IR1 Visa Questions

[yaahhuu]

Hello,

I married to a US citizen and got my IR1 in Januay 2007. They stamped my Canadian passport with VISA (IR1 Category) and also gave me an envelope after my visa interview - which says (This envelope must be hand-carried Do Not Pack it, Do Not Open It). There is a Visa expiration date (July 2007 - 6 months from Visa issue date) on a paper glued on top of that envelope. On my passport US Visa stamp, it says "Upon endorsement serves as temporary I-551 evidencing permanent residence for 1 year". I would appreciate if anybody could answer my following questions:

I am only planning to permanently move to the states in the end of 2007.

1. Is it possible to extend my visa expiry date? If yes, what would I have to do?
2. Can I just migrate to the USA before my visa expires in July and come back to Canada in few days (just to get my visa stamped)? If I do this, when I go back to the USA (end of 2007), would there be any problems at the border?

If I cannot extend my visa expiration date, I am planning to drive there next month and come back in few days.
3. Would they accept the "CBP Form 3299" without the name of arriving vessel carrier and flight/train, name of carrier, signature of agent? As I mentioned before, I am only planning to permanently move in the end of this year and do not have any information about the carrier/mover.
4. Once I migrate to the USA, what IDs should I apply for (Social Insurance, Green card... etc)? Is it possible to apply for all these during my temp. stay in the USA (2-3 days max.)?
5. What should I expect in the envelope that was given to me during my visa interview - it says "Immigrant Data Summary" on top?

Thank you all in advance for reading & replying to this!

[Marco 72]

1. Unfortunately it's not possible to extend the visa.

2. That could create problems unless you already have a place where you know you'll be staying. It might be difficult to convince US immigration that you are a genuine immigrant if you give the address of a hotel (also see point 4).

3. If you enter the US by car, I don't see why it should be a problem to leave it blank.

4. Your actual green card will be sent in the mail, you don't need to apply for it. I understand it can take a few months. Some USCIS centres write "do not forward" on the envelope, since you are supposed to notify them at once if you move. This is why what you want to do is - technically - immigration fraud, and could cause you problems. I understand it takes several months to get a social security number.

5. Don't know.

By the way, if you are between 18 and 25 don't forget that you have to register with the Selective Service System.

You will probably get more answers in this forum, dedicated to US marriage visa discussions.