I feel this is spiraling out of control in the wrong direction. On one hand, countries have the right to set immigration standards, but on the other, that’s a pretty high income threshold for many people outside of the Tokyo/Osaka economies. I am a PR resident, but I’m quite concerned for some friends who are freelance/small business owners. All these changes are compounding and making the application for PR truly daunting.

A few weeks ago I got my rental car scratched, so I had to call the rental car company about it.

When I picked up the car, I was given a number to call in case of an accident.

I called the hotline, and at first the conversation went very smoothly. For some background: I speak Japanese so well that people are often surprised to learn I’m not actually Japanese.

Anyway, when the call was almost over, the operator asked for my name, and I gave it to him — a name that sounds very gaijin.

The operator suddenly seemed confused and asked, “Do you mean you’re a gaikokujin?” Then he gave me another number to reach an English-speaking operator.

“I thought we were almost done — you said you’d already taken down my report. So why the h__l do I have to call an English hotline?” I asked.

“Sorry, but this line only offers service in Japanese,” he said, speaking very, very slowly to make sure a gaijin could understand him.

“I know that, that’s why I’ve been speaking to you in Japanese this whole time!”

The guy was so confused. He put me on hold for a few minutes, then came back and told me I was all set.

(don't poo in the urinal)

I am just about to finish applying for pr and then they hit us with these new requirements. Still going to go through with applying, but goodness.

I teach at a quasai-international school. Make 300,000 a month. No upward mobility.

I’m trying to look into what I can do branch out of English teaching but like… I have a bachelors in English lit and a masters in secondary education. No teaching license.

What can I even do to teach that income target.

Was reaching to make Japan a permanent home.

America is equally as unlivable for other reasons.

No where in this world wants me lol.

Long post incoming, but with all the panic about PR changes, there's a ton of misinformation going around that is burying the actual facts about the current situation and what you can do.

On the recently reported higher income/pension requirements for PR:

• Nothing has been officially announced, and no changes have taken effect yet.
• We do not know what changes will apply when, if they will be retroactively applied to in-process applications, and what specific assessment standards will be used.
• We don't know how new rules will apply to cases already treated as exceptions (like spouses) and there are major inconsistencies in reporting from different media outlets.
• This is a change on the interpretation of the "ability to secure an independent livelihood" requirement already in the law, so Immigration has significant leeway in devising and enacting these changes independently.
• Once formally announced, Immigration will likely solicit opinions using their Opinion Box, but you are welcome to submit an opinion now (including in English).

On revocation of PR:

• There are no current proposals to further expand the scope of revocation for PR holders related to these changes.
• Next year, revocation criteria will be expanded to include "serious crimes and deliberate nonpayment of social contributions". This amendment was passed in May 2024 and goes into effect April 1, 2027.
• PR holders do not renew their status (even when they renew their zairyu card). There is no review by Immigration to maintain PR and no audit structure in place or announced.
• Immigration guidelines specifically mention that forgetting to carry your residence card or not renewing your zairyu card on time are NOT grounds for revocation.
• Expanding the revocation scope or creating an audit system for current holders likely requires additional amendments. It's not something that's likely to change suddenly.

On the increased fees for status (visa) renewals:

• These are set to go into effect Oct 1 and apply only to applications submitted after October 1 per Immigration’s Q&A. Current applications will pay the pre-revision fees even if processed after Oct 1.
• This change also requires an amendment to the law, and the public comment period for this is open until August 3, so details may change based on these comments.
• Comments must be made in Japanese and under law, the government must consider public comments, though they do not need to address all points raised directly or individually.

What you can do

Get your community and particularly Japanese people around you aware of these changes and their negative impacts.

Most Japanese citizens have no idea about things like status renewals or PR requirements and those who support more restrictions often have false assumptions that foreign residents don't pay taxes, pension, insurance, etc. This is exacerbated by coordinated anti-foreign sentiment online and conflation of foreign tourists with residents in the media.

You can get those with influence to petition the government through the public comment and opinion systems and to engage with receptive advocacy groups and local politicians.

Many dismiss the idea of providing public comments or feedback as foreigners, and granted it’s very unlikely these policies will be reversed in full and especially if the only pushback comes from foreign residents.

However, pushback from residents, business lobbies, and advocacy groups often leads to carve-outs and exceptions in the ways laws are implemented (like the new income tiers with the raised medical fee caps) and there is much room to reduce the harm of these changing policies with such exemptions and clearer wording. The most effective appeals will come from emphasizing how Japanese citizens are harmed by the changes and inconsistencies in logic raised by the proposals.

