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The Immigration Services Agency issued the revised permanent residence guidelines and new revocation guidelines on 1 October 2026; most of the text applies from 1 April 2027, but the income and public-burden provisions reach applications already filed.
The Immigration Services Agency opened consultation in August on two documents: revised permanent residence approval guidelines, and the first guidelines on when permanent residence can be revoked.
Reports in late July set out the government's intended permanent residence criteria — household income above the national average, pension equivalent to 30 years of enrolment, and a language test.
From 1 April 2026 the residence period required to apply for Japanese nationality doubled from five years to ten, the first substantial change to the test in decades.
The Immigration Services Agency revised how it assesses permanent residence applications in late February, putting more weight on tax, pension and public-charge conduct.