The Wire
Changes to entry, residence and settlement rules across Asia. Newest first. Each item carries the date the rule changed, the date the source was opened, and a link to the instrument or authority notice behind it.
2027-01-28 · Singapore · Closing not in force yet
Tech.Pass closes and is replaced by a ONE Pass AI and Tech track
Applications for new and renewal Tech.Passes stop on 27 January 2027. From 28 January the route is replaced by an AI and Tech track under the Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass, which recognises vested equity such as ESOP and ESOW against the salary bar. Existing holders stay until expiry.
Why it matters. If you were planning a Tech.Pass, the window is about three months. The replacement is a five year pass with repeat renewals instead of a two year pass renewable once, so it is a genuine upgrade, but it opens later and asks for five years of founder or technical experience in a qualifying firm.
Source: Economic Development Board, Tech.Pass, and MOM ONE Pass eligibility · linked to the route operator, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-22
2026-12-31 · Thailand · Closing not in force yet
Privilege Card Bronze tier closes
The THB 650,000 five year entry tier is a limited promotion ending 31 December 2026. The cheapest ongoing tier becomes Gold at THB 900,000.
Why it matters. If you were planning to buy in at the bottom of the range, the deadline is real. Bronze also cannot be upgraded later, which Gold can.
Source: Thailand Privilege Card, 2026 membership terms · linked to the route operator, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-22
2026-11-01 · Armenia · Tightened
Residence cards now require minimum company capital
From 1 November, business owners applying for a temporary residence card must show AMD 2,000,000 in company capital, or AMD 1,000,000 as a sole trader. Renewal is annual, and permanent residence now requires three years of temporary status inside the last five. Applications filed before that date are read against the old test.
Why it matters. Armenia was the cheapest real residence path in the region at roughly USD 5,000. The floor is still low, but a registered shell company no longer carries the application.
Source: ARLIS, official publication of legal acts · the legal instrument itself · checked 2026-10-22 · Armenian language
2026-10-01 · Sri Lanka · Restated
Sri Lanka tourist stay is 30 days on arrival, six months with extensions
The ETA grants 30 days on arrival, double entry, and the second entry only uses the balance of the same 30 days. Extensions are filed in Colombo and take the total to six months on a tourist visa. This item was first written as a 180 day tourist visa. That figure is what the total reaches with extensions, not what the officer stamps at the airport.
Why it matters. For anyone testing the country before committing to the nomad visa, the practical runway is six months, and it is built from one arrival plus paid extensions rather than one long grant.
Source: Sri Lanka ETA, fees and permitted stay · linked to the authority notice, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-30
2026-10-01 · Japan · Tightened
Permanent residence rebuilt around income, pension and language
The revised guidelines test income against average household income, require pension contributions equivalent to thirty years of employee payments, and look for Japanese ability around N3 to B1. Revocation is now explicit for deliberate non payment of tax or pension. The guideline was published in October 2026 and applies to applications filed from 1 April 2027.
Why it matters. If you are on a points track and counting years toward permanent residence, the target has moved. Income evidence and pension records now matter as much as time served.
Source: Immigration Services Agency, permanent residence guideline revision · linked to the authority notice, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-23
2026-10-01 · Japan · Fee
Permanent residence application fee rises from 10,000 to 200,000 yen
The fee for a permanent residence application rises from JPY 10,000 to JPY 200,000, a twentyfold increase, reported from 1 October 2026.
Why it matters. Permanent residence is now a serious financial commitment before you know the outcome. Budget it, and do not file speculatively. The fee schedule page itself could not be opened to confirm the figure, so treat it as reported rather than gazetted.
Source: Immigration Services Agency, fee revision notice · linked to the authority notice, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-22 · Fee schedule page did not open for automated reading
2026-09-15 · Thailand · Tightened
Visa free entry halved to 30 days and short work removed
The 60 day exemption for 93 countries was repealed and replaced by 30 days for 60 nationalities, gazetted on 31 August 2026 and effective 15 September. One 30 day extension remains at THB 1,900, land border entries are capped at two per calendar year, and visa on arrival was cut from 31 nationalities to three.
Why it matters. The default entry is now a two month visit rather than a three month one. The regulation frames the exemption as tourism only, so the short term work and business engagement the old scheme carried is not in it. Anyone running back to back land border entries is limited to two a year.
Source: Royal Gazette, Ministry of Interior exemption regulations · the legal instrument itself · checked 2026-10-23 · Thai language, Volume 143, Special Issue 207 Ngor
2026-09-15 · Philippines · Restructured
SRRV restructured: Smile tier abolished, age floor 40, higher deposit under 50
The Special Resident Retiree Visa was rebuilt in September 2026. The Smile tier is gone. Minimum age is 40. Applicants aged 40 to 49 need USD 50,000 without a pension, or USD 25,000 with one. Age 50 and over remains USD 30,000 without a pension, or USD 15,000 with a pension of USD 800 to 1,000 a month.
Why it matters. The old USD 10,000 deposit and age 35 rules no longer apply. If you planned around those numbers, the budget is wrong by a factor of three to five.
Source: Philippine Retirement Authority, SRRV guidelines · linked to the route operator, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-22
2026-08-31 · Thailand · Tightened
DTV applications now need police clearance and must be filed from your own country
Police clearance issued within three months is now mandatory, and applications can no longer be filed from a neighbouring or third country. Both changes bite at renewal as well as at first issue. Thai language schools were also removed from the eligible soft power activities.
Why it matters. Anyone who planned to apply while travelling through Asia can no longer do so. Add two to six weeks for clearance to every DTV timeline.
Source: Thai e-Visa, Destination Thailand Visa requirements · linked to the authority notice, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-22
2026-06-30 · South Korea · Loosened
Digital nomad visa made permanent with region and age tiered income thresholds
The F-1-D workation visa moved from pilot to permanent status. Income thresholds are now one to two times per capita GNI depending on age and region. In Seoul, applicants aged 18 to 34 need 1.5 times GNI, about KRW 78.6 million. Applicants 35 and over need two times, about KRW 104.8 million. Non metro areas are discounted.
Why it matters. The regional discount is a real opening for anyone willing to live outside Seoul. It is also a documentary trap: expect to prove actual residence in the discounted area.
Source: Korea Immigration Service, F-1-D programme · linked to the authority notice, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-22
2026-06-25 · UAE · Tightened
UAE ties visa on arrival for six Asian countries to a residence permit abroad
Nationals of Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya and South Africa now get a UAE visa on arrival only if they hold a residence permit from the United States, the United Kingdom, an EU state, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand or Canada. Two tiers: AED 100 for 14 days, extendable once, or AED 250 for 60 days, not extendable.
Why it matters. These six nationalities used to read as straightforward visa on arrival in most summaries. Arriving without the qualifying foreign residence permit means applying for a visa in advance, and the airline will check.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visa on arrival for six countries residing abroad · linked to the authority notice, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-30
2026-06-01 · Malaysia · Tightened
Employment Pass salary bands doubled
The minimum monthly salary for Employment Pass categories rose to RM 20,000 for EP I, RM 10,000 to 19,999 for EP II, and RM 5,000 to 9,999 for EP III. The new bands apply to renewals as well as new applications.
Why it matters. Companies that budgeted on the old RM 10,000, RM 5,000 and RM 3,000 bands are now non compliant, including for staff already in post at renewal.
Source: Malaysia Expatriate Services Division, EP salary policy · linked to the authority notice, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-22
2026-05-25 · Sri Lanka · Loosened
Sri Lanka makes the ETA free for 40 countries, SAARC pays USD 20
The ETA became free for 40 named nationalities plus Singapore, Seychelles and the Maldives, and the Maldives gets 90 days rather than 30. Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan pay the SAARC rate, USD 20 online or USD 25 on arrival. Everyone else pays USD 50 online or USD 60 on arrival. The scheme took effect on 25 May 2026 and replaced the paid scheme it had run since 2024.
Why it matters. Sri Lanka changed this three times in two years, so anyone working from a 2024 or 2025 summary is probably quoting a scheme that no longer runs. The free list is worth checking against your own passport before you pay anything.
Source: Sri Lanka ETA, fees and the free country list · linked to the authority notice, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-30
2026-04-01 · Japan · Tightened
Citizenship screening standard raised to ten years of residence
The Nationality Act still states five years of domicile. From April 2026 the practical screening standard is ten consecutive years, applied at the discretion stage rather than in the statute.
Why it matters. If naturalisation was part of a long term plan, the timeline has doubled. Japan also does not permit dual nationality for adults, so the decision is not reversible in practice.
Source: Immigration Services Agency, naturalisation practice · linked to the authority notice, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-22
2026-01-01 · Georgia · Tightened
Permanent residence clock extended to ten years and tourist insurance added
The qualifying period for permanent residence rose to ten years of continuous legal residence. From 1 January 2026 tourists also need health and accident insurance of at least 30,000 GEL covering the whole stay, now stated on the consular portal rather than only in guidance.
Why it matters. The one year visa free stay is unchanged and still the easiest arrival in Asia. What changed is that it no longer shortens the road to permanence, and the insurance line is now a border requirement rather than advice.
Source: Georgian consular portal, entering Georgia · linked to the authority notice, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-30
2025-11-01 · Hong Kong · Loosened
Quality Migrant Admission Scheme rewritten, points pass mark and quota removed
The 245 point system with an 80 point pass mark was replaced by a twelve criterion assessment where applicants meet at least six. The annual quota was removed, and an Assessment Panel chaired by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare now reviews cases.
Why it matters. If you were rejected under the points system, the question set is different now and may not exclude you. The twelve criteria reward different things, including experience outside the obvious professions.
Source: Hong Kong Immigration Department, QMAS · linked to the authority notice, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-22
2025-10-10 · Japan · Tightened
Business Manager visa capital raised from 5 million to 30 million yen
Capital rose sixfold to JPY 30,000,000, and the test became cumulative: at least one Japanese or permanent resident employee, plus three years of management experience or a masters degree, plus expert review of the business plan. Existing holders have a three year transition running to 16 October 2028.
Why it matters. The startup route is effectively closed to small self funded founders. The Startup Visa remains the way in without the capital, and it converts into this.
Source: Immigration Services Agency, Business Manager ministerial ordinance · linked to the authority notice, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-22
2025-10-01 · China · Not open
K visa takes effect in law but is not processing
The K visa for STEM graduates and researchers was announced in August 2025 and took effect on 1 October 2025. It was still absent from the official visa application portal in January 2026, and no official confirmation of live processing has appeared since.
Why it matters. Do not build a move around the K visa yet. It is law without an application channel. China still has no digital nomad visa and no retirement visa.
Source: National Immigration Administration, visa categories · linked to the authority notice, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-22 · Announcement of August 2025; no live application channel published
2025-09-01 · Sri Lanka · New route
Sri Lanka launches a digital nomad visa
One year, renewable, USD 2,000 a month of foreign income remitted monthly, plus USD 500 a month per dependant. Needs a recommendation letter from the Ministry of Digital Economy, police clearance under three months old, and local health insurance. Income must be earned entirely abroad.
Why it matters. The first genuine remote work route in South Asia. The recommendation letter is the bottleneck, and travel insurance is explicitly rejected in favour of a local policy.
Source: Department of Immigration and Emigration, nomad visa category · linked to the authority notice, not the legal instrument · checked 2026-10-22
Corrections
- 2026-10-30 · 2026-10-01 · Sri Lanka. The item said the tourist visa had been extended to 180 days. The ETA portal, read on 30 October 2026, grants 30 days on arrival with double entry, and extensions filed in Colombo take the total to six months. The item now says that.
- 2026-10-30 · 2026-10-01 · Japan. The item said the income revision applied to filings from April 2026, which is a date already past. The revised guideline was published in October 2026 and applies to applications filed from 1 April 2027.
What we are watching
Items in the review queue. They are not published as facts until a primary source settles them.
- Indonesia. Whether the E33G remote worker KITAS can be extended in country. The eVisa page is silent and agents contradict each other.
- Malaysia. PVIP terms. Only secondary sources available.
- Vietnam. The capital thresholds for the DT investor tiers. Published figures conflict.
- Turkey. Whether dependants are permitted on the digital nomad route.
- Thailand. Whether the O-X has quietly narrowed its nationality list.
- Philippines. Whether the announced digital nomad visa will ever open an application channel.
- Korea. The exact investor thresholds across the several IISPB scheme types.
- UAE. The length of a Russian visa on arrival. The federal portal carries 30 days and the bilateral waiver is described elsewhere as 90.
Method
Every item here is tied to a dated primary source or a named secondary source, and the source is linked. Where the link is an authority notice or a route operator rather than the law, the item says so. Items that cannot be settled go to the watch list above rather than being published as fact. The full policy is in the newsfeed specification.