Japan’s Immigration Services Agency released a draft cabinet order on Friday that will raise fees for residence status changes and extensions to as much as 75,000 yen, from the current 6,000 yen, while the United Kingdom government unveiled an Immigration and Asylum Bill requiring asylum seekers with sufficient means to repay accommodation and subsistence costs. The Japanese fee for permanent residency will jump from 10,000 yen to 200,000 yen; in the UK, eligible migrants are expected to contribute around £10,000 once their income exceeds a yet-to-be-set threshold.

According to Tokyo officials, the fee revisions are designed to cover administrative expenses driven by a foreign resident population that reached a record 4.1 million at the end of 2025, a 9.5 per cent year-on-year increase. The Home Office in London stated that asylum accommodation and support cost taxpayers £4 billion last year and that the repayment scheme, part of what it calls the biggest asylum overhaul in a generation, would ensure “those who can contribute do so.” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described receiving asylum support as “a right, but it is also a responsibility.”

Both measures tie financial contribution directly to residency rights. Under the Japanese draft, applicants for stays of five years or more will pay 75,000 yen, with discounts of 3,000 to 10,000 yen for online applications; those in financial hardship equivalent to welfare recipients may have fees reduced to 10,000 yen. The UK bill makes full repayment a precondition for permanent settlement and requires departing migrants to clear their balance before any future return. The Home Office said it is exploring collection through direct payments and the tax and benefits systems.

The policy shifts come as Japan’s foreign workforce expands rapidly through programmes such as the Specified Skilled Worker scheme, with Indonesian nationals recording a 33.2 per cent increase. Southeast Asian media have reported that students and workers frequently encounter culture shock and adaptation difficulties. Separately, disaster preparedness experts in Japan warn that evacuation plans have not kept pace with the surge in foreign tourists and residents, many of whom lack knowledge of warning systems and emergency procedures.

The Japanese fee order is open for public comment and is expected to take effect in October. The UK bill is due to be introduced to Parliament, with the Home Secretary empowered to set the repayment threshold and monthly charge. Both governments frame the changes as efforts to align immigration systems with fiscal realities, while sending countries in Asia and Africa are monitoring the impact on migrant communities.