---
title: "Draft Revision to Japan’s Permanent Residence Guidelines: Income Criteria and Application to Pending Cases"
locale: en
category: knowledge_base
category_name: "Knowledge Base"
translation_status: reviewed
license: cc_by
author: "Injoys Editorial Team"
source_url: https://injoys.com/en/articles/japan-permanent-residence-guideline-draft-2026
published_at: 2026-08-24T14:31:30+09:00
---

# Draft Revision to Japan’s Permanent Residence Guidelines: Income Criteria and Application to Pending Cases

> Japan’s draft 2026 revision to its permanent residence guidelines proposes assessing applicants based not on a uniform individual annual salary but on their ability to support themselves, taking into account household size and dependent burden, as well as pension prospects and Japanese-language proficiency. As the draft is still under public consultation, the final announcement must be checked for the effective date and transitional measures, including whether it will apply to applications filed from April 2026 onward.

## Key Points

- The draft describes permanent residence as a stable status with no restrictions on the scope of activities or period of stay, while emphasizing the correspondingly rigorous screening process.
- Income is to be assessed comprehensively based on the income of household members sharing the same livelihood, household size, dependent burden, and remittances to family members overseas, rather than the applicant’s fixed individual annual salary.
- In addition to income, key proposed changes include public pension contribution history and projected future pension benefits, Japanese communication skills, and residence requirements under the spouse exception.
- It is possible to interpret the draft as allowing the new criteria to apply to applications filed from April 2026 onward that are still under review when the revision occurs, but no definitive conclusion can be reached until the final transitional provisions are confirmed.
- Current and prospective applicants should prioritize checking the final guidelines, effective date, scope of application, and official documentation standards rather than the estimated amounts presented in the article.

The proposed revisions to the permanent residence permission guidelines, reportedly released by Japan’s Immigration Services Agency on August 4, 2026, provide more specific financial self-sufficiency criteria for permanent residence screening and adjust provisions concerning projected pension benefits, Japanese-language proficiency, and special treatment for spouses. As of August 24, 2026, the proposal remains in the public consultation stage, so not all of its wording constitutes finalized screening criteria.

In particular, the controversial issue is not simply the establishment of a new minimum annual salary. Questions about whose income is combined, how many dependents an applicant supports, how living expenses sent to family members overseas are assessed, and whether the new criteria apply to applications already filed are all interconnected.

## What Has Been Finalized and What Has Not

The proposed revisions, the public consultation process, and the final guidelines are not at the same legal or administrative stage. Unless their current status is distinguished, anticipated criteria may be mistaken for obligations already in effect.

| Category | Meaning as of August 24, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Current permanent residence permission guidelines | Guidelines that currently serve as the official starting point for screening |
| Proposed revisions | A draft in which the administrative authority presents the direction of changes and screening factors |
| Public consultation | A process through which individuals and organizations submit comments on the draft |
| Final guidelines | A document that must be finalized and published after comments are reviewed before its actual wording and scope of application can be determined |
| Internal screening practice | A process in which decisions are made by comprehensively considering not only the published guidelines but also submitted materials and individual circumstances |

Therefore, projected income amounts, implementation dates, or accepted documents cited in news reports or expert commentary should not be treated as finalized criteria. The deadline for submitting comments, the date of final publication, and the effective date must be reconfirmed in notices issued by the Immigration Services Agency.

## The Status of Permanent Residents as Described in the Proposed Revisions

Unlike ordinary statuses of residence, which require renewal after a specified period of stay, permanent resident status in Japan is, in principle, not subject to restrictions on the period of stay or the scope of employment activities. However, it differs from naturalization, which grants Japanese nationality, and does not confer a Japanese passport or rights arising from nationality. Immigration-related obligations, including re-entry procedures and grounds for deportation, also continue to apply.

The proposed revisions appear to emphasize the principle that applications for permanent residence should be screened carefully in light of these substantial legal and practical benefits. This more clearly expresses the existing framework under which permanent residence is not a right that arises automatically from long-term residence but a status of residence granted with the permission of the Minister of Justice.

