Guide to Extending Your Student Status (“Ryugaku”) in Japan – For international students who want to keep studying, transfer, or move on to the next course

For international students who want to keep studying, transfer, or move on to the next course

If you are studying in Japan under the “Student” status of residence (在留資格「留学」) and you wish to continue your studies, move on to the next course, or transfer to a different school in Japan, you will almost always need to extend your period of stay.

This page explains, in practical terms:

• when you must apply,

• how the “grace period” works after you file the application,

• what documents are usually required,

• how leave of absence or withdrawal affects your status, and

• how a registered immigration lawyer (gyoseishoshi) can handle the process on your behalf.

It is written for foreign students living in Japan, including those from China, Taiwan, Korea, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa and elsewhere.

1. When do you have to extend your Student status?

Your Residence Card shows the expiry date of your current “Student” status.
Even if you are still in the middle of your degree, once that date arrives, your status ends.

If:

• the expiry date on your card is getting close, and

• you intend to continue in your current course, progress to the next course (for example, from language school to vocational college, or from bachelor’s to master’s), or transfer to another school in Japan,

then you must apply for a “Permission to Extend Period of Stay” (在留期間更新許可) before your current period of stay expires.

If you do nothing and the expiry date passes, you immediately become an overstayer, even by one day. That can seriously damage your record and future applications.

Many universities and schools will:

• prepare the school’s part of the application form, and

• issue the necessary enrollment and attendance certificates.

However, the legal responsibility to apply for the extension rests with you, the student, not with the school.

Our office, Yokoyama Legal Service Office, is a registered “shinsei toritsugi gyoseishoshi”. We can:

• act as your authorised representative,

• prepare and submit the application for you, and

• communicate with immigration on your behalf.

In principle, you will not need to go to the Immigration Services Agency office in person, unless immigration specifically calls you in.

2. Timing and the “grace period” after filing

You can apply for an extension from three months before the expiry date on your Residence Card. In practice, it is safer to apply as early as reasonably possible, especially around busy times like April (start of the academic year) and October.

A common question from students is:
“My visa expires very soon. If I submit just before the deadline, is it still okay?”

The key point is this:

• If you submit your extension application before the expiry date, and

• Immigration formally accepts (receives) the application,

then, from the original expiry date, your period of stay is automatically treated as extended for up to two more months.

This is often called the special grace period (Tokurei Kikan: 特例期間).

During this grace period:

• You are still legally considered to hold the same status of residence (“Student”).

• You may continue your normal activities allowed under that status, such as attending classes.

• If you have a valid Permission to Engage in Activity Other Than That Permitted (資格外活動許可), you may continue your part-time job, as long as you stay within the legal hourly limits.

While you are in this automatic extension period, immigration will review your case and send you a result notice (usually by postcard/letter, or by email and online status update if you used the online system).

The important part is not to panic if the physical card still shows the old expiry date. As long as you have properly filed before expiry and immigration has accepted your application, you are covered by the grace period until a decision is made.

3. Basic procedure for extending your Student status

Although every school and individual case is slightly different, the general process is similar.

First, you will usually receive the official “Application for Extension of Period of Stay” form, either from your school or by downloading it yourself. You fill in the “for applicant” sections carefully, using the information on your Residence Card and passport. Then, you pass the form to your school’s administrative office. The school completes their portion, confirming your course, attendance and expected period of enrollment, and stamps it with the school seal.

Once the school has done their part, they either return the completed form to you or send it directly to us if you are using our service. In parallel, you should be preparing the additional supporting documents such as certificates, bank evidence and so on. It is much easier if you do not wait until the last week before expiry to start collecting these items.

When everything is ready, the application can be submitted to the regional immigration bureau responsible for your place of residence. It can be filed either in paper form at the counter or through the official online application system, provided you meet the technical requirements (for example, having a MyNumber card and card reader). If you instruct a gyoseishoshi with “toritsugi” authorisation like us, we will normally submit the application and communicate with immigration on your behalf.

