TN - I94 Card

Hi there,

Friend of mine who was working with me on TN just like me, has returned to Canada. His TN expires in September, but he has resigned his job and returned. Does any one know where he should be returning his TN - I94 card to.

Thanks.

I think they should have taken it from him at the border actually when he returned to Canada.

Or they'll just rip it out next time he visits the US.

It is supposed to be handed into Canada customs at the booths as you leave the country.

If he wants to gain entry to the US at some point, I would strongly recommend he make the trip to a border point and hand it in. The Americans don't take it lightly when people don't hand in visitor visas on their way out, let alone a work visa.

I tend to agree with the moderator.

I was offering advice from experience.

Having watched not 1 but 2 US border officers threaten my companion with a ban on reentering because he hand not handed in a 6 month visa waiver, I personally wouldn't just sit on it for an extended length of time. I know another person who was given the same threat. (These were for visitor's visa waivers that are good for rentry for 6 months, so it is easy to come across and not necessarily know if you might want to cross again within 6 months)

As the CBP very rudely explained it, not handing in the piece of paper is the same as overstaying, and the penalties for overstaying are quite severe.

Were these Canadian citizens? Canada is not part of the Visa Waiver Programme, so I'm a bit confused by your story. If your friends are non-Canadians on the VWP, yeah, they get rather pernickety about handing in the I-94W.

I had a work visa before which allowed me to go back and forth (L1B visa) upon my last exit from the US, I had no idea I wouldn't be back to use it. I got laid off, and then at my next entry to the US, I told them to take it, it was no longer valid as I was no longer working for that company. No hassle, no threats.

Here is informatoin from the State Department of what to do if no one takes your I-94 when you depart

What If No One Takes Your I-94 Form Upon Departure
Failure to turn in your I-94 (or I-94W) when you leave the U.S. can create a serious problem. Without this record of your departure, you will be identified in our records as an "overstay." Being identified as an overstay means that you will be denied re-entry into the U.S. If you failed to turn in your I-94, please send it - along with any documentation that proves you left the U.S. to ACS Inc.1084 South Laurel Rd., London, Kentucky 40744.

Documentation to prove your departure can include the boarding pass from your flight. If you exited the country by a land border it is much harder to verify that you did- in fact - leave the country on the date you claim. If you have any documentation of your arrival in your home country (i.e. passport stamp), then you should send a copy of that. 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 ACS Inc. 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.

If you want to confirm that your I-94 was received by ACS, 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.

http://www.amcits.com/form_i-94.asp

Turning in an I-94 is especially important when one's legal status has ended.

If you have several TNs over the years, and have I-94s for these form the past, this is not a big issue, since you have always have status.

But when 'giving up' a status that required an I--94 (TN, H1, etc) it is crucial to hand back the I-94 either to the check-in agent at the airport, or at the Cdn customs window at the border. Otherwise you may need -- even if you are Cdn -- to go thru the extra steps Reba outlines, including providing proof of when you were in canada.

I'm a non-resident Canadian living in Dubai. I have a summer home in Canada and a winter home in South Carolina for when I retire in 2012. I have just purchased a new vehicle in the USA and I'm trying to get a SC Drivers License. I'm told by the SC DOT that they will issue me one if I can produce a TN I94 next time I enter the USA. Can anyone advise how I might get this? I'm planning to fly into JFK in April, down to SC for a week then drive back up to Canada so entry and exit point will be different.
Regards
Ted

Good luck with South Carolina.

When I moved there, with a valid visa, the DMV wouldn't issue me a driver's license because my employer, a church, was based out of state. Our denomination operates under a group 501 (c) (3) which means we have the same tax ID no matter where we are located.

Even though their regulations clearly indicated I was entitled to receive a SC DL, the agency said no. Let me re-emphasize - I was legally in SC.

The only way I got my DL issued was to write to the governor's office, with a copy of my USCIS documentation and a copy of their regulations and asking them to intervene and have my DL issued. Amazingly within 2 weeks it was issued with a letter of apology from the governor's office.

If you are just going there as a winter residence, the chances they will issue you a DL are extremely low. Besides, if you will be there for less than 6 months, you can use your Canadian DL. A Canadian DL can even be used to register the car and to get insurance in the U.S. I know, I had to do it until it all got sorted out.

[list=][/list] everything i read here Reba wrote is correct i read this too on usa website for govt.

now my question is:

i was born in canada and a canadian citizen, since 2006 when people need a passport, everytime i fly to usa, they stamp my passport when i go on vacation with B2 visa for 6 months.
except last time i flew to usa, they gave me a I94 form instead, and made me put what return flight im coming back on. i have no clue why i got this last time, they still stamped the form B2 visa but not 6 months only the few weeks i was going away. also nobody told me what this form was except to fill in my airline for it, then he stampled it to my passport, so i thought ok it has to stay in my passport. i did not know it had to be returned let alone what it was really, i thought it was because my passport is going to expire later in 2011? since passport is good for 5 years, is this why he gave me it? anyway i returned it next day to a window in an office at airport, after phoning usa customs next day i was in canada, telling them i didnt know what this form was, and didnt know it had to be returned

now another question it states on usa website it takes 4 months to process this stuff, i am returning on vacation again to usa before that time, it likely they have not processed it. will i be fine next time i cross the border?

also when i cross next time wil lit be like normal where they just stamp my passport for 6 month B2 visa? last time was the only time i ever got a I94 from them. and if its not been processed will that be a problem, and they will think im lying when im not?? should i bring my last airline ticket coming back to canada as proof i landed last time just incase, since its 150 percent likely this form has not been processed yet, since it was only 2 months ago last i travelled.
and as a canadian citizen and someone born in canada, i thought the visa waiver program im not suppose to get this forum? is it because my passport was expiring later this year? i never had a passport before, so its the first 1 that is going to expire on me, does that have something to do with it? next time i go back to usa soon, i have a new passport that is good for 5 years again.