visa extension, how long?

i applied for an extension of the 2-year college student visa granted to me but it's been 3 weeks since i applied and i haven't received the postcard yet. i've already booked my ticket for my vacation abroad which is 2 weeks from now.what to do? thanks!!!

Call Immigration to check the status of your visa, then wait, and consider postponing your vacation. It is a good idea not to give yourself too short a timeframe where Immigration is concerned. I take it you know that your visa will be cancelled if you leave Japan while the extension is being processed?

thanks sira! i didn't know about that rule but it's good i've learned about that in time.

Ella,

From past experience, Immigration generally won't/can't tell you how long the process will take, and will tell you to just wait until the postcard arrives. A month or so is quite likely.

Just in case anyone reads this thread and has a bit of a panic (as I just did) about the statement "your visa will be cancelled if you leave Japan while the extension is being processed" - this is not true, as long as you have a valid re-entry permit for your current visa.

That's interesting- I have always heard that you can't leave Japan while your visa is being processed. I would be interested to hear confirmation of what Jimmy said.

I asked at the immigration centre when I applied for my extension. They said it would be no problem. Might be a recent change to the rules, I don't know. I guess there might be a slight risk if you are away from Japan for an extended period because when your postcard arrives it apparently has a date on there by which you have to get yourself down to immigration. The official I talked to said it would be OK as long as I returned before the expiration date of my current visa. Anyone in doubt should call immigration to be on the safe side.