After submission, your case enters the examination stage. Processing times vary, but many cases are decided within several weeks. When a decision is made, you receive a notice. If your application is approved, you visit (or we visit) the bureau with the required items (passport, current card, revenue stamp, etc.) and receive your new Residence Card showing the extended period. If it is not approved, immigration will inform you of the result and the next available steps.

4. What happens if your extension is not approved?

If immigration refuses to extend your Student status, you will usually be given a short, temporary status allowing you to prepare to leave Japan. In practice, this is often a “Designated Activities” status for departure preparation, with a very limited period of stay (commonly 30 or 31 days).

The length matters.

If you receive 31 days of “preparation to depart”, there may still be some room for a fresh application depending on the reason for refusal. When you submit a new application during those 31 days, the familiar two-month grace period can apply again, starting from that new expiry.

If, however, you are only given 30 days, this usually means immigration’s stance is much stricter. In many such cases, there is little or no realistic possibility of filing again, and you are expected to leave Japan within that short period.

Whether a re-application is possible depends heavily on the precise reasons for refusal and your overall situation. If you receive a refusal or a “preparation to depart” status, it is strongly advisable to consult a professional immediately rather than guessing on your own. We can review your notice, previous application and background to assess whether there is any viable path forward.

5. Typical document checklist for extending your Student status

Below is a general reference checklist. The exact items may differ depending on your school, your personal situation, and any previous issues in your immigration history.

Standard core documents

• Application for Extension of Period of Stay (official form)

• Any additional confirmation sheets or checklists requested by immigration

• One ID photo (or JPEG data)

  • 4 cm × 3 cm

  • Taken within the last 6 months, full face, no hat, plain background, clear and unedited

• Passport

• Residence Card

• Certificate of Enrollment (在学証明書)

• Certificate of Academic Record and Attendance (成績・出席証明書)

• Scholarship certificate, if you currently receive a scholarship

If your current school is different from the school at your last application

• Graduation certificate from the previous school

• Academic and attendance certificate from the previous school

If your financial supporter has changed since your last application

• Financial Supporter’s Statement (in the format requested)

• Evidence of relationship between supporter and student

  • for example, family register, birth certificate, family relationship certificate

• Evidence of the supporter’s financial capacity

  • bank balance certificate, bank statements, income certificates, tax documents

If you have just enrolled and cannot yet obtain a certificate of enrollment

• Admission Letter or Letter of Acceptance from the school (often accepted instead of an enrollment certificate during the very first term)

If you are a research student, non-degree student or auditing only

• Depending on your school and field, immigration may request additional documents

• Often, a detailed research or study plan and supervisor’s statement are required

If you have previously been warned about overworking or other issues

• If you were cautioned for exceeding part-time work limits or similar problems, immigration may ask for extra documents such as:

  • a detailed statement of living expenses and how you pay for them,

  • remittance records from family abroad,

  • explanations of how you will support yourself going forward.

We normally prepare a customised checklist for each client, so you can see clearly what to gather and in what order.

6. Leave of absence, withdrawal, and how they affect your status

A leave of absence or unregistered semester/year can have a serious impact on your Student status. As a basic rule, if you are not actually studying during a given period, immigration is reluctant to grant an extension of “Student” status for that time.

If you need to take time off for unavoidable reasons—for example, compulsory military service in your home country—it is essential to coordinate both with the school and with an immigration professional. In many such cases, the realistic solution is:

• to end your Student status in Japan and temporarily leave the country, and then

• when you are ready to resume your studies, to apply again from abroad using a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) issued by the school.

In that scenario, our role is to manage the three-way communication between you, your university, and immigration, so that your leave and return can be handled in a structured and legally safe way.

If you are withdrawn or expelled from your school, the situation is even stricter. Once you are no longer enrolled, you normally cannot extend your Student status. You must either:

• change to another appropriate status of residence, if you qualify, or

• leave Japan within the period allowed.

