Applying for Permanent Residence in Japan in 2026: October 1 Changes to Income, B1 Japanese, Spouse and Highly Skilled Routes

On October 1, 2026, Japan’s Immigration Services Agency officially published the revised Guidelines for Permission for Permanent Residence (revised October 1, 2026).

The changes cover income, pensions, Japanese proficiency, understanding of Japanese social systems, children’s school attendance, and permanent residence exceptions for spouses of Japanese nationals and permanent residents.

For people who have already applied, the more pressing question is: Will my application currently under review be assessed under the old rules or the new ones?

For those preparing to apply, the questions are: Is there still time to apply for permanent residence in Japan? What will change from April 2027?

This article is based on the revised guidelines officially published by Japan’s Immigration Services Agency on October 1, 2026.

1. Which rules apply to permanent residence applications in 2026?

This is the first point to clarify about the changes.

In principle, the revised guidelines apply in full to:

Permanent residence applications submitted on or after April 1, 2027.

That is the general date for full implementation.

However, special provisions bring forward the application of the income and public-burden criteria.

① Applications submitted on or before March 31, 2026

In principle, these continue to be assessed under the previous guidelines.

If you submitted your application on or before March 31, 2026 and are still awaiting a decision, the revised guidelines do not apply retroactively in their entirety.

② Applications submitted from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027

Applicants in this period need to pay particular attention.

Applications during this period are not assessed entirely under the old rules.

The criteria concerning income and the likelihood of becoming a public burden

may already be assessed according to the approach in the revised guidelines.

In particular, applications submitted on or after April 1, 2026 that remained under review on October 1, 2026 are also within the scope of these special provisions.

If you have applied but have not yet received a decision, the key areas to review now are:

Household income

Household size

Dependants and financial support

Taxes, pensions and social insurance

Also consider whether any circumstances could be viewed as indicating long-term reliance on public assistance.

③ Applications submitted on or after April 1, 2027

In principle, the revised permanent residence guidelines apply in full.

This means that:

Income

Pensions

Japanese language proficiency

Understanding of Japanese systems and social rules

Children’s school attendance

Extended absences from Japan

Permanent residence exceptions for spouses

and other factors will be assessed comprehensively under the new guidelines.

2. How much annual income will be required for permanent residence in Japan?

This is one of the most closely watched aspects of the new rules.

You may previously have seen online claims such as:

“A single applicant can apply with an annual income of JPY 3 million”

or:

“Add several hundred thousand yen for each additional dependant.”

These are commonly circulated statements.

The revised official guidelines do not set a simple fixed figure stating:

“An annual income of a particular amount guarantees eligibility.”

There is no such fixed qualifying amount in the revised guidelines.

The new assessment approach is closer to:

Whether the income of the applicant’s household sharing living expenses can consistently exceed the average income of Japanese households of the same size.

The applicant’s own salary for a single year therefore cannot be considered in isolation.

The assessment also needs to take account of:

• Household size

• Spouse

• Children

• Dependent relatives

• Actual household income

• Continuity of income

• Future stability of living circumstances

and other relevant factors.

Dependent relatives overseas also require attention

If the applicant financially supports family members living overseas, they may also be considered when assessing household commitments and the relevant number of people.

People who have included overseas parents or other relatives as dependants for tax purposes should therefore review household income and dependency arrangements carefully when planning a permanent residence application.

3. Pensions become an important assessment item from 2027

The revised guidelines specifically add an assessment of future pension security.

This can easily be misunderstood as meaning:

“You must already have paid Employees’ Pension Insurance contributions for 30 years before applying.”

That is not accurate.

The 30-year period primarily establishes a benchmark for comparing future pension benefit levels, rather than requiring 30 years of contributions to have been completed when applying.

Immigration authorities will consider:

• The applicant’s age

• Pension enrollment history

• Employment arrangements

• Years of enrollment

• Past income

• Current income

• Expected future pension benefits

and other factors in a comprehensive assessment.

If projected future pension income is insufficient, financial assets held by the applicant may also form part of the overall assessment.

A high current salary alone may therefore no longer be sufficient for future applications.

Long-term social insurance coverage and financial stability in retirement will become more important.

4. Will B1 Japanese be needed for permanent residence?

For applications submitted on or after April 1, 2027, Japanese proficiency becomes an explicit consideration in permanent residence assessments.

The level stated in the revised guidelines is:

Equivalent to B1 or above under the Framework of Reference for Japanese Language Education.

There is, however, an important distinction:

B1 is an assessment factor. This does not mean that the authorities have required every applicant to pass a single specified “B1 examination.”

The revised guidelines also specify circumstances in which an applicant’s own B1 level may not be treated as the same assessment factor, including certain:

• Highly skilled professionals

• Family members of highly skilled professionals

• People who have received a specified period of primary or secondary education in Japan

• Eligible children of permanent residents born in Japan

and other cases.

It is therefore not accurate to conclude:

“Without JLPT N2, you cannot obtain permanent residence after 2027.”

That interpretation is incorrect.

5. Understanding Japan’s systems and rules will also matter

The revised assessment formally adds:

Understanding of Japanese systems and social rules.

