PR applicants will be expected to have Japanese at B1 level

From April 2027, PR applicants are generally expected to have Japanese at B1 level or above, measured against the Japanese Language Education Reference Framework (日本語教育の参照枠), which is based on the CEFR.

The guideline won’t apply this to the following people, and says there may be other cases:

• Highly Skilled Professionals on the fast PR routes, and their families
• people with 6 or more years in total of primary or secondary schooling under Japan’s School Education Act
• children of permanent residents who were born in Japan, where the parent raising them has B1-level Japanese

Spouses of Japanese nationals aren’t on the list, and ISA has said they shouldn’t be. Language is one factor among several, and ISA says no decision rests on a single factor.

The JLPT and B1

Since the December 2025 test, JLPT score reports show a CEFR level. An N3 pass with 104 points or more counts as B1, and any N2 pass counts as B1 or higher. ISA hasn’t said whether it will accept the JLPT. The test runs twice a year, in July and December.

Not announced yet

Which tests and certificates ISA will accept, and how it will check. ISA says it will decide and publish this before the rule starts in April 2027.