Japan to drastically raise foreigners' residency fees from October

TOKYO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Japan announced a draft cabinet order Friday to raise the fees for foreign nationals' residence status changes and renewals to up to 75,000 yen (about 466 U.S. dollars) from the current 6,000 yen.

The new fees charged to foreign nationals when they change temporary residence status and extend the period of stay will range from 10,000 to 75,000 yen, varying depending on the length of the period, according to the draft, released by the Immigration Services Agency.

The current renewal fee is set at 6,000 yen for in-person applications, regardless of duration of stay.

Meanwhile, the fee to obtain permanent residency will jump to 200,000 yen from 10,000 yen.

The fee hikes are expected to be put into effect in October after a public comment period from Friday, the agency said.

The latest revision has sparked intense criticism from foreign residents, opposition lawmakers, and civic advocates who argue that the substantial fee hikes place an undue financial burden on foreign households without providing better integration or living support.