Traveling after graduation, before change-of-status

[Hypnos]

Dear all,
My wife, who is a foreigner, graduated from her university program in September. This week we will apply for her change-of-status from student visa to spouse visa. Her student visa is *nominally* good until February 2011, and she has a multiple re-entry permit.
While her change-of-status is in process, can she travel overseas?
I understand that there is a grace period of ~2 months before immigration voids her student visa -- would it be too late for her to travel anyway, even if we waited to apply for her change-of-status?
Thank you for your time!

[Glenski]

I don't think there is any set "grace period". If she is no longer a student, it is up to her school to decide how long to wait before they inform immigration. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, I would expect you will get a spouse visa in 2 weeks or so. If it goes past 3 weeks, ask immigration.

Can she travel in the meantime? Probably, IMO.
Her reentry permit may need to be renewed upon receipt of the spouse visa, BTW. Ask to be sure! You don't want to get the new visa and lose REP validity, then leave the country because you know that will cancel the visa.

[Hypnos]

Glenski,

Thanks for the info. I called immigration and they were adamant that since she has graduated, she is not allowed to re-enter Japan without a change-of-status being completed (either to spouse or tourist, with re-entry permit).

I suppose we were wondering is that if she travels without change-of-status, what is the probability she would get barred from entering Japan by airport immigrations, and how that probability increases with time after graduation.

[Glenski]

Just get the spouse visa application in. It may take only 2 weeks. How soon were you planning on traveling outside Japan?

[Hypnos]

Just get the spouse visa application in. It may take only 2 weeks. How soon were you planning on traveling outside Japan?

Next week, but we have postponed those plans to next year.

[Navy Guy]

ALERT!!! Contact your local (or not so local) Immigrations office. They are the only ones that can help you with this. Two hours on the phone is better than a cavity search upon reentry from what you thought was a grace period vacation... ok maybe no cavity search but certanly a headache. I know of at tleast 3 couple this happened to. Hope this isn't too late.

If they tell you don't go... they mean it!

Fiance visa's take more than 2 weeks, I went through all this with my wife. Contact your local congress or senators office they will be more than willing to help expedite paperwork for you, this is from experience.

[Hypnos]

NavyGuy,

Thanks for the info. Her visa change-of-status is already done.

Perhaps it was relatively easy since we got married in Japan, and I composed a photo essay for her application proving the legitimacy of our relationship.

[Hypnos]

I have a follow-up question:
My original visa (a fancy full-page seal) is in my old passport. I renewed my passport with the US embassy while my extension was being processed. When my wife went to go pick up the visas, they put the extension stamp and new multiple-entry stamp in my new passport, but did not transfer the full-page seal.
Do I have to present both my old and new passports when leaving and re-entering Japan, or only my new one? If the former, is it worth the trouble to transfer the full-page seal to my new passport?
Thanks!

[orochi]

Your wife's visa is good until February. If you got a re-entry permit, it is good until the date printed on it. There is no way on Mars that your university will call up Immigration the day after she graduates and tell them not to let her in the country.

As for your second question, you said you "renewed" your visa. That means you got a new visa, so it should show the term of your visa. It sounds like you have your re-entry permit in there as well. That is all you need. Imagine somebody who has been living in Japan for 20 years, jumping between different vocational visas. If he had one good for 2008-2010, why would he need to show the one from 1980 that he entered on?

[Hypnos]

Your wife's visa is good until February. If you got a re-entry permit, it is good until the date printed on it. There is no way on Mars that your university will call up Immigration the day after she graduates and tell them not to let her in the country.

Perhaps not the day after, but when? She had graduated in September, and we were thinking of traveling in mid-November. It's moot for us now, but others may run into the same situation ...

As for your second question, you said you "renewed" your visa. That means you got a new visa, so it should show the term of your visa. It sounds like you have your re-entry permit in there as well. That is all you need. Imagine somebody who has been living in Japan for 20 years, jumping between different vocational visas. If he had one good for 2008-2010, why would he need to show the one from 1980 that he entered on?

I don't know if it matters, but the stamp in my new passport is an "extension permit" with issue and expiry dates, since I didn't change jobs. I guess I'll find out empirically next time I travel whether they need my old passport with the seal in it.