Japan Immigration News

No visa, no higher education for foreign-born children in Japan

Release Date: 2026-01-07
Media: The Asahi Shimbun
Summary: Foreign-born children who grew up in Japan but lack legal residency status face serious barriers to higher education, even though they speak fluent Japanese and have completed compulsory schooling in the country. Many arrived as children with their parents and now live under “provisional release” after their families lost residency status following unsuccessful refugee applications.

While provisional release allows them to remain in Japan, it leaves them in an unstable position. They are excluded from national health insurance and prohibited from working, which makes it difficult to meet application requirements or pay tuition. In one case, a high school senior who had spent most of her life in Japan was rejected by a Tokyo vocational school because she could not provide health insurance documentation or proof of financial stability.

Although Japan’s compulsory education system generally accepts children without residency status, admission to universities and vocational schools is left to the discretion of each institution. As a result, some students are denied enrollment or have job offers withdrawn solely because they lack residence permits. Support groups report that these rejections are often justified by a lack of precedent or concerns over tuition payments.

Advocates are calling for greater stability through “special permission to stay,” which can be granted on humanitarian grounds. While long-term residence and schooling in Japan are considered positive factors, decisions are made case by case with no uniform standards, sometimes leading to families being split apart. Experts stress that denying stable residency to children raised in Japan undermines their ability to plan for the future and risks forcing them into countries where they have little connection or ability to adapt.
Tags: Provisional Release

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