Immigration: News & Insights - Nikkei Asia

    Immigration

    14 October 2026
    The new facility lets travelers automatically complete procedures for both sides of the border at one gate. (Photo by Kensaku Ihara)
    President Surangel Whipps Jr. of Palau says his country is awash in illicit drugs brought in by Chinese nationals, contributing to overcrowding in the Pacific island country's sole jail. (Source photos by Sophie Mak)
    Crime

    Palau says flood of drugs brought by Chinese risks destabilization

    President Surangel Whipps urges Pacific island nations to cooperate against crime

    13 October 2026
    U.S. Vice President JD Vance talks about visa policy changes during a news conference in Washington on Oct. 8.
    Trump administration

    US suspends Microsoft, major IT firms from green card program

    Harvard, Yale, Stanford and other schools under investigation for 'visa abuse'

    9 October 2026
    Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Oct. 8: The two discussed the repatriation of thousands of Myanmar refugees in Malaysia, as well as economic and broader cooperation. (Photo by Norman Goh)
    Myanmar Crisis

    Malaysia's Anwar backs Myanmar's ASEAN return after repatriation talks

    Min Aung Hlaing pledges support for refugees' return as he seeks broader cooperation

    8 October 2026
    Students take German classes at recruitment company TERN Group's Yelahanka Language Institute in Bengaluru on Sept. 29. The lure of jobs with better pay and conditions than in India is encouraging Indians to pick up language skills for work in the European Union. (Photo by Selvaprakash Lakshmanan)
    Big in Asia

    Young Indians flock to EU as immigration curbs bite in US, UK

    Recruits scale language barriers to chase jobs, but anti-migrant clouds gather in Europe

    3 October 2026
    Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau is seen in an aerial view on Feb. 3. (Photo by Rie Ishii)
    Immigration

    Japan hikes foreign residency fees, tightens rules: 5 things to know

    Permanent stay costs jump 20-fold as new income and language benchmarks loom

    1 October 2026
    Myanmar nationals to be repatriated from Malaysia sit inside a bus, at Lumut, Malaysia, on Sept. 29.
    29 September 2026
    Alternative for Germany supporters in Schwerin on Sept. 19 attend the far-right party's final rally for the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state election.
    Immigration

    Indian expats in Germany unnerved by far-right AfD's electoral gains

    Big shift in politics jar with government policy of opening doors to skilled workers

    26 September 2026
    A nursery school in Toyota City holds a Japanese class. (Photo by Takuya Michiue)
    Japan immigration

    Japan's communities scramble to cope with rise in foreigner births

    Toyota's hometown taps nonprofit to expand language lessons outside school for young children

    26 September 2026
    Filipino migrant workers share a meal during a weekly gathering on their day off in Beirut, Lebanon. For some, the community of fellow workers has become a substitute for family after years away from home. (Photo by Kanika Gupta)
    Work

    The high cost of visiting home: Filipino workers' dilemma in Lebanon

    With Middle East conflict raising security risks, some migrants fear leaving will cost them their jobs

    25 September 2026
    Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Tony Burke addresses the National Press Club in Canberra on Sept. 17. (AAP/Lukas Coch)
    Immigration

    Australia tightens rules on international students amid housing crisis

    Minister denies suggestion that new restrictions are a response to rising right-wing sentiment

    17 September 2026
    A border control point in Haikou, in China's Hainan Province: The government has imposed new entry and exit rules that observers say largely formalize existing practices, but raise additional considerations for certain types of travelers.
    Immigration

    China applies sweeping new entry and exit rules tied to national security

    Lawyers say move raises compliance stakes for businesses in fields like chips, AI

    15 September 2026
    Pauline Hanson, a senator in Australia's parliament, is the leader of the One Nation party. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
    Politics

    Australia's One Nation party seeks to slash immigrant population by 750,000

    Right-wing political party wants to cut student and work visas to reach goal

    15 September 2026
    The number of foreign nationals holding highly skilled professional status in Japan more than tripled over a decade. (Photo by Yutaka Miyaguchi)
    Japan immigration

    Japan sees slower inflow of foreign professionals as AI crimps hiring

    Government scrutiny contributes to drop in new arrivals during past year

    15 September 2026
    Students work at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's lab in Guangzhou. Hong Kong's approval of foreign and mainland Chinese academic visas is back at its pre-COVID level.
    Immigration

    Hong Kong woos global scholars as West tightens China scrutiny

    Academic visa approvals have doubled since 2020 in recruitment push

    8 September 2026
    The AfD has called for citizen patrols, a ban on rainbow flags in schools, more Russian to be taught in schools and a halt to the building of new wind farms.
    Politics

