Did not return I-94 card but departure has been recorded

score:17

Accepted answer

If departure is recorded correctly, then you don't have to do anything. Remove that i94 card from the passport. Do not confuse the immigration agents as it can create unnecessary delays.

If they had departed via air, more than likely case is their exit is automatically recorded.

Upvote:1

I had the same thing happen to me. I left on a flight where the people doing the check-in didn't take out the I-94 form from my passport and I was unaware of this until my flight was somewhere over the Atlantic. At home I contacted the relevant authorities and the told me to sent it back in the mail together with proof that I had left the country (their suggestion was a credit card statement, but in my country nobody uses credit cards for local purchases, they use debit cards. In the end they accepted a bank statement where local purchases were recorded from the debit card). As I have visited the USA after this incident it seems like that solved the issue.

A colleague of mine left it in his passport (he was unaware that he was in effect violating the rules by not returning it on exit) and he got some hassle the next time he came into the USA, but nothing major.

With the introduction of EFTA this should no longer cause any problems, but it did of course add a fee to your visit to the USA.

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