Noriko Calderon, a 13-year-old attending a junior high school run by the city of Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, said she told a ministry official, "I was born in Japan. I have friends in Japan and have a dream for the future. I want to be allowed to continue studying."

Last November, immigration authorities extended the temporary permission to stay for the family, but only until Jan. 14.

The family submitted a similar list of signatures to the government before the extension, along with petitions seeking special residence permission so that the girl would be able to continue studying in Japan.

The number of signatures collected so far totals about 14,400.

The girl's parents -- Arlan Calderon, 36, and his 38-year-old wife Sarah -- entered Japan in 1992 and 1993 using different people's passports. The wife was arrested in July 2006 for illegal stay, and the family subsequently received a deportation order.

Although they filed a lawsuit demanding that the order be rescinded, the Supreme Court rejected the demand last September.