visitor status (original) (raw)

Hi again! My husband and I submitted our sponsorship application at the end of August, and I'm currently staying with him in Canada until the end of October. (ETA: Will they notify us when they begin processing it? There's currently no info on his account as to whether or not it's been received, but perhaps that's because they're still working on applications from July? I'm really nervous, and also anxious at the idea that I may have to re-do all of that paperwork if it gets lost in the mail.)

I have a Visitor Record stapled into my passport now. Got it in July, and it expires on November 30th. There's a big note at the bottom that says "THIS DOES NOT AUTHORIZE RE-ENTRY." So I have a few questions.

1. My husband and I are going to see a concert in New York on October 18th. We will not be spending the night in the US, just driving to the show and back. What are the odds they won't let me back into Canada after the show, given the fact the above document will not yet have expired, and that my intention is to leave again a week later?

2. On October 25th, we will be driving back to the US to celebrate our wedding (which was in Ottawa in June) with my/our family and friends, and then we will be staying in NY for a week for our honeymoon (the hotel is already booked). I would really like to accompany my husband back to Canada afterward (November 2nd or 3rd - can't remember the check-out date). What are the odds they won't let me back in, with the visitor's doc again still being valid?

3. My husband and I have tickets to see a concert in Ottawa on December 7th, which we got back in May. If I were to apply to extend my status as a visitor now and then purchase a plane ticket home (aiming for December 16th), what are the odds that after our honeymoon, they will let me back in (until December 16th)? Would I need to apply for the extension online, or is that something I could do at the border if I show proof of my plane ticket home? I would really like to get an idea of what would happen in this situation before I drop $300-400 on a plane ticket... :/

4. And finally, the plan so far is for my husband to visit me in the US around New Year's, at which point he may or may not attempt to take me back to Canada with him. Is there a certain length of time after an extended visit that I should wait before attempting to return? Ideally, I would like to come back in January (or February) and stay until May, at which point I will have to return home to fulfil job duties. Then in June, my husband and I will be travelling to Russia to visit his family. We won't have tickets by Jan or Feb, probably, but would it help to inform the border guard of this?

Actually, I have one more question - completely unrelated.

5. My FBI background check is already expired. Should I send for a new one in anticipation that Immigration will probably request it anyway, or should I wait for them to actually request a new one? I don't think they've even opened my application yet, so I'm worried that if I apply for one now, it'll be expired again by the time they need it. But if I wait, it could delay the process...

Thanks in advance to anyone who even read all of this, and also thanks for all the help with my previous posts. @_@