Japan: Japan's government has announced a new ordinance to significantly raise the fees for foreigners renewing or changing their residency status, with the changes set to take effect in October. The revised fees will see charges increase from a uniform 6,000 yen to as much as 75,000 yen, depending on the duration of residency.

According to Philippines News Agency, the new fee structure includes charges of 10,000 yen for a period of up to three months, 33,000 yen for one year, 64,000 yen for three to less than five years, and 75,000 yen for five years or more. Additionally, the cost to apply for permanent residency will see a steep increase from 10,000 yen to 200,000 yen. These changes are part of the revised immigration control and refugee recognition law enacted in May.

The ordinance also expands the criteria for reduced fees in response to public feedback. Initially, the Immigration Services Agency's guidelines allowed for fee reductions to 10,000 yen for temporary stays and 20,000 yen for permanent residency for individuals experiencing financial hardship or requiring humanitarian consideration. Now, the agency has broadened the scope to include foreigners who independently care for and raise biological children of Japanese nationals or special permanent foreign residents, as well as those whose denial of residency would be deemed inhumane.

Special permanent foreign residents are defined as individuals who have lived in Japan since before World War II, lost their Japanese citizenship after the war, and their descendants. The revised law also establishes caps on fees, setting them at a maximum of 100,000 yen for temporary residency and 300,000 yen for permanent residency, with specific fee levels determined by a corresponding ordinance.