I-94 to be turned in?

[jhakaas123]

Hello all,

During my H1 visa processing, the I-797 was lost when the USCIS was mailing it to me. The lawyers then applied for a duplicate but I had to return to India for a personal emergency and I went back only after my duplicate I-797 was issued, and my visa was stamped.

Now, the I-94 which is at the bottom right of the I-797 is supposed to be turned in when I leave the U.S. for my stamping. However, in my case, I never had the I-797 when leaving so I could not have turned it in.

After the visa got stamped and I went back, there were no questions asked at the port of entry.

Now I'm in India for a break and will be going back soon. When I was leaving the U.S. for this break, nobody tore off the I-94 and I still have it with me.

I'm just wondering if there is a problem here. Will I be questioned when I re-enter? Am I still supposed to tear off and provide this I-94?

Also, why is this I-94 important when I'm filling out the white form on the flight which has an I-94 at the bottom anyway and I will be filling that out anyway (and be turning that I-94 in, when I exit the U.S., like everytime)?

Thanks a lot for your help.

Regards,
Sumit.

[jhakaas123]

I would really appreciate it if someone could help out. Has someone been in a similar situation before that could help with my question?

Thanks,
Sumit.

[txh1b]

I-94 is important because that determines when you left the country. Remember, there is no exit stamp on your passport.

The arroval record portion of the I-94 has to be closed with a corresponsing departure for each unique I-94 number. The I797 extensions will always contain the same I-94# as the original I-94 from POE.

As long as one of them is returned, it closes the departure record. It is advised to return all I-94s associated with the white I-94 # when leaving US to be safe.

Not to panic, there is a procedure to return forgotten I-94s.

https://www.immihelp.com/returning-u...4-form-to-cbp/

[jhakaas123]

Thanks a ton for your reply.