    Far-right AfD wins historic victory in German state election

    Party wants strict immigration curbs, warmer ties with Russia

    7 September 2026
    Company owners must now employ permanent workers to qualify for Japan's business manager visa. (Photo by Takayuki Yao)
    Japan immigration

    Foreign business owners leave Japan in droves under tighter visa rules

    Exits quadruple despite grace period as higher capital threshold takes effect

    2 September 2026
    Foreign workers pose for a photo at a potato farm in Japan's Ibaraki prefecture on June 24. (Photo by Yuji Murakami)
    Opinion

    Japan emerges as a premier destination for Asian migrants

    Workplace-based training and standardized qualifications open settlement pathways

    31 August 2026
    Working holiday visas provide a crucial source of short-term labor for many farms.
    Immigration

    Australia curbs working holiday visas amid migration backlash, vexing farmers

    Government targets short-term immigrants as housing shortage fuels support for far right

    26 August 2026
    The U.S. State Department is expected to revoke so-called B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 whose holders have sought asylum or are now seeking asylum.
    Immigration

    Trump administration plans to revoke visas of foreigners seeking asylum

    Rights groups say crackdown has violated free speech, due process rights

    25 August 2026
    Demonstrators hold signs during a protest on Aug. 6 against a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center set to open in the small town of Appleton, Minnesota.
    Immigration

    US judge strikes down suspension of immigrant visa processing for 75 nations

    Freeze impacted Pakistanis, Bangladeshis; judge says exceeded Rubio's authority

    22 August 2026
    Immigration helped Hong Kong reach a net population increase in the past year despite recording more deaths than births. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) 
    Demography

    Hong Kong population up 20,000 on influx from mainland China

    Immigrants with one-way permits help city buck demographic trends

    19 August 2026
    Students walk on campus at Harvard University in Cambridge, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts: Tighter rules on accepting international students has Indians reconsidering where to study.
    Education

    Indians rethink study abroad, turn to higher education at home

    Trend spurred by tighter student, work visas rules in 'Big Four' nations

    16 August 2026
    The government views highly skilled professionals as key sources of innovation for Japanese companies and research institutions.
    Japan immigration

    Japan to raise income requirements for skilled foreign professionals

    Changes aimed at reflecting rising wages, speeding up processing times

    14 August 2026
    U.S. President Donald Trump, with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, speaks during an event to sign executive orders related to birthright citizenship and the polysilicon industry, in the White House in Washington on Aug. 6.
    Trump administration

    Trump signs orders to limit birthright citizenship after Supreme Court loss

    US president targets 'birth tourism' and other exceptions in challenge to constitution

    7 August 2026
    Foreign nationals have become crucial to Japan's workforce in industries such as healthcare. (Photo by Akitoshi Sugiura)
    Japan immigration

    Japan's foreign population hits record 4m, easing worker shortages

    Tokyo, Hokkaido among hot spots as immigration reaches high of 720,000

    30 July 2026
    Philippine workers in Taiwan's tech industry tell Nikkei Asia that they only have two choices if they get pregnant: send their babies home or go home with them. (Photo by Michael Beltran)
    Society

    For Philippine women in Taiwan's tech factories, motherhood is 'impossible'

    Female migrant workers face dismissal after pregnancy despite new labor guidelines

    28 July 2026
    The Tokyo bureau of the Japan Immigration Services Agency: The government said on July 24 that it will increase staffing by more than 200 people to tighten immigration enforcement. (Photo by Rie Ishii) 
    Japan immigration

    Japan to boost immigration workforce in crackdown on visa overstayers

    Over 200 enforcement, inspection officers to be hired in rare emergency staffing

    24 July 2026
    Technical intern trainees from Indonesia inspect freshly harvested potatoes at Fujita Farm in Ibaraki prefecture, Japan on June 24. (Photo by Yuji Murakami)
    Japan immigration

    Japan prefecture offers reward to root out illegal foreign worker hiring

    Move by Ibaraki government spurs concern amid broader push by Takaichi administration

    10 July 2026
    Despite having profoundly transformed the U.S., Asian Americans remain underrepresented in the boardrooms of corporate America. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Ken Kobayashi, Reuters and Getty Images)
    Big in Asia

    Asian Americans push for wider share of the spotlight as US celebrates 250

    From railroads to Silicon Valley, Asian immigrants have transformed their new home's economy

    4 July 2026