"Pay 600 Million Won Per Person for Permanent Residency in a Year": Wealthy Chinese Pose as "Fake Geniuses" in Japan

Wealthy Chinese Nationals Suspected of Obtaining Japanese Residency Status with False Documents
Permanent Residency After Just One Year... Abuse of the "Highly Skilled Professional" Program

Japan's "Highly Skilled Professional" system, which eased the requirements for foreign professionals applying for permanent residency, appears to have been exploited by wealthy Chinese nationals to fraudulently obtain residence status. A broker is suspected of helping Chinese nationals obtain residence status by forging master's degrees and submitting false employment documents. The system's document-based screening process, introduced by the Japanese government to attract highly skilled talent from abroad, is now under scrutiny.

On October 28, Japan's Asahi Shimbun reported that a case had emerged in which the Japanese government's Highly Skilled Professional system, designed to attract foreign professionals, was suspected of being exploited by wealthy Chinese nationals to fraudulently obtain residence status.

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Permanent Residency Available After Just One Year in Japan for Highly Skilled Professionals

As a general rule, foreign nationals must reside in Japan for 10 years before applying for permanent residency. However, those who obtain Highly Skilled Professional status can shorten that period to as little as one year.

The Japanese government has promoted the system as "Japan's version of a highly skilled foreign talent green card, among the fastest in the world," as part of its efforts to attract professionals from abroad. Use of the system has steadily increased, with a total of 65,000 Highly Skilled Professional status approvals recorded from 2012 to 2025.

The fraudulent application case uncovered by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is suspected to be an instance of the system being abused. Police rearrested a 39-year-old man suspected of being a broker for allegedly helping wealthy Chinese nationals obtain Highly Skilled Professional status using false documents. The man reportedly advertised that he would also help clients apply for permanent residency and received an estimated $450,000 (approximately 646 million won) per person in fees.

System Relies on Document Reviews, Leaving It Vulnerable to Abuse

Japan's Immigration Services Agency generally bases its reviews of residence status applications on documents. Experts have criticized the system, saying, "A system designed on the assumption that the information submitted by applicants can be trusted has been exploited." They say the case exposed a weakness in a system created to quickly attract highly skilled foreign talent.

To qualify for Highly Skilled Professional status, applicants must meet a certain threshold in an evaluation that assigns points for factors such as education, work experience and expected annual income. Additional points are awarded for such factors as graduating from a highly ranked university, Japanese-language proficiency and professional qualifications.

Highly Skilled Professional status is granted to foreign nationals deemed likely to contribute to Japan's economic development and other areas. The status is granted for a uniform period of five years, and various preferential measures apply, including allowing applicants to bring their parents if they meet certain requirements, such as having a child under the age of seven.

In 2017, the Japanese government further shortened the residency period required to apply for permanent residency from the previous five years to attract more highly skilled talent from abroad. Applicants with a score of at least 70 became eligible to apply after three years of residence, while those scoring at least 80 could apply after one year. The newspaper reported, "The Highly Skilled Professional system is also being used as a shortcut for foreign nationals seeking permanent residency in Japan."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.