Japan to Add Over 200 Immigration Officers in Rare Emergency Hiring to Crack Down on Overstayers
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The Immigration Services Agency has decided to add more than 200 immigration control officers and examiners in an unusually urgent increase in staffing aimed at strengthening crackdowns on foreign nationals who overstay their visas. Related ministerial ordinance revisions are expected to receive Cabinet approval as early as the end of July 2026. The newly added officers are reportedly planned to be concentrated in Ibaraki Prefecture, which is said to have a particularly high number of illegal workers.
Ibaraki Prefecture has had the highest number of illegal workers in the country for four consecutive years, and the prefecture has already launched its own reward system for tip-offs (related coverage). This staffing increase is positioned as a national-level measure to reinforce enforcement capacity and back up such local government efforts.
The measure appears to be a concrete step implementing the crackdown policy outlined in the "Zero Illegal Overstayers Plan – Strong Promotion Package" (announced May 22, 2026, related coverage), representing a strengthening of staffing resources aimed at achieving the goal of halving the number of illegal overstayers by the end of 2030.