JPY 6,000)
- Five-year extensions: approximately JPY 70,000 (currently JPY 6,000)
- Permanent residence: not yet finalized, but within the JPY 300,000 ceiling
For a five-year extension, this represents a more than tenfold increase. For families residing in Japan, the cumulative impact can easily run into the hundreds of thousands of yen.
2. Why Now? The Government’s Rationale
The current fee ceilings have remained unchanged since 1981 — nearly 45 years. Given the substantial shifts in price levels and labor costs over that period, some adjustment is, in principle, understandable.
The Immigration Services Agency has cited two main purposes for the increase:
- Digital transformation of immigration administration (expanded online application systems, etc.)
- Enhancement of Japanese language education programs for foreign residents
Both are legitimate areas of investment in the infrastructure that supports a society receiving foreign nationals. However, as a practitioner, I must emphasize that the basis for the specific amounts remains opaque.
No detailed breakdown has been published showing how much will be allocated to which initiatives. If the revenue is incorporated into the general budget, there is no guarantee it will be earmarked for foreign-resident-related programs. International comparisons cited by the Agency cover only selected categories in certain Western countries, leaving the case for proportionality less than fully persuasive.
3. Not an Isolated Reform: Reading the Broader Tightening Trend
This fee increase must be understood within the context of a broader policy shift toward stricter immigration controls.
(1) Business Manager Visa: Capital Requirement
The capital requirement for the “Business Manager” residence status was raised from JPY 5 million to JPY 30 million — a sixfold increase. As a result, applications have dropped by approximately 90 percent.
(2) Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services
This widely used category, covering engineers, interpreters, trade specialists and similar professionals, has seen tightened review. Examiners now scrutinize more closely the alignment between job duties and the applicant’s academic and professional background, as well as the substantive nature of the employment contract.
(3) Intra-Company Transferee
Even applications under the “Intra-Company Transferee” category — common for global corporations transferring staff between affiliates — increasingly require more than mere formal compliance with requirements.
In short, the entry, ongoing operation, and exit (permanent residence) phases of foreign talent management are all becoming more burdensome simultaneously.
4. Concerns Regarding Refugee Applicants and Those in Financial Hardship
The proposed amendment includes a provision for fee reduction or exemption in cases of financial hardship. However, the criteria for who qualifies remain unclear.
A particular concern arises with refugee applicants. If individuals who face persecution in their home countries cannot pay the fee to renew their status, they may be effectively forced to return — an outcome that raises serious questions from both human rights and international reputation perspectives. Careful institutional design is essential here.
5. Action Steps for Foreign Nationals
Let me turn to the practical guidance I share with clients on a daily basis.
(1) Verify Your Residence Card and Consider Early Renewal
The first step is to check the expiration date on your residence card and those of your family members. Depending on when the amended law and the implementing Cabinet Order take effect, completing renewal beforehand may allow you to pay under the current fee structure (JPY 6,000).
Note that applications can be filed up to three months before expiration, so any “early renewal” must fall within that window.
(2) Strategic Timing of Permanent Residence Applications
The new ceiling for permanent residence is JPY 300,000. If you already meet — or will soon meet — the requirements for permanent residence (generally ten years or more of residence, independent livelihood, and a record of fulfilling tax obligations, among others), it is worth seriously considering whether to file sooner rather than later.
That said, permanent residence applications should never be filed casually. A denial can affect future applications. Confirming that the requirements are firmly met, in advance, is essential.
(3) Considering a Change of Status
If you are contemplating a change — for example, from Student to a work category, or from Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services to Business Manager — you should compare the cost and risk profile under the current and amended frameworks. The Business Manager category, in particular, has become substantially more demanding, and your strategy may need fundamental reconsideration.
6. Action Steps for Employers and HR Professionals
For companies employing foreign nationals, I recommend a review along the following four dimensions.
(1) Inventory of Residence Status Holdings
List every foreign employee, along with their residence status category, expiration dates, and renewal timing. This is foundational from both a compliance and a cost-management perspective.
(2) Mid- to Long-Term Cost Projection
Calculate the per-employee cost of renewals over five- and ten-year horizons. Where families are accompanying the employee, factor those costs in as well. This precision improves the quality of your personnel cost planning.
(3) Permanent Residence Support Programs
To retain top foreign talent over the long term, consider corporate support for permanent residence applications. This may include subsidies for fees and professional services, or internal assistance with documentation. The exact form will vary by company, but such programs correlate strongly with retention.
(4) Reassessing Recruitment Strategy
In light of the tightened Business Manager capital requirement and stricter Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services review, an “offer first, visa later” approach is no longer viable. The alignment between the candidate’s education, work history, and intended duties must be vetted before the offer is extended.
7. The Quality of Documentation in an Era of Stricter Review
When review becomes stricter, documentation quality drives outcomes. This is something I observe every day in practice.
For an Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services application, the way job duties are described can determine the result. Compare “engaged in translation work” with “translation of contracts and technical specifications between English and Japanese, plus negotiation support with overseas counterparties; approximately X cases per month, accounting for roughly Y percent of overall duties.” The latter conveys both the specialized nature and the substantive volume of the work to the examiner.
For a Business Manager application, the rationality of the business plan, the source of capital, the substantive existence of office premises, and the presence of planned employees must all be supported in a multi-dimensional way. Vague documentation leads directly to denial.
A re-application after denial is significantly more difficult than a first-time filing. For this reason, investing in high-quality documentation from the outset is, in the end, the most economical path.
8. A Broader Perspective on the Future of Foreign Talent in Japan
Allow me to close with a wider view.
In a Japan facing structural labor shortages, sustaining the economy without foreign talent is no longer realistic. Foreign nationals support frontline operations across nursing care, construction, IT, manufacturing, and services. International research consistently shows that diversity drives innovation.
At the same time, the policy direction is moving toward greater strictness. Higher fees, tougher requirements, more rigorous review — if Japan develops a reputation as an unwelcoming country, the most talented individuals will simply choose other destinations.
Yet our role as practitioners is not to lament the system. The legal framework cannot be bent. Precisely for that reason, our task is to think rigorously about how, within those rules, our clients can still achieve their personal and business goals. That, in my view, is the essence of what a Gyoseishoshi should do.
Not as a document-preparation service, but as a professional walking alongside clients in their lives and businesses — answering the question “what about my situation?” with individually optimized solutions that AI tools and generic information sites cannot provide. That is the standard I hold for myself, and the standard I will continue to uphold.
9. How to Engage Our Office
We provide consultation in the following areas:
- Renewal, change, and acquisition of residence status
- Strategic planning for permanent residence applications
- New and renewal applications for the Business Manager status
- Application support for Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services and Intra-Company Transferee
- Building corporate frameworks for foreign employee management
- Re-application strategy following a denial
In an initial consultation, I will listen carefully to your situation and provide a candid assessment of the prospects and the steps to take. If a case is one I should not accept, or one where a successful outcome is unlikely, I will say so directly. That, I believe, is what taking responsibility for a client’s life truly means.
We accept consultations by phone, email, and online meeting, and can support multiple languages. Even from regional locations across Japan, online consultation is fully available.
Please do not let uncertainty linger. Reach out, and let us think through the best path together.