Because these matters are highly sensitive and time-critical, you should avoid leaving them until the last moment.

7. Why should you use a registered gyoseishoshi for your application?

Under Japanese law, only certain licensed professionals—such as gyoseishoshi (行政書士) and lawyers—are allowed to prepare and submit immigration applications for a fee. General “consulting companies” or unqualified individuals are not legally permitted to take money for preparing your application and submitting it on your behalf.

If you ask someone without the proper qualification to “handle your visa extension cheaply”, you carry the risk that:

• the application may be prepared incorrectly,

• important information or documents are missing, or

• you receive poor or misleading advice.

In the worst case, your application may be refused, which affects your record, your future in Japan, and possibly your ability to re-enter.

Before you trust anyone with your immigration matters, it is worth checking:

• Are they a properly registered gyoseishoshi or other authorised professional?

• Can they show you their registration details or office information?

Your visa is not just a piece of paper. It is the legal basis of your life in Japan, and it deserves careful, professional handling.

8. About us – Yokoyama Legal Service Office, Registered Application Agent

Yokoyama Legal Service Office is a law office in Tokyo run by a licensed gyoseishoshi registered as an official “Application Agent (申請取次行政書士)” with the Immigration Services Agency.

This registration means that, after completing the required training and notification procedures with immigration, we are authorised to:

• submit applications on behalf of clients, and

• appear at the immigration bureau in place of the applicant.

For you as a student, this has concrete benefits. In many cases:

• You do not need to go to immigration in person.

• You do not have to queue for hours or worry about Japanese explanations at the counter.

• You can instead focus on your classes, part-time job and daily life, while we handle the application professionally.

9. What we can do for you (our services)

Here is what Yokoyama Legal Service Office typically provides in Student status extension cases:

• Individual assessment of your situation, including your school, marks, attendance, part-time work history and finances

• Clear explanation of risks and realistic options, in Japanese, English or Chinese

• Preparation of all immigration forms and supporting explanation letters

• Creation of a tailored document checklist so you know exactly what to obtain from your school, bank, family and local city office

• Translation of necessary Japanese documents into English when required by immigration

• Submission of your application to the appropriate regional immigration bureau, either in person or through the online system

• Communication with the immigration officer in charge of your case, including replies to questions and submission of any additional documents requested

• Regular monitoring of the examination status and advice on what to do while waiting

• Attendance at immigration to collect your new Residence Card, where possible, so that the handover to you is smooth

• Coordination of family applications (for example, extension of Dependent status for your spouse or children) alongside your own Student status extension

• Longer-term planning and support if you later want to change to a work visa, Highly Skilled Professional, Business Manager, or permanent residence after graduation.

10. Nationwide coverage and online applications

We are based in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, but we routinely handle cases from all over Japan. Thanks to the official online application system and postal/courier services, many Student status extension cases can be completed without you ever visiting our office or the immigration bureau in person.

Depending on your specific status and category, some applications still need to be filed on paper at the counter. When that is the case, we explain the reason clearly and attend the bureau for you as your authorised representative.

Whether you live in Hokkaido, Kanto, Kansai, Kyushu or Okinawa, if you are legally residing in Japan, you can consult us and, in most cases, instruct us to handle your extension.

11. Contact and first consultation

If you are unsure about:

• whether your documents are sufficient,

• how your attendance or part-time work history might affect your case, or

• what will happen if you change school or take a leave of absence,

it is much safer to ask early than to wait until the last week before expiry.

You are welcome to contact us in Japanese, English or Chinese.

Yokoyama Legal Service Office（行政書士横山国際法務事務所）

Tel: 03-6264-9388

Email: info@lawoffice-yokoyama.com

Extending your Student status correctly is essential for your study plan and for your future career in Japan.
We are happy to support you so that your application is handled carefully, lawfully and with as little stress as possible.