I-94 leaving US through Canada to HK

M

mskoniec

Registered Users (C)
Hi All,

My husband (grad student, F-1 status) and I (engineer, TN status) are Canadian citizens currently living in the US. Next month we are traveling to Hong Kong for we week. We are flying from Pittsburgh, PA to Toronto, ON and then connecting in Toronto and flying direct to Hong Kong.

Our return flight is from Hong Kong to Toronto and then connecting in Toronto on to Pittsburgh.

My questions are: do we have to surrender our I-94s in Pittsburgh even though we're traveling through Canada and will be away for less than a week? If we do, what documents should we (or I specifically) have with us to show at customs when returning to Pittsburgh?

Thanks!
 
Not necessary. Keep both I-94s. If the officer in Toronto wishes to issue you new I-94s let it be his call at that point.

A copy of your I-94s should be taken with you, kept separately, in case your I-94s get taken at (only possible time would be by airline staff while boarding at PIT). That would be enough to get you in.
 
Thanks for your reply.

On a side note, let's say that we were flying out of US to say, I don't know, Peru. Would I have to surrender my I-94 to airline staff then? What about going to Europe straight from PIT?
 
The staff is under orders from CBP to remove them -- both flights are out of N America. It is up to you , if you wish, to convince them or circumvent this.
 
Wait, but in my case the flight out of Toronto to HK is also out of North America. Wouldn't the Air Canada staff be required to remove my I-94? IF no one asks for my I-94, is it my responsibility to go up to them and give it to them?

I basically don't want to be hassled by US customs when we are returning to Pittsburgh; they will ask me where I was and how long I was away for. I cannot lie and say I was in Canada for a week, since there will be a stamp in my passport that says otherwise. But if they see that I still have my I-94, won't they question me about the fact that I didn't surrender it upon leaving the US??
 
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"sigh"

Air Canada staff in Toronto are not under any orders from CBP -- They are in a foreign country! They don't give a hoot about US immigration rules.

Have we covered enough scenarios here? Pull the I-94 yourself and put it in your pocket is you are that concerned about keeping it.

You do realize that having you fill out another I-94 is not the end of the world. You simply need to carry proof of your TN. This has been covered many times.
 
Wow, nelsona, no one is holding a gun to your head, you don't have to reply to the thread and any of my questions if you don't want to. No need to be giving jerky replies, it's rude and I don't appreciate it.
 
Well, once one of us answers a poster, we have some 'ownership' in our response and like to make sure the person has all the answers they need.

Did you get the information you need?

Hope I was able to clear up all your concerns. My only concern was that the discussion was becoming circular, and I was not making my point clearly enough for you.

Have a good, safe trip to HK and an an incident-free return to work.

All the best.
 
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