Japan’s Immigration Fee Hike Clears Key Vote

Japan’s House of Representatives passed a bill to raise legal ceilings on immigration procedure fees, making enactment likely during the current Diet session, according to Nippon.com and The Japan Times. The bill still needs approval from the House of Councillors, and actual fees would be set later by ordinance.

Key developments

• The bill amends Japan’s immigration control and refugee recognition law. It passed the Lower House on Tuesday, April 28, with support from the Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling bloc and some opposition parties, including the Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito, Nippon.com reported.

• The proposal would raise the statutory ceiling for permission to change residence status and extend a period of stay to ¥100,000. The ceiling for permanent residence permission would rise to ¥300,000. The current cap for all three categories is ¥10,000.

• The new ceilings do not mean every applicant will automatically pay the maximum. The Japan Times reported that expected fee levels include ¥10,000 for residence of three months or less, ¥30,000 for one year, ¥60,000 for three years, ¥70,000 for five years, and ¥200,000 for permanent residence. Those amounts remain subject to the government’s final ordinance.

• If the bill clears the Upper House, implementation is expected within the current fiscal year, which ends in March 2027. The Japan Times also reported that the bill includes plans for JESTA, an online advance screening system for short-term visitors, scheduled for fiscal 2028.

What to watch

The next step is Upper House consideration. The key unresolved detail is not only whether the bill passes, but how the government sets the final fee schedule within the new legal ceilings. Applicants should distinguish between the proposed caps and the actual amounts that will be charged once the ordinance is issued.

Another point to monitor is how the government explains use of the additional revenue. The Japan Times reported that officials link the increase to measures responding to the growing number of foreign residents, while also connecting the policy to a broader push for stricter management of foreign nationals.

Sources

• The Japan Times: Japan to likely pass bill raising immigration fees
• Nippon.com: Japan Likely to Pass Bill to Raise Immigration Fees

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