Should we surrender I-94 at the airport

[Jagan01]

What do we do with I94 when we plan to return on AP.

HEre is the summary of my case:
1. Got H1 approval in 2012 (I797 approval)
2. Never been to India since then and thus do not have H1 stamping on my passport.
3. Got my EAD / Ap approved recently.
4. Planning to come back on AP and not got for stamping.

What do I do with the I94 on the I797 approval receipt. Do I need to turn it in while leaving the country ? I am going for a month trip to India.

[incredible]

Hi
I guess you have to tear of right part of it and give it while departing at the airport (if they take it). These days they are not entirely worried about that because of I94 becoming online. While coming back dont forget to show your EAD/AP card as well as 797 (that was part of approval for EAD/AP and not H1).

Gurus, correct me anything wrong.

What do we do with I94 when we plan to return on AP.

HEre is the summary of my case:
1. Got H1 approval in 2012 (I797 approval)
2. Never been to India since then and thus do not have H1 stamping on my passport.
3. Got my EAD / Ap approved recently.
4. Planning to come back on AP and not got for stamping.

What do I do with the I94 on the I797 approval receipt. Do I need to turn it in while leaving the country ? I am going for a month trip to India.

[gcq]

Hi
I guess you have to tear of right part of it and give it while departing at the airport (if they take it). These days they are not entirely worried about that because of I94 becoming online. While coming back dont forget to show your EAD/AP card as well as 797 (that was part of approval for EAD/AP and not H1).

Gurus, correct me anything wrong.

While leaving US, tear away the bottom portion and staple it to the passport. Make sure airline reps take away that I-94. (Make sure you have a copy for your records).
While coming back, at POE give your passport and AP together. No need to give anything else. They can look up your application from the system. Giving additional documentation to POE or any other immigration officer will only confuse them. Rule of thumb - provide additional documentation only when asked.

[Kanmani]

Guys really! I am surprised and never heard of this tearing I-797 I94 and surrendering it at the airport.

Question to Jagan: What happened to the I-94 when you arrive US the last time? The CBP have had sure attached one if you were admitted on any kind of visa , Why is it missing from your passport?

That is the one you have to return it at the boarding pass counter.

[qesehmk]

Kanmani - when I didn't have GC - I remember to have done this at LAX and EWR while going to India. I do not know if things have changed.

Guys really! I am surprised and never heard of this tearing I-797 I94 and surrendering it at the airport.

[Kanmani]

Kanmani - when I didn't have GC - I remember to have done this at LAX and EWR while going to India. I do not know if things have changed.

Q, I have the same question to you why didn't you use the previous I-94 card issued at the airport at CBP? That is what it is in practice! I-94 card is solely for that purpose, I traveled after 5 years and I submitted the one and only I-94 card from my passport, not from my H-4 approval at that time.

Not seen or heard of tearing the I-94 from the H1b approval notice.

Is there any special rule for student visa ----> H1b or what ?

[qesehmk]

Q, I have the same question to you why didn't you use the previous I-94 card issued at the airport at CBP? That is what it is in practice! I-94 card is solely for that purpose, I traveled after 5 years and I submitted the one and only I-94 card from my passport, not from my H-4 approval at that time.

Not seen or heard of tearing the I-94 from the H1b approval notice.

Is there any special rule for student visa ----> H1b or what ?

I think the idea is to give the latest one. So consider the scenario when a person enters and obtains an I94.

Then s/he receives 797 and H approval with new I94 attached. Thus this one is the latest one now. Hence the need to surrender.

[gcq]

The reason why we have to give I-94 while leaving the country: That is how USCIS/CBP etc tracks how long you have been in USA, whether you have violated your status by overstaying etc.

What I normally do is give all my I-94s while leaving the country. There may not be a rule per-se in this regard. If USCIS asks us to verify about the date we left, we will have to explain it. It may not happen in all cases, just in case.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/det...l-have-my-i-94

http://www.immihelp.com/travel/depar...ed-states.html

[Kanmani]

Thanks Q, We have done what rest of the group around us had done so far, thinking that we are doing it correct. So far, no problem what so ever.

[qesehmk]

Thanks Q, We have done what rest of the group around us had done so far, thinking that we are doing it correct. So far, no problem what so ever.

Yes ... me too. I never really thought about it. While going out US really doesn't care unless you are with ISIS or something like that or are IMF chief trying sneak out ... oink oink!

[Jonty Rhodes]

Guys really! I am surprised and never heard of this tearing I-797 I94 and surrendering it at the airport.

Question to Jagan: What happened to the I-94 when you arrive US the last time? The CBP have had sure attached one if you were admitted on any kind of visa , Why is it missing from your passport?

That is the one you have to return it at the boarding pass counter.

