Japan enacted a bill on Friday to raise visa-related fees for foreign nationals by up to 30 times the current levels. The increase will enable the government to use the additional revenue to help cover the administrative costs of managing the country’s growing foreign population.
The bill, which cleared the Lower House in April, was approved by a majority in the Upper House with support from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Japan Innovation Party (also known as Nippon Ishin no Kai), as well as the opposition Komeito and the Democratic Party for the People. The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan opposed the legislation, arguing that the steep fee hikes could place an undue burden on asylum seekers and other vulnerable foreign residents.
Until now, the statutory upper limit for fees to change residency statuses or extend a period of stay was ¥10,000 ($63), while the cap for permanent residency applications was also set at ¥10,000. Under the revision, those ceilings will be raised to ¥100,000 and ¥300,000, respectively.
