Japan raises permanent residency fee 20-fold

According to British broadcaster BBC, Japan has raised the fee for foreigners applying for permanent residency by about 20-fold, to 200,000 yen.

According to Nepal Rastra Bank's exchange rate, this amount is equivalent to about Rs195,000.

Applicants must now also meet new criteria related to income, pension payments and Japanese language ability.

Long queues formed at immigration offices earlier this week as people rushed to apply before the fee increase took effect.

According to the BBC, waiting times at the main immigration office in the capital, Tokyo, exceeded seven hours.

The increase is part of immigration policy changes introduced by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government to manage the rapidly growing foreign population.

Japan had also raised visa fees for all foreigners by about five-fold last July, the first such increase in 50 years.