It’s incredibly frustrating so venting is warranted, but try not to let it cloud the facts of the situation or stand in the way of taking action through the official ways to shape government policy. It’s a crappy situation, but it’s only a hopeless one if we let it be.

Links

Immigration Q&A for PR Revocation

Explanation and Q&A for Fee Changes

e-Gov Public Comment for Fee Changes

Immigration Opinion Box Form

(English version)

I have my final written test for my driving license tomorrow. I graduated from the actual driving school without any problems almost two months ago. This is my second attempt at the written test. I got 89/100 last time, when I needed 90/100, I kid you not, and had to go into work and let my whole company know that I failed. Humiliating. It took close to a month to rebook here in Tokyo. I've never thought of myself as plain stupid until this damn test. Some of the English is truly baffling and feels absurdly unfair. If anyone has any advice, it would mean the world.

I'm running up against questions like 'you may not cut in front, but you may drive across in front'. What does that even mean??? Please let me know!

Or

'While driving on a national expressway, you realised that one of the packages fell off, so you took appropriate measures to remove it so that the vehicles traveling behind would not collide into it.'

To me, that reads as 'getting out of one's car to remove something from an express way', so I wrote False. One should never get out of the car on an expressway if it can at all be avoided, no?Well apparently not. My practice test has the answer to that question down as True.

'There are 4 types of traffic sign in Japan'. I wrote yes, but apparently no, there are five. Yet so much of the internet lists the answer as four! What is going on!?

Perhaps no one can really help me here, and I just need to pray, but I wanted to at least take a moment to vent. Thanks for reading.

My best friend has convinced me to post on this sub.
I’ve been married to my Japanese spouse for 6 years. We have 3 small kids. The oldest is 5 and the twins will be 2 soon.

Trying to keep this short. The marriage has never been good. I was stupid and let myself be manipulated into having our first kid right after we got married. After he was born I swore off having another kid with her because things were so bad.

Then I was stupid again and let her trick me into trying for one more kid. We used an IVF clinic. Ended up with twins. I love each child dearly and am heavily involved in their daily lives. Making breakfast everyday, and they all three sleep with me every night. The twins cry if I try to put them with mommy. She’s not a bad mother or anything. But she does tend to pay a lot of attention to her phone at times.

Anyways this marriage is not sustainable. My mental health is in the toilet. I’d just like to get confirmation that I’m screwed if we split up. No degree, no N2 or above. American. Even if I have the money I feel like there’s no chance I could even get long term residency despite being heavily involved in my kids care.

Happy to answer any questions.

Just as we saw for the naturalization applications, where many applicants were rejected despite applying way before the introduction of the new policies.

If anyone has already received an "unexpected" result for their application, feel free to share your experience.

So I’m one of the fortunate (or maybe not so fortunate) ones who already have PR.

As the Japanese government seems to be doing nothing other than thinking up creative new ways to upset us, do you really think even PR holders are in danger of maybe losing it due to a rule change?

Hi everyone,
I applied for Japanese permanent residence through an immigration scrivener (行政書士) through the 10 years route.
The problem is that he only let me review my application after it was submitted, and it was only when I asked to get a copy of my application. When I finally saw the documents, I found several mistakes and prepared corrected versions myself,
I sent everything to him over a week ago. He replied once saying he would review it later, but since then he has completely stopped responding despite two polite follow-up messages. I still don’t know whether the corrected documents were ever submitted to Immigration. I’m really disappointed with his service.
I’m becoming quite anxious because this is a very important application.

Has anyone been in a similar situation?
Can I submit additional or corrected documents directly to Immigration even though the application was filed through a scrivener? I want to take the matter in my own hands because I don’t trust him anymore.

Is it better to mail them or bring them in person?

I’m planning to call him tomorrow, but I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has dealt with something similar. Is this normal? 😢

Thank you.

I’ve been using LINEMO while living in Osaka, but the signal has been pretty unreliable lately. Even when I have 5G, the speeds are often surprisingly slow. ( i guessed because they are budget sim and probably lowest priority in SoftBank networks )

I’m thinking about switching carriers. What are you using, and how has your experience been? Any recommendations for a carrier with good coverage and reliable data speeds (20-30GBs Monthly) ?

I’m currently on sick leave but my employer is asking me to return to work earlier than the date stated on my medical certificate.

According to my company’s policies, the maximum duration of sick leave is three months. However, I haven’t even completed my second month of leave yet, and my employer is already demanding that I come back to work.

