Permanent residence guideline revised on 1 October 2026: what applies to filings from 1 April 2027
The Immigration Services Agency revised its permanent residence guideline on 1 October 2026. The new text applies in full to filings from 1 April 2027; its income and public-burden provisions also reach some pending cases.
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Which text applies to you
It depends on the filing date. The February 2026 guideline applies to filings up to 31 March 2026. For filings from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 it still applies, except that the October 2026 income provisions apply. The October 2026 text applies to filings from 1 April 2027. Its income and public-burden provisions also reach pending cases filed within six months before the revision date.
Years of residence
- As a rule, 10 years or more of continuous residence in Japan at the time of application, of which at least 5 continuous years in a work-purpose status or a residence-type status.
- In the October 2026 guideline, “work-purpose status” excludes Technical Intern Training, Employment for Skill Development, Specified Skilled Worker (i), Intra-company Transferee and some Designated Activities. The February 2026 guideline carved out only Technical Intern Training and Specified Skilled Worker (i).
- An unreasonable absence of six months or more on a single trip, or 2 years 6 months or more in total, within the 10 years before applying counts against the applicant.
- For filings up to 31 March 2027, a 3-year period of stay is treated as the longest period. Afterwards this applies only to someone who still holds a 3-year period on 31 March 2027, files a first application from 1 April 2027 and gets a decision before that period ends.
Shorter routes from 1 April 2027
- Spouse of a Japanese national, permanent resident or special permanent resident: a genuine marriage of 5 years or more plus 3 continuous years of residence in Japan. A biological child needs 3 years. The February 2026 guideline asks for a marriage of 3 years or more and 1 year of residence, and 1 year for a child.
- Long-Term Resident: 5 continuous years in Japan instead of 10.
- Highly Skilled Professional with 70 points or more: 3 continuous years while keeping the score. With 80 points or more: 1 continuous year while keeping the score.
- Special Highly Skilled Professional: 1 continuous year in that capacity.
Income, pension and Japanese
- Household annual income should continuously exceed the average income of Japanese households of the same size. The guideline gives no yen amounts.
- For filings from 1 April 2027, the pension the applicant can expect is compared with the pension of someone who worked 30 years in the employees’ pension scheme at the income level of the Japanese household average. Financial assets that can cover a shortfall make up the gap.
- Japanese at CEFR level B1 or above is expected unless the applicant is exempt, for example highly skilled professionals and their families.
The separate “contribution to Japan” permanent residence guideline is abolished on 31 March 2027, when the October 2026 guideline takes over. The agency held a public comment period from 4 August to 3 September 2026 on the draft.
What to check
Check your filing date against the three periods above, and read the guideline text on the agency page for the exact wording of each factor.
Sources
- ISA: Permanent residence guideline (revised 1 October 2026) ↗ moj.go.jp
- ISA: Permanent residence guideline (revised 24 February 2026) ↗ moj.go.jp
- ISA: Permanent residence permission (Article 22) ↗ moj.go.jp
Last checked 24 October 2026
Related rules
Status pages
永住 · 21 rulebook entries
- As a rule the applicant should have lived in Japan continuously for 10 years or more at the time of application.
- Of the 10 years, at least 5 continuous years must have been spent in a work-purpose status or a residence-type status.
- In the October 2026 guideline, 'work-purpose status' excludes Technical Intern Training, Employment for Skill Development, Specified Skilled Worker (…
- In the February 2026 guideline only Technical Intern Training and Specified Skilled Worker (i) are carved out of the work-status years counted toward…
- Under the October 2026 guideline, an unreasonable absence of six months or more on a single trip, or 2 years 6 months or more in total, within the 10…
再显示 16 项
- The applicant should hold the longest period of stay available for the current status; for filings made up to 31 March 2027 a 3-year period is treate…
- From 1 April 2027 the spouse route needs a genuine marriage lasting 5 years or more plus 3 continuous years of residence in Japan; a biological child…
- Under the February 2026 guideline, the spouse route requires a genuine marriage of 3 years or more and 1 year of continuous residence in Japan; a chi…
- A holder of Long-Term Resident status can apply after 5 continuous years in Japan instead of 10.
- A highly skilled professional scoring 70 points or more can apply after 3 continuous years in Japan while keeping the score, or when a 70-plus score…
- A highly skilled professional scoring 80 points or more qualifies after 1 continuous year while keeping the score.
- A Special Highly Skilled Professional can apply after 1 continuous year of residence in that capacity.
- The separate 'contribution to Japan' permanent-residence guideline is abolished on 31 March 2027, when the October 2026 guideline takes over.
- Income is judged by whether household annual income continuously exceeds the average income of Japanese households of the same size; the guideline gi…
- For applications filed from 1 April 2027, the guideline also looks at the pension the applicant can expect, compared with the pension of someone who…
- If the expected pension falls short, financial assets that can cover the shortfall are treated as making up the gap, and the required asset amount is…
- Applicants are expected to have Japanese at CEFR level B1 or above, unless they are exempt.
- The B1 Japanese factor is not applied where requiring it is not necessary or appropriate, for example for highly skilled applicants and their familie…
- Which guideline applies depends on the filing date: the February 2026 text up to 31 March 2026; the February text for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 e…
- The October 2026 guideline revision applies in full to filings from 1 April 2027, though its income and public-burden provisions also reach pending c…
- The ISA held a public comment period from 4 August to 3 September 2026 on the draft revision of the permanent-residence guideline, and on the draft r…
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