## Household Financial Self-Sufficiency, Rather Than Individual Annual Salary, Is Central to the Income Criteria

It is difficult to reduce the income issue in the proposed revisions to a uniform minimum annual salary applicable to every applicant. Taken together, the published explanatory materials indicate that the central framework is to assess whether the household as a whole can maintain a stable standard of living compared with an average Japanese household of the same size.

### Items That May Be Included in Household Income

The specific scope of calculation must be confirmed in the final guidelines and screening practice, but the following factors may generally become important.

- The applicant’s salary, business income, and their continuity
- Income of household members sharing the same livelihood, such as a spouse
- Type of employment, length of service, and future employment prospects
- Assets held, including savings, securities, and real estate
- Number of household members and dependents
- Living expenses regularly sent to a spouse, children, or parents residing overseas
- Payment status of taxes, health insurance premiums, and public pension contributions

The fact that a spouse’s income may be combined does not mean that the income of every cohabitant is automatically recognized. It may be necessary to prove a shared livelihood, income stability, and the actual sharing of living expenses. Conversely, even if family members are not part of the same household on the residence record, applicants who effectively support family members overseas should consider the possibility that this will be assessed as a financial burden.

### Can Assets Compensate for Insufficient Income?

Sufficient savings or real estate may serve as supplementary evidence of the ability to maintain an independent livelihood. However, one-time assets differ in nature from sustainable income capable of covering recurring annual living expenses. Unless the final guidelines clearly specify how assets are converted into income or a minimum holding period, it is difficult to conclude that assets alone satisfy the income criteria.

### Why Projected Amounts by Household Should Not Be Treated as Finalized Criteria

Reports concerning the proposed revisions sometimes present projected income amounts based on the number of household members. However, the results vary depending on the type of average-income statistics used, the reference year, whether amounts are before or after tax, and the definition of household members. Until the final guidelines specify the statistics to be referenced and their update cycle, it is safer to treat specific amounts only as illustrative estimates.

## Pension Contribution History and Projected Future Pension Benefits Are Separate Screening Factors

Even under the current permanent residence screening process, proper payment of taxes, public pension contributions, and public health insurance premiums is important. Discussions of the proposed revisions have also raised the possibility of linking the amount of public pension benefits expected in the future to financial stability.

The two factors must be distinguished.

1. **Compliance with contribution obligations:** This examines whether contributions were paid by the prescribed deadlines and whether there were nonpayments or late payments.
2. **Projected future benefits:** This examines how much the pension expected in retirement, based on enrollment periods and remuneration records, will contribute to financial stability.

Even if current income is high, an unstable history of pension contributions or insurance premium payments may constitute a separate issue. Conversely, even if projected pension benefits are low, how age, assets, a spouse’s income, and the overall household situation will be considered together must be confirmed through the final guidelines and individual screening.

## Japanese B1 Level and Proposed Changes to the Spousal Exception

The proposed revisions are reportedly intended to address Japanese-language communication skills more explicitly as a factor in assessing permanent residents’ integration into the local community and ability to live independently. B1 generally refers to an intermediate level at which a person can understand the main points of everyday life and familiar work situations and explain their experiences or opinions.

However, the term B1 should not be arbitrarily equated with a particular Japanese-language test level. It is necessary to confirm how the final document defines recognized tests, score validity periods, the treatment of graduates of Japanese schools, and exceptions based on disability or age.

Special treatment applying to spouses of Japanese nationals or permanent residents is another major issue. Published explanations of the proposed revisions state that they include a plan to extend the required period of marriage and continuous residence in Japan beyond the current requirements. A frequently cited proposal would increase the marriage requirement from 3 years to 5 years and the continuous residence requirement in Japan from 1 year to 3 years. Because this remains a draft-stage proposal, whether it is ultimately finalized and its effective date must be confirmed separately.

Even if the spousal exception changes, individual screening factors such as the genuineness of the marriage, reasons for living together or separately, and continuity of family life will not disappear.

## Controversy Over Possible Application to Applications Filed Since April 2026

The most sensitive issue concerns cases filed before the guidelines are revised but still pending as of the revision date. Based on the transitional provisions in the proposed revisions, an interpretation has emerged that the new criteria could also apply to applications filed since April 2026, a certain period before the revision date.

