Visa In Passport BUT curious dates

[Bangkokcanuck]

So we picked up my wife's Passport today with her spanking new IM-1 Visa in it. Took exactly three (business) days for Singapore to stamped it after being dropped off on the 4th of August.

What I was surprised at is everyone kept saying the Visa is valid for a period of ONE year from the time we obtained the medicals. This is clearly not the case. My wife did her medicals on Dec. 7th, 2010 and the Visa shows an expiry date of November 5th, 2011 which last time I checked was clearly not a year.

In fact nothing we can think of happened in November last year as we didn't even file our application until Feb this year. It is not related to my wife's Passport expiry as it's good until Feb 2012.

Anyway a pain in the butt for us now I have to go back and change flights and other plans we already made, nothing earth shattering but just thought I'd warn others it seems the one year from medical date theory is not factual in all case so don't do as I did wait until you have Visa in hand before booking anything..

[CharlieD10]

I think it may be the passport expiry date that is affecting it, actually.  If her passport expires Feb 2012, the visa expires 3 months before her passport does.  Some countries are touchy about admitting people to their country with passports close to expiring.  It would appear they are giving her a clear 3 months before she needs a new passport as deadline to land, hence the visa expiration date before the medical expires.

[Bangkokcanuck]

I think it may be the passport expiry date that is affecting it, actually.  If her passport expires Feb 2012, the visa expires 3 months before her passport does.  Some countries are touchy about admitting people to their country with passports close to expiring.  It would appear they are giving her a clear 3 months before she needs a new passport as deadline to land, hence the visa expiration date before the medical expires.

That was my first thought as well, but the Visa actually expires 3 months and 21 days before the Passport..so it just seemed like a very odd period of time to me. I mean obviously we are going to be there before it expires just a bit of pain as I booked the trip for the 10th of November figuring it would give us a month before Medicals were set to expire now today I have been scrambling around changing flights and hotels and car rentals etc..etc... *shrug* glad to have this problem I guess....

 

[CharlieD10]

Yep, could be worse, you could still be waiting! It is a weird period, I wonder who came up with that date?  The ways of CIC remain a mystery...

[Bangkokcanuck]

Yep, could be worse, you could still be waiting! It is a weird period, I wonder who came up with that date?  The ways of CIC remain a mystery...

I think it was a dartboard choice.. hey lets pick this date it's as good as any... my wife has been carrying her Passport around today basically showing the new Visa to anyone that will listen hahahaha.... I think she has totally accepted its a done deal now that she has it in hand... and as she had more or less resigned herself to the fact it could be as long as 20 months it feels like a huge windfall...

[QCSunshine]

I only had three weeks from the date I received it (in person at Buffalo). However the date of issue on the visa was actually the date I got the PPR email (which was about two and a half weeks before I went to Buffalo.) My deadline for landing was one year from the date of my medical exam.

[rjessome]

It may have something to do with internal quotas.

[Danny4450]

It may have something to do with internal quotas.

That was the first thing that I thought of. There is a good chance that its got to do with their internal quotas.