US Departure Record

[tscharke]

Back in April08 and as a direct result of sampling too many heinekens in the LAX flagship lounge prior to boarding my return flight home, I failed to surrender the green US departure record!

After noticing it many weeks later still stapled securely in the passport, I browsed the eyes over it and noticed

Retain this permit in your possession; you must surrender it when you leave the US. Failure to do so may delay your entry into the US in the future

I really thought nothing of it as I was still under the impression that it was up to the US immigration officer to remove it and therefore I wasn't my fault that they failed to do so!

Last week saw me return back through the US where the immigration process was quick, easy and without any reference to that green card still stapled in the passport! Now with no desire to be the next Aussie in Guantanamo Bay, I kindly explained the situation to the officer and asked what action needs to be taken. He removed the card, initialled & dated it, stapled it to another document and told me to follow the instructions on the form. Cool - all sorted! I folded it up, chucked it in the laptop bag and continued on my merry way with slight less confidence in systems supporting Homeland Security!

Cleaning out the laptop bag today I came across the document and to my surprise it was all in Spanish!

I've checked out the 1,001 immigration forms on uscis.gov to try and find the english version but no luck!

Considering I never had an issue entering the US during my last visit my thoughts are to forget all about it, however am I running even the slightest risk of complications down the track?

any advice or similar situations out there?


oh yeah! and it was only last week that I noticed people posting the cards themselves at the boarding gate!

 

[docjames]

Same thing happened to Mrs Doc and myself travelling to Mexico in 2004.

Immigration LAX, slip in passport, headed to Domestic terminal, boarded Alaskan Air flight to MEX.

Got back to US 2 weeks later, at immigration:

"What flight did you come in on?" "The system says that you havent left the US" - did the same thing (initialled, then we went through the same process, only this time i made sure they took the card on boarding to come home!



Really useful taking our fingerprints and retinal scans if it relies on a piece of paper to "protect" the LOTF.

 

[vt01]

This happened to me a couple of years ago. I didn't do anything about it and haven't had any problems returning to the US since.
I'm sure they must lose a few of these each day.

 

[NM]

I really thought nothing of it as I was still under the impression that it was up to the US immigration officer to remove it and therefore I wasn't my fault that they failed to do so!

It is supposed to be collected by one of the following:

• The airline check-in agent at the port of departure
• The airline gate agent when boarding the aircraft

There are no outbound immigration officers in the USA, except at a limited number of locations using Visit-USA machines for outbound receipting (I have only seen this at ORD, but believe there are others).

As far as US Government is concerned, its your responsibility to return the card. If you end up with it remaining in your passport after you have departed the USA, you are supposed to return it to the US Government along with some form of proof as to when you departed the USA. This is one reason I ALWAYS ask Australian immigration officers to stamp my passport when I arrive into Australia following a USA visit, providing the proof of when I arrived into Australia and hence that at that date I could not have been still in the USA overstaying my I94W entry.

 

[wallacej]

Similar thing happened with me... for whatever reason I seemed to have retained the green slip that is stapled to the inside of our passports.

Because of the frequency of my trips, I was keen to ensure I had no other issues, so simply provided a copy of my return entry stamp from my passport, and sent it all back in,.

This must be some kind of backup - I mean with the finger printing, photo and electronic passport, surely they know when you eave the country... I know they have no exiting border security/immigration control, but the airlines (from memory) took note of my passport number... there must be a way of compiling this information electronically these days...

 

[simongr]

"What flight did you come in on?" "The system says that you havent left the US" - did the same thing (initialled, then we went through the same process, only this time i made sure they took the card on boarding to come home!

Really useful taking our fingerprints and retinal scans if it relies on a piece of paper to "protect" the LOTF.

Well it proves that the system "works" - you were tagged as having not left and they confirmed your identity biometrically...

 

[mainly tailfirst]

This must be some kind of backup - I mean with the finger printing, photo and electronic passport, surely they know when you eave the country... I know they have no exiting border security/immigration control, but the airlines (from memory) took note of my passport number... there must be a way of compiling this information electronically these days...

You'd think. But this is the LOTFAP we are talking about. Hell hath no beauraucracy like the DHS. I predict that the I-94(W) will be with us for at least the next 20 years. After all, it's easier to force aliens and airline staff to keep a track of these things than actually set up a proper immigration exit system at airports.

mt

 

[simongr]

Why do they need to pay people to make sure you leave the country? Seriously with a reasonable IT system anyone whose visa has expired is then flagged. All the the Oz system does is confirm that those people who should leave the country do leave the country. All the illegals don't go to the airport to have their entitlement to stay in the country checked.