This issue cannot immediately be equated with retroactive application of a law. Because permanent residence permission is not a right that automatically arises on the filing date, the administrative authority may argue that the screening criteria in effect when it decides whether to grant permission should apply. Applicants, however, may counter that they prepared their documents and life plans in reliance on the publicly available criteria at the time of filing, so clear and reasonable transitional measures are necessary before disadvantageous new criteria can be applied to pending cases.

The key is to distinguish the following three dates.

- **Filing date:** The date on which the application was formally accepted
- **Revision or publication date:** The date on which the new guidelines are finalized and made public
- **Effective date or reference date for application:** The date on which the new criteria begin to be used in actual screening

If the draft uses these dates differently or refers both to “cases pending at the time of implementation” and “cases filed on or after a specific date,” the scope of application may become unclear. The final version should be reviewed to determine whether it clearly defines covered cases, exceptions, and opportunities to submit supplementary materials.

## Easily Overlooked Timing of Evidence and Conversion Issues for Overseas Materials

As important as the income criteria themselves is which materials are used to prove what and as of what date. Tax certificates show income from a past tax year, but they do not automatically prove current employment stability. Explanatory materials may be necessary when tax certificates do not reflect the current situation, such as after a recent job change, parental leave, illness-related leave, or a sharp decline in business income.

If overseas income, assets, or support relationships are involved, the following additional issues arise.

- Japanese translations of foreign-language documents and identification of the translator
- The reference date and exchange-rate source used when converting foreign-currency amounts into yen
- Issue dates of overseas family-relationship documents and methods of verifying their authenticity
- Materials showing whether remittances are support payments or one-time gifts
- Differences between overseas tax and social insurance payment records and the Japanese system
- Explanations of fund flows to avoid double-counting transfers between multiple accounts as new income

This does not mean that the proposed revisions contain a separate scoring table. It is a practical issue: even with the same income and assets, proving financial self-sufficiency convincingly may be difficult if the reference dates and connections among the materials are unclear.

## Checklist for Prospective Applicants and Applicants Under Review

### Prospective Applicants

- Check the Immigration Services Agency’s final guidelines and effective date.
- Determine whether the household listed on the residence record matches the actual household sharing the same livelihood.
- Cross-check the applicant’s and spouse’s tax assessment certificates, tax payment certificates, and employment and income documents.
- Check pension enrollment records, projected pension benefits, and compliance with contribution payment deadlines.
- If there are overseas dependents and regular remittances, prepare materials explaining the relationships and amounts.
- If proof of Japanese-language proficiency is required, confirm whether recognized tests and exception criteria have been finalized.

### Applicants Already Under Review

- Confirm the application filing date and receipt number, and retain the receipt.
- Determine where the filing date falls within the revision date, effective date, and transitional provisions.
- If there has been a job change, income change, birth, change in marital status, or increase in overseas dependents since filing, review whether notification or supplementary materials are required.
- If the Immigration Services Agency requests additional materials, record the deadline and scope of the request.
- If the application of disadvantageous new criteria could determine the outcome, seek individual advice from a lawyer or administrative scrivener handling immigration matters.

Professional consultation does not guarantee approval. However, in cases involving a complex household scope, overseas income or family relationships, late payments, or changes to screening criteria while an application is pending, it may help organize the facts and supporting evidence consistently.

## Conclusion

The key point of the proposed revisions is an effort to assess financial self-sufficiency for permanent residence not solely through an individual’s annual salary but by considering household income, support obligations, assets, pensions, Japanese-language proficiency, and compliance with social insurance obligations together. Stricter spousal exceptions and the possible application of new criteria to pending applications could also have a significant impact.

However, as of August 24, 2026, the draft and the final criteria must be distinguished. Rather than relying on projected amounts in media reports or explanatory articles, applicants should base their decisions on the final wording, effective date, transitional provisions, and accepted supporting evidence published by the Immigration Services Agency.

## FAQ

### Does the same minimum annual salary apply to all applicants for permanent residence in Japan?
The key point of the proposed amendment is to consider the income of the household sharing the same livelihood, the number of household members, and the burden of supporting dependents together, rather than applying a uniform individual annual salary. Estimated amounts by household are being reported, but they cannot be regarded as the official minimum annual salary until the reference statistics and calculation method are finalized.

