Foreign nationals seeking permanent residence in Japan will pay 200,000 yen from October, compared with 10,000 yen at present, according to Jiji Press. The new rates are set out in an ordinance adopted by the government on Tuesday 25 August under the revised Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.
The New Fees
Jiji reports that the revised law caps change-of-status and period-extension charges at 100,000 yen and permanent residence fees at 300,000 yen. For applications made at counters, the current single charge of 6,000 yen is replaced by tiered amounts depending on the length of stay permitted, from 10,000 yen for three months or less up to 75,000 yen for five years or more.
Reductions
A reduced permanent residence fee of 20,000 yen is available for applicants who face financial hardship and meet certain humanitarian criteria, Jiji said. Public feedback resulted in a wider group qualifying for reductions, including applicants solely responsible for the care and upbringing of biological children of Japanese nationals or special permanent residents.
Why It Matters
The change raises the cost of applying for permanent residence twentyfold and introduces a tiered scale for other applications. The Jiji report describes the fee levels and exemptions; it does not say how many people the changes will affect or how applications may respond, which will become clear only from later data.
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