Japan updates permanent residency rules

Short summary

Japan's Immigration Services Agency updated permanent residency filing requirements in February 2026, raising the baseline residence-card period from 3 to 5 years and changing payment history tracking from resolvable to permanent flags. The post provides a four-step checklist (visa period, pension gaps, tax documentation, guarantor status) to verify eligibility before filing, with scenarios specific to remote work transitions, dual-nationality dependents, and freelance income gaps; application fees are reportedly rising to ~¥100,000.

• •2026 PR baseline now requires 5-year residence card (up from 3 years), with transition window until March 2027
• •Payment history now tracks permanently (APPEND_ONLY) rather than resolving after payment
• •Four-step dependency checklist replaces parallel task approach; visa renewal must complete before PR filing

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