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）
From fiscal 2026 it is said that the income expected when you change to 定住者 after a divorce or the death of a spouse has been made clearer, and that the step up from 定住者 to permanent residence has become harder. The question behind the screening — can you stand on your own feet in Japanese society and meet your obligations? — is said to be looked at more severely than before.
A guide for people who want to know what has changed in the screening of 定住者 visas in fiscal 2026.
The reading of "an independent living" is said to have become stricter.
Until now, when a person changed to 定住者 after divorce from, or the death of, a Japanese spouse, annual income is said to have been judged fairly flexibly. Under the new standard from April 2026, however, and against a background of rising prices, an annual income of about 2 million yen to 2.5 million yen (with differences between regions) is said to be kept in mind as a cut-off line for stability, even for a person living alone. If you are receiving public assistance at the time of the application, or are judged likely to need it, cases are said to be increasing in which a change to 定住者 is not granted, even for people who have lived in Japan for many years.
It is said to have become very hard, in step with the start of the system for revoking permanent residence.
定住者 have a special rule: you may apply for permanent residence once you have lived in Japan for 5 years. Since April 2026, however, this application is said to have become harder, in step with the start of the system that can revoke permission for permanent residence. Over those 5 years as a 定住者, the practice is said to allow not even 1 day of delay in tax or pension payments. With a Japanese-language requirement for permanent residence coming in 2027, your ability to adapt to Japanese society is also said to be looked at closely, through the way you write your 理由書 (written explanation) and through interviews.
Digitalisation is said to be speeding up how minor breaches come to light.
For the 定住者 visa held by people of Japanese descent and others, checks on conduct at renewal — criminal records and traffic offences — are said to have accelerated since 2026 through digitalisation. Minor traffic offences, or working beyond the hours allowed under a permission for 資格外活動 (activity other than that permitted under the status of residence), used to be overlooked. Through the link with the My Number system they are said to come to light at once at renewal. Where no improvement is seen, cases are said to be frequent in which people who used to be given a visa of 3 years or 5 years are cut to 1 year across the board.
Cross-checking against residence records is said to have made checks on living together stricter.
Ahead of the move to a single 特定在留カード (Specified Residence Card), planned for June 2026, residence-record data is said to be cross-checked in real time. This applies above all to 定住者 whose position is close to 在留資格「家族滞在」 (Dependent): a child from a previous marriage, or a parent brought over. If you are not in fact living together, or if you move house often, the risk is said to be growing that you will be seen as having no real family life and that your renewal will be denied.
The 定住者 visa is a status of residence in which the Regional Immigration Services Bureau has very wide discretion. The series of changes from April 2026 is said to come down to a single question: can you stand on your own feet in Japanese society and meet your obligations? If you are worried about tax or social insurance payments, if you are worried about income when changing to 定住者 after a divorce, or if you want to bring over a child who is nearly 18 years old, it matters that you prepare a 理由書 that fits the new standard, together with objective evidence.
There is no clear official standard. But an annual income of about 2 million yen to 2.5 million yen (with differences between regions) is said to be kept in mind as a guide for stability, even for a person living alone.
It is said to have become harder. In step with the start of the system for revoking permanent residence, the practice is said to allow not even 1 day of delay in tax and social insurance payments over the 5 years.
Through digitalisation and the link with the My Number system, even minor breaches that used to be overlooked are said to come to light at once at renewal.
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This page is a translation of the Japanese original. Where the two differ, the Japanese version prevails.