# Japan hikes permanent residence fee 20-fold from October 1 2026-08-27T05:43:31+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Japan will sharply raise fees for permanent residence and other visa procedures from October 1, following a cabinet decision. The fee to obtain permanent residence will jump from Rs 5,300 (10,000 yen) to Rs 1.06 lakh (200,000 yen). Applications must be completed in person. The fee for renewing or changing residence status will also rise. For a five-year or longer stay, the cost will go up to Rs 39,900 at a counter and Rs 34,600 online, from the current Rs 3,200. The government said it would grant fee relief for applicants facing financial difficulties, including those recognised as refugees. Justice Minister Hiraguchi Hiroshi said the increases were needed to promote an orderly society that coexists with foreign nationals. The changes accompany a revision to Japan's immigration control act. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Japan has historically kept residence fees low compared with other wealthy economies. The 20-fold jump for permanent residency brings it closer to the typical cost in countries such as Australia or Canada. Refugee applicants still receive a fee waiver, a nod to international obligations. The hike comes as Japan debates managed immigration amid a shrinking workforce. The Immigration Services Agency will enforce the new rates from October 1, the same day the revised immigration control act takes effect. The Justice Ministry has not yet published the criteria for fee reductions it promised to hardship cases. ## Coverage - economictimes.indiatimes.com Leads with the fee increase as a factual policy change, then quotes the justice minister's justification without counter-argument This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Hiraguchi Hiroshi, Immigration Services Agency, Japan Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/japan-hikes-permanent-residence-fee-20-fold-from-october-1/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/japan-hikes-permanent-residence-fee-20-fold-from-october-1/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/