### Can a spouse's income also be included in household income?
The stable income of a spouse who shares the same livelihood may be assessed together. However, whether it is automatically included solely based on marriage or cohabitation is a separate matter, so it may be necessary to provide employment and income documents and prove the actual arrangement for sharing living expenses.

### Are parents or children living overseas also counted as dependents?
If the applicant regularly sends money for living expenses to family members overseas and actually supports them, this may be considered when assessing the household's financial burden. Documents showing the family relationship, the purpose of the remittances, and their continuity are important, and the final guidelines should be checked for the specific scope of recognition.

### Can substantial savings or real estate substitute for the income requirement?
Assets may serve as evidence supporting the ability to maintain an independent livelihood, but it cannot be assumed that they will be treated the same as recurring income. The liquidity of the assets, ownership, how they were acquired, and the household's ongoing burden of living expenses may be reviewed together.

### If pension contributions were paid on time, are all pension requirements satisfied?
Compliance with payment deadlines and the projected future pension amount are separate issues. In discussions of the proposed amendment, not only whether appropriate contributions were made in the past but also the projected benefit level's contribution to supporting one's livelihood in old age may be considered, so each set of documents should be checked separately.

### Does Japanese B1 mean the same thing as JLPT N2?
They cannot automatically be considered equivalent. B1 is a standard describing the level of language proficiency, while JLPT is a separate Japanese-language testing system, so the final guidelines or official information should be checked to determine which tests and levels will be accepted as proof.

### Will the permanent residence application requirements also change for people married to Japanese nationals?
Explanations of the proposed amendment state that a plan has been presented to tighten the spousal exception by increasing the required duration of marriage from 3 years to 5 years and the period of continuous residence in Japan from 1 year to 3 years. As this is still at the draft stage, it is necessary to check whether it is ultimately adopted and what transitional measures apply.

### If I applied in April 2026, will the new income criteria apply?
The wording of the proposed amendment's transitional measures has prompted an interpretation that the new criteria may apply to cases filed in or after April 2026 that are still under review when the amendment takes effect. However, whether they ultimately apply will depend on the confirmed amendment date, effective date, and definition of covered cases, and no blanket conclusion can be made at this stage.

### If I applied before the criteria changed but the new criteria are applied, is that retroactive application?
This is structurally different from typical retroactive legislation that newly makes conduct before the application date unlawful. Because permanent residence is granted after review, the administrative authority may have room to apply the criteria in effect at the time of the decision, but controversy remains over the need to protect reliance on the criteria in effect when the application was filed and to provide clear transitional measures.

### What should applicants with applications under review prepare now?
They should verify the filing date and receipt number and organize the latest income, tax payment, pension, and health insurance documents. If there have been significant changes since applying, such as changing jobs, a decrease in income, childbirth, or an increase in dependents, they should check whether supplemental documentation or reporting is required. If transitional measures may affect the outcome, they may consider seeking individualized advice from an immigration professional.

## Sources

- [Immigration Services Agency Guidelines for Permission for Permanent Residence](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/resources/nyukan_nyukan50.html)
- [Explanatory Materials on the Proposed Revisions to Japan's Guidelines for Permission for Permanent Residence](https://note.com/neco_sushi_/n/n2b9b072f6206)
- [Explanatory Materials on Income Requirements and the Effective Date of Japan's Proposed Revisions to Permission for Permanent Residence](https://note.com/aisis39_7/n/nc47ae3de540a)
- [Administrative Practice Commentary on the Proposed Revisions to Japan's Guidelines for Permission for Permanent Residence](https://note.com/kagamigyo/n/ncc00c6593860)

## Images

![Woman listening to an official across a desk with application documents](https://injoys.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTE1NDgsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--ac90fa089442239abc86739ba6113dec830d99e3/ai-53f71649.webp)
![Illustration of an application, income chart, scales and calendar against a Japanese landscape](https://injoys.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTE1NTQsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--54e2c8c366f8bc3bb4967ac86213bbdaf1a02190/ai-cd0ce49a.webp)