Japan has raised fees for foreigners seeking to reside in the country, with the cost of permanent residency increasing 20-fold to 200,000 yen ($1,270; £955).

Those seeking permanent residency must now also meet new income, pension and Japanese-language requirements.

Long lines formed outside immigration offices earlier this week as applicants sought to beat the fee hikes, with Tokyo's main immigration bureau reporting wait times of over seven hours.

The fee increases are part of a series of changes to Japan's immigration policy under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, which aim ito manage its rapidly growing foreign population.

In July, Japan implemented a five-fold increase in visa fees for all foreigners – its first visa fee hike in 50 years. Authorities said this was meant to "reflect inflation and exchange rate fluctuations".

Although immigration remains politically sensitive and restrictive in Japan, the nation's ageing population is increasingly relying on foreign workers to plug a labour shortage.

Japan's foreign resident population surpassed 4.12 million at the end of 2025, marking a record 9.5% increase from the previous year. This however has led to growing anxieties over immigration and social change.

Takaichi has made managing immigration one of her key priorities since she took office in October last year.

In an X post days before the residency permit hikes set in, Takaichi wrote that her government recognises that "some members of the public may feel a sense of concern or unfairness" as Japan's foreign resident population grows.

"To address these concerns, [the government] is working to ensure that its policies toward foreign nationals are orderly, and that both Japanese citizens and foreign residents can live safely and securely," she wrote.

Before the hikes, it would cost non-permanent residents in Japan 6,000 yen each time they applied to change their residency status or extend their period of stay.

From 1 October, the fee varies according to the duration of stay sought – from 10,000 yen for three months or less, to 75,000 yen for five years or more.

Applicants who face financial hardship or are designated as refugees would be granted discounts.

Aspiring permanent residents must now also earn a stable income at or above the Japanese average. Latest data released in July puts average household income at 5.75 million yen as of 2024.

Micaiah Michaela-Spence, who has been living and working in Tokyo for 10 years, was not able to compile the necessary documentation to submit his application for permanent residency before the price hike.

The 37-year-old still plans to apply, but questions the new measures aimed at foreign residents.

"My immediate reaction was that foreigners were being treated a bit too conveniently. We're being asked to make more than the average Japanese person, pay a significantly higher fee, just to be able to work in Japan and provide taxes," he tells the BBC.

"There's already a significant language and cultural barrier that prevents some talent from coming over. This just doesn't strike me as a plan that was thought out to the long term."

From April next year, permanent residency applicants will face even tighter requirements, including basic Japanese language proficiency. This has led to a surge in enrollments at Japanese language schools as well as people signing up to take the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, local media reported.

Applicants' expected pension benefits must also be equivalent to that of someone who has enrolled into the employee pension system for 30 years, although the value of one's financial assets can be considered if their expected pension benefits fall short.