Filling out a I-94 can be constructed as intent to abandon your permanent residency so make sure you never fill one out again, no matter what the airline tells you. Just take the I-94, smile, and throw it away.
Very good advice, I especially like the bit about smiling at the airline staff ….
I could not agree with you more. I was being forced into a particular queue when I came through my POE, and I basically had to be very direct with the officials (not immigration) in the airport, that I knew what I was doing and I did not need to fill in anything. (apart from customs form) They eventually got the message and let me get on with the POE process.
Would it be necessary for me to contact Homeland Security or USCIS to cancel my I-94 that I gave to the immigration officer at the port of entry? Is this a big problem when I re-enter the US? Please help me find out about this?
You may have filled it in, and handed it in, but in order for it to be of any official use the immigration officer would have had to stamp it and give you back the other half of it. As he did not do this, the I94 that you filled in is in effect useless.
In my opinion after you handed it in, the officer probably realised that you were unsure of the process and threw it away.
If you are filling in a I-94 then as far as I know you must have some kind of a visa to go with it (visa waver one is I-94W).
As a LPR you are going to be coming in and out of the USA with out a visa, therefore a situation arising where you are required to fill in a I-94 simply won’t ever happen.
On the other hand, if some one (a LPR) was unsure of what they were doing and they were from a visa waver country then they may fill in an I-94W by accident, this is the green visa waver I-94 and you don’t need a visa to go with this. I guess that this could be seen as an attempt to enter the USA under the visa waver program which I am sure LPR’s should not do as I think this may be seen as intent to abandon your permanent residency. I cant see how filling in an I-94 alone would be intent to abandon your permanent residence as with out a visa its useless.
Honestly once you have your green card you will be fine. Remember you are a LPR now and it is very difficult for immigration offices to refuse you entry, unless you have broken any of the residency rules of course. Even if they decided you had broken residency rules and they did ever refuse you entry, now or any time in the future, as a LPR you have the RIGHT to a hearing in front of an immigration judge, where you can explain why you broke any residency rules. That judge will make the finial decision on whether or not you have abandoned your residency. Just filling in an I-94 alone is not nearly enough of a reason for anyone to surrender their LPR status. So in summary forget about your I-94, its probably been recycled by now