Listing trips abroad in N-400 application.....question about passport stamps?

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easybay

Registered Users (C)
I'm really confused by what I should do about listing my trips abroad on my N-400 application. I have a trip that I made to Canada and for some reason, my reentry into the US wasn't stamped. What is used to prove trips out of the country? What if I miss a trip? If I list the trip that isn't stamped will I be questioned about it?

The passport stamps date reentry in to US - what if I get the day entered wrong? How is it possible to trace my travel? Is there some way to ask immigration for my trips so I can be sure to get them right?

Thanks!
 
easybay said:
What if I miss a trip? If I list the trip that isn't stamped will I be questioned about it?
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Missing stamps won't cause a problem. Your potential problem is if there is a US arrival stamp in your passport and you don't list that trip (unless the trip is under 24 hours, since you don't have to list trips of under 24 hours).
 
I'm Canadian, and almost all my foreign travel is visits to Canada. It's commonplace for the passport not to be stamped on returning from Canada. They do stamp it sometimes, and I don't know whether there's some logic to this, or if it's just at the whim of the officer.

However, I had the impression (hoping someone better informed will correct me if this is wrong), that CBP nonetheless has a complete travel record from swiping your green card, and it's important to list all your trips over 24 hours. USCIS may cross-check with CBP records. Maybe this is paranoid, but like most naturalization applicants, I'm anxious to be safe rather than sorry. I submit a complete and accurate record of my foreign travel, even though at least half the visits to Canada went undocumented in my passport. The missing stamps in the passport aren't a problem, but under-reporting of travel might be.
 
easybay said:
The passport stamps date reentry in to US - what if I get the day entered wrong? How is it possible to trace my travel? Is there some way to ask immigration for my trips so I can be sure to get them right?

Thanks!
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Exact travel dates are not required. Disclosing the trip by number of days/month is fine.
 
Exact travel dates are not required. Disclosing the trip by number of days/month is fine.
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The application has "Date you left the US" and "Date you returned to the US". I know the days I returned due to the stamp on the passport, but not so certain of the day I left. I have old credit card statements in storage that I could use to trace the purchase of my airline tickets BUT I dread the hours it will take me to dig through the storage unit to try to find them. And wonder if the work is necessary.

Anxiouscdn2 - I'm going to try and call the Canadian Border Service next week to see if they will send me a record - I'm sure I"m not the first person to ask.
 
All that work is not necessary. Approximate dates are acceptable if you are not pushing the limits of continuous residence and/or physical presence. Estimate the dates, and attach a note indicating which trips have approximate dates. Surely you must have some idea of whether each trip was 2 days, 2 weeks, or 2 months.
 
All that work is not necessary. Approximate dates are acceptable if you are not pushing the limits of continuous residence and/or physical presence. Estimate the dates, and attach a note indicating which trips have approximate dates. Surely you must have some idea of whether each trip was 2 days, 2 weeks, or 2 months.
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Thanks - I appreciate all the replies - I tend to "over think" this sort of thing!
 
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