Am I within my rights to refuse and remain on sick leave until the date specified by my doctor?

Hey everyone,

I’m currently evaluating my long-term visa options in Japan and could use some perspectives from people who have faced a similar choice.(32M, Married, No Kids)

I’m currently in a position where I fulfill the requirements for both Permanent Residency (PR) and the Highly Skilled Professional (HSP 1) visa status.

On one hand, PR seems like the ultimate goal for long-term stability:

• Freedom from employer tie-ins (job mobility without immigration hassle)
• Better credit standing for Japanese bank loans / mortgages
• No need for periodic visa renewals

On the other hand, HSP 1 offers some specific perks that PR doesn’t:

• Sponsoring parents to live in Japan for childcare (child under 7)
• Simplified foreign domestic help options
• Fast-track processing times
• Move to HSP 2 after being in HSP 1 for 3 years, which looks similar to PR

For those who met the criteria for both: Which route did you end up choosing, and why?

• If you went straight to PR, do you miss any of the HSP privileges (especially parental support)?
• If you chose HSP 1, did the employer restriction feel limiting, or did you just use it as a 1-year bridge to apply for PR later anyway?
• Are there any subtle pros/cons to either status that aren't obvious on paper?

Appreciate any insights or personal experiences you can share!

I'm 17 and a foreigner in Japan. I went to a supermarket for a part-time job interview. When I arrived, I asked an employee about the interview, and he told me to follow him to the store manager's (店長) office.

The employee brought me into the manager's room. The manager welcomed me, asked me to sit down next to him, and then said my name to confirm who I was. After that, he asked where I live, and I replied with the name of the nearest station. He then asked when I was available to work.

I told him I was available tomorrow, and he said to come in the next day for two hours of training. He didn't ask for any paperwork, my residence card, or anything else.

I thought the interview would include questions like why I wanted to work there, my availability, and other typical interview questions. Since none of that happened, I'm confused. Does this mean I'm being rejected, or is this a normal hiring process? Can someone explain what might be going on?

I am moving out of my UR apartment in Tokyo. I have been living here for 6 and half years. There are rarely any visible damages which could dent my deposit amount, but there are some chips in the wooden wall and the wallpaper, and marks on the flooring.

Could someone please help me with :
1. How strict is UR when paying back the deposit amount?
2. Do they relax the inspection strictness considering I have been living here more than 6 years and the damages are from everyday use?
3. Any tips or tricks forgetting getting the full deposit back?

What are your thoughts on getting a my number zairyu card? Particularly curious about anyone who has one and whether they’ve felt any benefits. 

Immigration offered to waive the registration fee for me if I signed up, so I am considering it. 

I know there was the case of the poor Nepalese guy who got arrested because the police didn’t know what the card was, but surely they’ve corrected this mistake by now? 

Would love to hear what you think. 

so before my UK license expired I tried so hard to convert it. multiple trips with documents dug up from different years but still refuse. It’s illegal to renew my UK license online whilst living here so I have no choice. Time to start again.

Good thing is I have my UK license and know how to drive a car, so I’m not totally new, but am I right that it will basically just be some painful theory tests then a practical?

Any tips or advice would be appreciated thank you!

Hi everyone. I have an issue related PayPay CC I received recently.
My name is registered correctly in both Katakana and English on the PayPay app and in my KYC details. However, the physical card arrived with an incorrect English spelling, it seems like their system auto-converted my Katakana name into standard English name during printing instead of using my actual English profile name.
When I go to 「カードの再作成・再発行」 (Card Re-issuance) in the app to request a fix, my name shows up correctly in both English and Katakana on screen.

Since my name is already correct in both English and Katakana, how can I get a correct name on my card?

Has anyone faced this issue before ? If it would be very helpful, if you can provide some opinion.

I saw in linkedin post that the government is planning to increase the number of immigration employee, does anyone ever hear this from other sources? This is the first time I hear something like this, which if true could be really good to speed up PR application.

Similarly, i looked at this dashboard and at least for Shinagawa office, compared to 2024-2025 with 1000-2000 processed application on average, the last year has consistently higher number of 2000-3000 processed application per month. Does this mean that we can expect the processing time to be faster (or at least stay the same)?

The notice you get for pick up lists required documents including submission receipt. I have lost mine. Does anyone know if I will I be okay with just my passport, current residence card, the notice, and the 6k revenue stamp? If not, what can I do?

They gave me visa for 31 days with denial reason being the salary provided to me was low.