Kanmani,

In 2010, I went to Toronto, Canada for my and my wife's H1B and H4 stamping respectively. I drove to Toronto and crossed the border at Detroit. When I returned, I had my I-797 with me. I showed it at the port of entry to the CBP officer. He asked me to tear the part of the I-94 at the bottom right corner of I-797 and fill all the details. He was actually pissed at me since I did not fill any details as I didn't know that I have to fill that bottom right corner (I-94) on I-797. I expected that I will be given a seperate I-94 Arrival/Departure Record Form. But that was not the case. That torn down I-94 was then stapled to my passport which I had to surrender when I left USA on India trip.

Now, they have electronic I-94 so there are no more paper I-94 issued unless you are in for a secondary inspection. I have entered US twice after electronic I-94 came into effect last year. I have not been issued paper I-94s. I have always gone on CBP website and printed them out but those don't need to be submitted while departing US because now CBP collects that information from your air carrier automatically.

[incredible]

Correct. The CBP these days have ways to collect the I94 automatically and that is the reason that I mentioned that giving the I94 from approved 797 is not mandatory anymore. Also one of the things that we need to validate after reaching back to US is on the correctness of information on the online I94. I had an issue where the I94 was issued completed on different name (but with my passport number and my flight details). I had to visit the nearest international airport CBP office and have them correct it. They take it from Flight Manifest these days, but it always helps to verify the correctness as soon as possible though.

Kanmani,

In 2010, I went to Toronto, Canada for my and my wife's H1B and H4 stamping respectively. I drove to Toronto and crossed the border at Detroit. When I returned, I had my I-797 with me. I showed it at the port of entry to the CBP officer. He asked me to tear the part of the I-94 at the bottom right corner of I-797 and fill all the details. He was actually pissed at me since I did not fill any details as I didn't know that I have to fill that bottom right corner (I-94) on I-797. I expected that I will be given a seperate I-94 Arrival/Departure Record Form. But that was not the case. That torn down I-94 was then stapled to my passport which I had to surrender when I left USA on India trip.

Now, they have electronic I-94 so there are no more paper I-94 issued unless you are in for a secondary inspection. I have entered US twice after electronic I-94 came into effect last year. I have not been issued paper I-94s. I have always gone on CBP website and printed them out but those don't need to be submitted while departing US because now CBP collects that information from your air carrier automatically.

[gcq]

When I came back to US via Washington DC ( IAD) with AP in June 2014, my I-94 was a paper one which I had to manually fill in. Wondering whether they have started giving electronic I-94 for AP holders.

[Kanmani]

When I came back to US via Washington DC ( IAD) with AP in June 2014, my I-94 was a paper one which I had to manually fill in. Wondering whether they have started giving electronic I-94 for AP holders.

No. Same paper one at the secondary inspection counter (Same IAD, Same Qatar airways)

[Kanmani]

Kanmani,

In 2010, I went to Toronto, Canada for my and my wife's H1B and H4 stamping respectively. I drove to Toronto and crossed the border at Detroit. When I returned, I had my I-797 with me. I showed it at the port of entry to the CBP officer. He asked me to tear the part of the I-94 at the bottom right corner of I-797 and fill all the details. He was actually pissed at me since I did not fill any details as I didn't know that I have to fill that bottom right corner (I-94) on I-797. I expected that I will be given a seperate I-94 Arrival/Departure Record Form. But that was not the case. That torn down I-94 was then stapled to my passport which I had to surrender when I left USA on India trip.

Now, they have electronic I-94 so there are no more paper I-94 issued unless you are in for a secondary inspection. I have entered US twice after electronic I-94 came into effect last year. I have not been issued paper I-94s. I have always gone on CBP website and printed them out but those don't need to be submitted while departing US because now CBP collects that information from your air carrier automatically.

Thanks Jonty!. IAD CBP counters have been sailing smooth so far, doesn't bother to ask the approval notices. As you said all our I-797/I94s' are pretty clean and sleeping at our home, not even bother to look into that tearable part.

Hope and wish you get your EAD/AP at the earliest. Same to kd2008.

[Jonty Rhodes]

Thanks Jonty!. IAD CBP counters have been sailing smooth so far, doesn't bother to ask the approval notices. As you said all our I-797/I94s' are pretty clean and sleeping at our home, not even bother to look into that tearable part.

Hope and wish you get your EAD/AP at the earliest. Same to kd2008.

Thanks Kanmani. Appreciate it.

[Jagan01]

Thanks Jonty!. IAD CBP counters have been sailing smooth so far, doesn't bother to ask the approval notices. As you said all our I-797/I94s' are pretty clean and sleeping at our home, not even bother to look into that tearable part.

Hope and wish you get your EAD/AP at the earliest. Same to kd2008.

Kanmani, Q, gcq, Jonty, incredibile,

Thanks for the response. I was going with the same reasoning as Q (surrender latest one).

Kanmani,
Following is the reason why my wife does not have I94 stapled to passport. She changed from H4 to F1 and for the change of status application, you send the I94 in passport. The approvals comes through and now the I797 (Change of status) has new one at bottom.

Incredible,
I do not understand what you mean by I797 that came with EAD/AP approval ? I only got the EAD / AP card. No I797 approval ? What is that ?