Japan Passes Bill To Raise Visa Fees, Introduce Online Pre-Entry Screening.

Tokyo; May 2026: Japan’s parliament yesterday (Friday – 29th May 2026) have passed a revision of the “immigration control law”, to raise the maximum fee for residence status applications by foreigners and introduce an online pre-entry travel authorization system for overseas arrivals.

Once the fee changes are implemented later this fiscal year, the upper limit will be set at 100,000 yen for visa renewals and 300,000 yen for permanent residency applications, marking a sharp increase from the existing threshold of 10,000 yen. The fees are currently 6,000 yen for changing residence status or extending the period of stay and 10,000 yen for permanent residency.

The new fees will be formally set by a cabinet order after soliciting public comments. The government, which has cited rising costs for the revision, has said it will ease the payment burden on humanitarian grounds and for those facing financial difficulties, but lawmakers have pointed out during parliamentary deliberations that the criteria for such considerations remain unclear.

The Immigration Services Agency plans to formulate guidelines setting forth specific requirements and other details. The latest revision also includes the establishment of the Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorisation, with an eye on implementation in fiscal 2028.

The system, aimed at preventing terrorism and illegal employment, targets 74 countries and regions whose citizens qualify for visa-free entry for short stays. Travelers will be required to provide information online, such as their name, purpose of visit, and destination, several days prior to departure, which will be cross-checked against criminal records and other databases.

If there is a suspicion of illegal overstaying, travellers will be denied boarding on planes or ships. The number of foreign residents in Japan at the end of 2025 stood at approximately 4.13 million, a record high.

As per official statistics, Japan is still economical in comparison to Australia: where Government visa application charges are about: AUD $48,000–$50,000 per parent; around AUD $96,000–$100,000 for 02 parents. However, Australia’s national minimum wage is significantly higher than Japan’s. Australia’s base rate is $24.95 AUD/hour (approx. $16.20 USD). In contrast, Japan sets minimum wages by prefecture, with a national weighted average of ¥1,121 JPY/hour (approx. $7.30 USD).

BACKGROUND CHECKED –

A foreigner not making enough money to pay 100,000 yen for visa renewal, still blessed to have a Japanese spouse and kids, what is he going to do? Leave. That means Japan will lose A LOT of their Japanese kids due to this stringent policy.

Moreover, one who already don’t have PR; looking at this new policy, what is he going to do? Most foreigners are not going to be able to pay over 01 month’s salary for PR. They’ll take their Japanese families and leave. This policy will seriously hurt the demographics of Japan. There are several children (who are just counted as Japanese) have a foreign parent. How this will affect not only the foreign population of Japan, but also the number of children.

This will double the amount of taxes foreigners already pay. For instance, a Eikaiwa (private English conversation schools in Japan) teacher or anyone on a one year visa, on top of the high taxes they already pay, they also need to add another 100,000 every year. All that on a 280,000 a month, with rent being at least 75,000. This can witness a mass exodus of Vietnamese, Indian or Nepalese residents dwelling for years for a livelihood.

In a latest update, the Japanese Officials have clarified that renewal of the Japanese Permanent Resident is not a visa renewal. A Permanent Resident (PR) status does not expire, meaning you do not need to go through the stressful visa review process again. Instead, you are simply renewing the physical Residence Card (Zairyu Card) itself, which has a validity of 07 years.

The new visa fees have raised questions about its necessity; as Japan is already filtering immigration. Unlike parts of Europe, which accepted large numbers of refugees from conflict zones after 9/11 and later struggled with integration and management, Japan has maintained strict immigration policies for decades. Most foreign workers are brought in through regulated channels and accredited agencies.

Japan is not facing an over-immigration crisis like some countries in Europe or the United States. In fact, its challenge is the opposite: a shrinking workforce and a growing retired population. The country needs more workers to fill labour shortages and help sustain its economy and welfare system.

Simply raising permanent residency fees is not an effective screening mechanism. Money alone does not determine whether someone is a responsible, law-abiding resident. If the administration thinks that by increasing the fee 30X will somehow separate the “good” gaijin from the “bad” ones, they are mistaken. People with questionable intentions can often find ways to obtain that amount of money temporarily. The individuals most likely to be discouraged are those who are genuinely committed to building a long-term future in Japan and contributing to society. In the end, higher fees do not necessarily filter out bad actors. They may simply drive away the very people Japan needs the most.

Suvro Sanyal – Team Maverick.