Home ／ Articles & Guides ／ Permanent residence

If I turn 40 during screening and my points drop, will I be denied permanent residence?

Foreigners Employment Support Organization (FESO)　／　Published 11 March 2026　／　Last updated 21 August 2026

This article is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails. Read the Japanese original（日本語版を読む）

Answer

If you meet 80 points both on the date of application and at the reference point in time (for 80 points, 1 year before the date of application), then even if your points drop during screening because of your age, as a rule you will not be denied on that ground alone. This is because growing older is beyond your control, and is thought not to undo your eligibility at the time of the application.

What is this enquiry about?

A 39-year-old considering a permanent residence application with 80 高度専門職 points asks what happens if they turn 40 during screening.

Subject: the effect of losing points (age points) during the screening period
Application type: 永住許可申請 (Application for Permanent Residence), using the special treatment for 高度専門職 (Highly Skilled Professional) with 80 points or more
Situation: The enquirer is currently 39. He is considering (or has already made) a permanent residence application with 80 高度専門職 points. He has certainly kept 80 points over the past year, but screening takes time, and if he turns 40 partway through, his age points will fall and his total will drop below 80.
Question: If he turns 40 during screening and can no longer keep 80 points, will the permanent residence application be denied?

Which points in time are used to measure the points?

Two: the date of application, and 1 year before it for 80 points, or 3 years before it for 70 points.

In a permanent residence application based on 高度専門職 points, the condition is that you meet the points at the following 2 points in time.

Point in time A / The "date of application" on which you make the 永住許可申請
Point in time B / "1 year before the date of application" (for 80 points) or "3 years before" (for 70 points)

Screening judges whether you met the requirements on the very day you made the application. Losing points because you have a birthday during the screening period is a matter of growing older, which is beyond your control, and the usual practice is to treat this as not undoing your eligibility at the time of the application.

How is this different from losing points by changing jobs?

With age, the facts as at the time of application do not change; with a change of job, the underlying premise of what you applied on changes.

Changing jobs / If a gap opens up between leaving one job and starting the next, your record of "continuously carrying out highly skilled activities" is broken. Also, if your income at the new company falls so that you can no longer keep your points, this is treated as a change in the premise of what you applied on, and the risk of a denial rises.
Age / If you were 39 with 80 points at the time of application, your eligibility as at that moment is fixed. Even if you turn 40 during screening, the fact as at the time of application (that you were 39) does not change.

Is there anything to watch out for when applying?

Apply with time to spare so that acceptance does not slip past your birthday, and keep your income and other items in place.

Timing of the application
If you rush to apply just before turning 40 and there is something missing in your documents, so that acceptance falls after your birthday, the calculation will be based on being 40 (with fewer points). It is important to allow time and get as far as having the application accepted.
Keeping the other items in place
Even though a drop in age points is tolerated, a change such as a large fall in your income during screening will be checked strictly from the point of view of your ability to make a living.

What matters is whether you can prove reliably, with 疎明資料 (supporting documents), that you had 80 points as at the date of application. If you are at exactly 80 points now, we suggest going back over your case to see whether there is another item that could add points, in case a difference in the calculation is ever pointed out.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I have a birthday during screening and drop below 80 points, will I be denied?

If you meet 80 points both on the date of application and 1 year before the date of application, as a rule you will not be denied on that ground alone. Growing older is beyond your control, and is thought not to undo your eligibility at the time of the application.

At what point in time are the points calculated?

At 2 points in time: the date of application, and 1 year before it for 80 points, or 3 years before it for 70 points. Screening judges whether you met the requirements on the very day you made the application.

What happens if my income falls during screening?

Even though a drop in age points is tolerated, a change such as a large fall in your income during screening will be checked strictly from the point of view of your ability to make a living.

Is it all right to apply just before I turn 40?

If there is something missing in your documents and acceptance falls after your birthday, the calculation will be based on being 40. It is important to allow time and get as far as having the application accepted.

Free consultation

Tell us your situation and we will answer it directly. Available in Japanese and English.

Get a free consultation

This article provides general information. Immigration rules change, and outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Please check the Immigration Services Agency website or consult a qualified specialist.
This page is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails.