Changing to a Spouse visa from a Tourist visa

[Big Booger]

I just started this process last Wednesday, my tourist Visa expires July 7th. If it expires, I was told I cannot overstay and must go back and then get my Visa from the consulate in Chicago (nearest to my house)...

Is it true you cannot overstay even though you have applied for a Spouse visa? Is there any way to apply for a tourist Visa extension???

Any other options? In case my spouse visa takes too long to process???

[Coligny]

I just started this process last Wednesday, my tourist Visa expires July 7th. If it expires, I was told I cannot overstay and must go back and then get my Visa from the consulate in Chicago (nearest to my house)...

Is it true you cannot overstay even though you have applied for a Spouse visa? Is there any way to apply for a tourist Visa extension???

Any other options? In case my spouse visa takes too long to process???

I think if your spouse is Japanjin... and you have the paperwork from the application to a new visa, you should at least be allowed to stay until your request has been processed, I'm pretty sure it's written somewhere on your application receipt/form. With a limit date to leave the country in case of refusal... Beside... It's May 27th... more than one month remain... I'm pretty sure you will have the definitive answer way before you need it...

[IparryU]

I just started this process last Wednesday, my tourist Visa expires July 7th. If it expires, I was told I cannot overstay and must go back and then get my Visa from the consulate in Chicago (nearest to my house)...

Is it true you cannot overstay even though you have applied for a Spouse visa? Is there any way to apply for a tourist Visa extension???

Any other options? In case my spouse visa takes too long to process???

you have to be within 3 months of your expiary date to start a visa extension/renewal/new visa process.

You have 30 days to get your visa in order AFTER the expiry date.

If you are not from one of the "big" countries (North America, UK, France..., Germany, Kangaroo/Kiwi Islands) then make sure your wife goes with you and have the below original documents for BOTH of you:
Japan tax returns for the past 5 years (if applicable)
employer's letter stating your employment
marriage cert
pictures from now until 5 years ago of you and your wife
your wife's juminhyou (family record... house hold hierarchy thingy)
application
revenue stamp
passport
gaijincard

This is the stuff I saw some chinese and indians giving at the counter when I went.

I just needed tax returns, application, passport, FG card, and revenue stamp cause I am a yank.

[yanpa]

[omae mona]

#1 immigration rule: do not rely on information from FG. Call immigration to ask and confirm.

My two cents:
1. As Yanpa mentioned above, I think normally the "application in progress" stamp in the passport allows you to stay. Of course, you need to actually be carrying the passport to prove this, but presumably you've been carrying it anyway.

2. I believe if you leave the country in the interim, your spouse visa application will be automatically cancelled and you'll have to start again from scratch.

By the way, while that application in progress stamp does allow you to stay in the country, it is NOT an extension of your residence of status. For example, if you have a working visa, and you are still waiting for an extension when your visa expires, you're not allowed to work in the interim. I have assisted friends with the renewal process, a bit too late for them to get their renewal before expiry, and heard the immigration office staff explain this explicitly.

[IparryU]

#1 immigration rule: do not rely on information from FG. Call immigration to ask and confirm.

My two cents:
1. As Yanpa mentioned above, I think normally the "application in progress" stamp in the passport allows you to stay. Of course, you need to actually be carrying the passport to prove this, but presumably you've been carrying it anyway.

2. I believe if you leave the country in the interim, your spouse visa application will be automatically cancelled and you'll have to start again from scratch.

By the way, while that application in progress stamp does allow you to stay in the country, it is NOT an extension of your residence of status. For example, if you have a working visa, and you are still waiting for an extension when your visa expires, you're not allowed to work in the interim. I have assisted friends with the renewal process, a bit too late for them to get their renewal before expiry, and heard the immigration office staff explain this explicitly.

From my experience in December 2011 when renewing my spouse visa:
1. If the new visa is not on your passport 30 days after the current visa expires. The application stamp is just a stamp, don't mean shit, and they even give you a little piece of paper explaining that (in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean).
2. You are correct, you have to be in country for this process as leaving and returning on a new visa will break the process (leaving breaks visa, coming back starts a new one, even if tourist)

[GomiGirl]

You are also not supposed to travel while your application is being processed. Otherwise you might find yourself in the g.u.l.a.g on your return.

But as OM says - free advice from FG on the internet is not worth the paper it is written on.

[IparryU]

From my experience in December 2011 when renewing my spouse visa:
1. If the new visa is not on your passport 30 days after the current visa expires, then don't leave Japan. The application stamp is just a stamp, don't mean shit, and they even give you a little piece of paper explaining that (in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean).
2. You are correct, you have to be in country for this process as leaving and returning on a new visa will break the process (leaving breaks visa, coming back starts a new one, even if tourist)

EDIT: Concluded my if statement (in bold)

[gaijinpunch]

To all and sundry thanks alot for your advice and telling me about your experience. In just over a month I will be in Japan. I am looking forward to being a fucked gaijin as opposed to just fucked.

If you apply outside of Japan it will go much faster. 10 days in my case. I didn't enter the country in the allotted time though and had to reapply in Japan, and it took the standard 10 weeks.

[Level3]

#1 immigration rule: do not rely on information from FG. Call immigration to ask and confirm.

#2 Immigration rule: Do not rely on information from immigration. Post at sites frequented by long-term gaijin to ask and confirm.

Never accept a lone immigration official's version of things if it sounds nonsensical. Ask someone else, check the net, and then go back another day and ask yet another person.
In my experience, accuracy is inversely proportional to age. Maybe they only remember the old rules, maybe they get a kick out of making gaijin jump unnecessary hurdles for the "privilege" of being in Japan (yeah, fuck you to the old fart who made me write an essay and fill out a bunch of forms the next guy didn't want in order to switch from a work visa to a student visa for grad school, not that I'm bitter:p ), or maybe they just don't care.
A young woman looking things up in their handbook is best.

And in the end they tend to be flexible on the side of common sense, at least if you're from a "nice" country, anyway.