Immigration authorities consider that foreign nationals planning to make Japan their long-term home should have basic knowledge of the systems and rules needed to participate in Japanese society.

The relevant assessment is expected to draw on materials such as the official Guidebook on Living and Working in Japan.

Permanent residence assessments will therefore increasingly shift from:

“How long have you lived in Japan?”

toward:

“Do you have the foundations for stable long-term living and integration into Japanese society?”

6. Families with children of elementary or junior high school age should take particular care

For applicants raising children of compulsory school age, the revised guidelines consider whether those children are receiving elementary or junior high school education as appropriate.

This means that the stability of family life in Japan and children’s participation in the Japanese education system may also form part of the assessment.

For foreign families with children, planning for permanent residence will no longer be solely an individual matter for the parents.

The circumstances of the family’s life in Japan as a whole will become increasingly important.

7. What changes for spouses of Japanese nationals and permanent residents?

This is another important change.

Currently, the exception to the ten-year residence requirement for spouses of Japanese nationals, permanent residents and special permanent residents generally uses the following framework:

At least three years of genuine married life

and:

At least one year of continuous residence in Japan.

These are the current time-period criteria.

For applications submitted on or after April 1, 2027, the revised guidelines change this to:

At least five years of genuine married life

and:

At least three years of continuous residence in Japan.

If you are currently:

The spouse of a Japanese national

or:

The spouse of a permanent resident

and already meet the current marriage and residence-period requirements, April 1, 2027 is an important date to bear in mind.

However, whether applying before then is appropriate also depends on taxes, social insurance, residence history and other permanent residence conditions, not simply the number of years married.

8. Do the accelerated 70-point and 80-point highly skilled routes still exist?

They currently remain in place.

The revised guidelines continue to retain:

Highly skilled professionals with 70 points

Applicants who meet the relevant conditions and continue to hold at least 70 points for:

Three years

may use the exception to the residence-period requirement.

Highly skilled professionals with 80 points

Applicants who meet the relevant conditions and continue to hold at least 80 points for:

One year

may use the exception to the residence-period requirement.

It is therefore not currently correct to say:

“The one-year highly skilled permanent residence route has been abolished.”

These exceptions remain in the revised guidelines officially published on October 1, 2026.

9. Has the exception for contributions to Japan been abolished?

This is another point that can easily be misreported.

The former standalone document:

Guidelines on Contributions to Japan

has indeed been reorganized and repealed.

However:

The exception allowing people who have contributed to Japan to apply after five years has not simply disappeared.

The revised permanent residence guidelines retain the relevant five-year exception for people recognized as having contributed to Japan in diplomacy, international exchange, society, the economy, culture and other areas, incorporating it into the revised framework.

It is therefore misleading to state:

“The contribution-based exception will be completely abolished in 2027.”

A more accurate description is:

The former standalone guidelines have been integrated and revised, while the relevant contribution-based permanent residence exception remains.

10. The permanent residence fee rises from JPY 10,000 to JPY 200,000

This fee change is separate from the revised assessment guidelines, but its effective date is also important.

From:

October 1, 2026

the fee for permission for permanent residence increases from:

JPY 10,000

to:

JPY 200,000

Please note:

Applications accepted on or before September 30, 2026 generally remain subject to the previous fee, even if approved on or after October 1.

Applications submitted on or after October 1 that are ultimately approved are subject to the new fee.

11. What should you check before preparing an application now?

If you already live in Japan and are preparing to apply, we recommend checking these points first:

1. Length of residence in Japan

Whether you meet the general ten-year requirement or an exception for spouses, highly skilled professionals or another eligible category.

2. Annual income and household size

Consider the whole household structure, not just your own salary.

3. Taxes

Whether resident tax, income tax and other taxes have been paid correctly and on time.

4. Pensions and social insurance

Whether there are missing or late payments, or persistent irregularities in your records.

5. Residence history

Whether there have been extended absences from Japan or activities inconsistent with your residence status.

6. Japanese proficiency

If you plan to apply from April 2027 onward, consider the issue of B1-equivalent proficiency in advance.

7. Children’s education

Families with children of compulsory school age should check their actual school attendance.

Is applying by March 31, 2027 the last chance to use the old rules?

That statement is only partly correct.

For applications submitted by:

March 31, 2027

the revised criteria such as B1 Japanese and the five-year marriage plus three-year residence spouse framework generally do not yet apply in full.

However:

Income

and:

Public-burden considerations

are already subject to arrangements for earlier application.

It is therefore not correct to assume:

“As long as I submit by March 31, 2027, all of the old rules will apply.”

For prospective applicants, the priority is:

First establish whether you already meet the requirements, then decide when to apply.

Do not rush to meet a date before your tax, pension, income or documentary situation is ready.

Hakudatsu Global’s Japan Permanent Residence Application Support

Hakudatsu Global can help organize your circumstances before applying, provide a preliminary analysis of eligibility, coordinate preparation of required documents and, where appropriate, connect you with qualified Japanese professionals such as certified administrative procedures legal specialists.

Final decisions on permanent residence are made by Japan’s Immigration Services Agency in accordance with the law. No organization can guarantee approval.

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