Non-Immigrant Visas
Did You Forget to Turn In Your I-94 Departure Card?
Dear Traveler:
If you returned home with your Form I-94 (white) or Form I-94W (green) Departure Record in your passport, it is possible that your departure was not recorded properly.
If you departed by a commercial air or sea carrier (airlines or cruise ships), your departure from the U.S. can be independently verified, and it is not necessary to take any further action, although holding on to your outbound (from the U.S.) boarding pass - if you still have it - can help expedite your re-entry next time you come back to the United States.
If you departed by land, private vessel or private plane, you will need to take steps to correct the record. If you do not validate a timely departure from the United States, or if you cannot reasonably prove otherwise when you next apply for admission to the United States, the INS may conclude you remained in the United States beyond your authorized stay. If this happens, the next time you apply to enter the United States, your visa may be subject to cancellation or you may be returned immediately to your foreign point of origin.
To validate departure, CBP will consider a variety of information, including, but not limited to:
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Original boarding passes you used to depart the United States.
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Photocopies of entry or departure stamps in your passport indicating entry to another country after you departed the United States (you should copy all passport pages that are not completely blank, and include the biographical page containing your photograph.), and
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Photocopies of other supporting evidence, such as:
· Dated pay slips or vouchers from your employer to indicate you worked in another country after you departed the United States;
· Dated bank records showing transactions to indicate you were in another country after you left the United States;
· School records showing attendance at a school outside the United States to indicate you were in another country after you left the United States;
· Dated credit card receipts, showing your name, but, the credit card number deleted, for purchases made after you left the United States to indicate you were in another country after leaving the United States.
Your statement will not be acceptable without supporting evidence such as noted above.
You must mail legible copies or original materials where possible. If you send original materials, you should retain a copy. CBP cannot return original materials after processing. To help us understand the situation and correct your records quickly, please include an explanation letter in English. You must send your letter and enclosed information only to the following address:
DHS - CBP SBU
1084 South Laurel Road
London, KY 40744
Note: Do not mail your departure Form I-94 or supporting information to any United States Consulate or Embassy, to any other DHS office in the United States, or to any address other than the one above. Only at this location are we able to make the necessary corrections to CBP records to prevent inconvenience to you in the future. The London Kentucky office does not answer correspondence, so please do not ask for confirmation that your record has been updated.
If the above office does not have any supporting documents to substantiate your claim to have left the U.S. on a certain date, there is no guarantee that you will be entered into the record as having done so.
We strongly urge you to keep a copy of what you send to DHS-CBP and to carry it with you the next time you come to the U.S. in case the CBP officer has any questions about your eligibility to enter.
Delays beyond the traveler's control, such as cancelled or delayed flights, medical emergencies requiring a doctor's care, etc. are not considered unauthorized overstays, however, you will need to bring proof of the cause of your overstay next time you travel to the U.S. in order for it to be forgiven. For airline delays, ask the airline for a letter affirming the delay or a copy of your cancelled boarding pass.
If you want to confirm that CBP received your I-94, please give them 4 months to process the paperwork. Then you can write the following address to determine whether or not your departure was recorded. If you turned in the I-94 when you left the U.S. as required, please do NOT request confirmation that it is on file. This process is only for people who did not turn in the I-94 when they exited the U.S.
You will need to provide your name, date of birth, passport number, and date of departure, in addition to asking whether or not your departure was recorded.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air Sea Passenger Operations
Room 5.4D, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington D.C. 20229.