Japan’s revised Guidelines for Permission for Permanent Residence will generally apply to applications submitted on or after 1 April 2027.
One of the most important changes concerns applicants who hold a three-year period of stay.
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Do you need the maximum period of stay?
For permanent residence, the Immigration Services Agency considers whether an applicant currently holds the maximum period of stay available for their residence status.
Until 31 March 2027, a three-year period of stay is also treated as satisfying this requirement.
This treatment changes from 1 April 2027.
If you apply by 31 March 2027
If your permanent residence application is submitted on or before 31 March 2027, a three-year period of stay will still be treated as the maximum period of stay for permanent residence purposes.
Importantly, the revised guideline does not state that a decision must be made before your current three-year period of stay expires in this situation.
Therefore, the date of application is important for applications submitted by 31 March 2027.
What happens if you apply on or after 1 April 2027?
There is a transitional measure, but it is subject to specific conditions.
A three-year period of stay may still be treated as the maximum period of stay if:
- you held a three-year period of stay on 31 March 2027;
- this is your first permanent residence application submitted on or after 1 April 2027; and
- a decision on that permanent residence application is made between 1 April 2027 and the expiry date of that three-year period of stay.
The third condition is particularly important.
The decision must be made before the three-year period expires
For applications submitted on or after 1 April 2027, it is not enough simply to submit the application while you still hold a three-year period of stay.
To benefit from the transitional measure, the Immigration Services Agency must also make a decision on the permanent residence application before that particular three-year period of stay expires.
This can be important in practice because permanent residence applications may take a considerable amount of time to process.
For example, if a person holds a three-year period of stay on 31 March 2027 and applies for permanent residence after 1 April 2027, but the application is still under examination when that three-year period expires, the transitional treatment may no longer apply.
Why timing matters
The rules are therefore different depending on when the application is submitted:
Application submitted by 31 March 2027
A three-year period of stay continues to be treated as the maximum period of stay.
Application submitted on or after 1 April 2027
The transitional measure may apply, but only if all of the conditions above are met, including receiving a decision before the existing three-year period expires.
Applicants should therefore avoid assuming that applying shortly after 1 April 2027 will automatically preserve the current treatment.
What should applicants do?
If you currently hold a three-year period of stay and are considering permanent residence, it is worth reviewing:
- the expiry date of your current period of stay;
- whether you are ready to apply before 31 March 2027; and
- if applying after 1 April 2027, whether there is sufficient time for a decision to be made before your current three-year period expires.
The best timing will depend on your individual circumstances.
If you are unsure how the transitional rules apply to your case, please feel free to contact our office to discuss your situation.
This article is based on the Guidelines for Permission for Permanent Residence published by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan and revised on 1 October 2026.