Just think of all the ink we could save.

 

[ggm]

I was going to post the URL, but the filter for 10 posts stopped me.

Its on the new cbp.gov website, which also has the online visa pre-approval. btw, that doesn't remove the need to fill in an I94w on the flight. -that only happens in 2009.

short answer: you have to send the thing, with a covering letter and some proofs you left the country, passport photocopies etc as shown here from the URL I can't post ('cos I'm still a newbie)

If you failed to turn in your I-94 Departure Record, please send it, along with any documentation that proves you left the United States to:

• DHS - CBP SBU
• 1084 South Laurel Road
• London, KY 40744

Do not mail your Form I-94 Departure Record or supporting information to any U.S. Consulate or Embassy, to any other CBP 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.
To validate departure, CBP will consider a variety of information, including but not limited to:

• Original boarding passes you used to depart another country, such as Canada, if you flew home from there;
• 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
• 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, and
  • 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.

To assist us in understanding the situation and correct your records quickly, please include an explanation letter in English. 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.
We strongly urge you to keep a copy of what you send to DHS-CBP and carry it with you the next time you come to the United States in case the CBP officer has any questions about your eligibility to enter. Carrying those materials with you will also allow your record to be corrected at the time of entry if, for some reason, the London Kentucky office has not yet done so.

 

[tscharke]

thanks go out to a new member or long time lurker ggm for the following

http://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/customs....hp?p_faqid=752

extract:

If you failed to turn in your I-94 Departure Record, please send it, along with any documentation that proves you left the United States to:

• DHS - CBP SBU
• 1084 South Laurel Road
• London, KY 40744

Do not mail your Form I-94 Departure Record or supporting information to any U.S. Consulate or Embassy, to any other CBP 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.
To validate departure, CBP will consider a variety of information, including but not limited to:

• Original boarding passes you used to depart another country, such as Canada, if you flew home from there;
• 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
• 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, and
  • 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.

To assist us in understanding the situation and correct your records quickly, please include an explanation letter in English. 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.
We strongly urge you to keep a copy of what you send to DHS-CBP and carry it with you the next time you come to the United States in case the CBP officer has any questions about your eligibility to enter. Carrying those materials with you will also allow your record to be corrected at the time of entry if, for some reason, the London Kentucky office has not yet done so.

the process seems almost as painful as submitting my work expense claims! which still need to be done

 

[mainly tailfirst]

thanks go out to a new member or long time lurker ggm for the following


the process seems almost as painful as submitting my work expense claims! which still need to be done

Or they could employ some gov. official to simply swipe your passport at an immigration exit point and be done with it. But, as I keep learning, common sense and US immigration have not seen each other for a very long time. In fact, I don't even believe the stories that they were ever dating.

mt

 

[tscharke]

and while we are sinking the boot in

completing the new On-Line ESTA Travel Authorisation Application prior to arriving in the US appeared to be for nothing!

I was even given a brochure by immigration followed by a lecture on this thing called the new "On-Line ESTA Travel Authorisation Application"

I got no response from him when informing that I completed one a week ago and that I was surprised that he didn't know!

 

[tscharke]

be careful what you say on here all - you just never know where it will end up

FT.com / Home UK / UK - Ask Global Traveller

 

[Mal]

be careful what you say on here all - you just never know where it will end up

I suppose the questions are:

Did you email them to tip them off?
Did someone who reads here email them to tip them off
Or do they randomly search the Interweb looking for stories to post as "letters from people"? (I suppose it would save them making up stories!)

Having been quoted by AAP a very long time after posting something here (luckily it was still relevant!), it still shows that journo's will find anything they can to publish or quote...

 

[Dave Noble]

I suppose the questions are:

Did you email them to tip them off?
Did someone who reads here email them to tip them off
Or do they randomly search the Interweb looking for stories to post as "letters from people"? (I suppose it would save them making up stories!)

Having been quoted by AAP a very long time after posting something here (luckily it was still relevant!), it still shows that journo's will find anything they can to publish or quote...

I have had the WSJ want to quote something posted of mine on FT ( flyertalk not the Financial Times) twice but they have contacted me and asked if it was ok to do

Dave

 

[tscharke]

all good!

I was actually contacted by the guy requesting my permission to use this post for his Q&A column!