Short answer: Highly Skilled Professional visa holders who keep a score of 70 points or higher can generally apply for permanent residence after roughly 3 years of continuous residence in Japan; those at 80 points or higher may apply after about 1 year. These are exceptions to the usual 10-year residence requirement, but applicants must still satisfy conduct, livelihood, tax and social-insurance conditions.
What are the basic requirements of the 70-point route?
At the time of the permanent-residence application the applicant must score 70 points or more, and in principle must also show that the score was already 70 or higher approximately 3 years earlier and has been maintained since. Continuous residence under the Highly Skilled Professional status (or a status that qualifies as “deemed highly skilled”) is required. See Japan Highly Skilled Professional Visa HSP.
What extra advantage does the 80-point route offer?
Eighty points is not a separate visa; it is a higher threshold within the same points system. Applicants who reach and maintain 80 points or more can generally apply for permanent residence after about 1 year of continuous stay. The historical reference date is correspondingly shorter, and the range of tax and insurance documents usually required is narrower.
What else must be checked when applying for permanent residence?
Meeting the points and residence-period thresholds is only the entry condition. The Immigration Services Agency still examines good conduct, stable livelihood, payment of taxes and social insurance, records of long absences, and the residence status of family members. Reaching the shortened timeline does not guarantee approval.
Comparison of the 70-point and 80-point permanent-residence routes
| Item | 70-point route | 80-point route |
|---|---|---|
| Required continuous residence | Generally about 3 years | Generally about 1 year |
| Historical reference point | About 3 years before application | About 1 year before application |
| Points maintenance | Must be met at application and at the reference point | Must be met at application and at the reference point |
| Document range (tax etc.) | Usually longer | Usually shorter |
| Other PR conditions | Still apply | Still apply |
Global Immigrate’s recommendation
Anyone aiming for the earliest possible permanent residence should try to reach 80 points or higher already at the HSP application stage and then maintain both the score and stable residence. Even if the current score is only 70, the visa can still be obtained and points improved later through promotion, further study or better Japanese ability. Regular checks of the points calculation and tax records help prepare for a future permanent-residence filing.
Data current as of October 2026.
This article is general information only and does not constitute legal or tax advice.