I-94 Surrendering for holidays / F1 Visa

[eol]

Hello,

I'm an international student in US with F1 visa and I'm temporarily back in my country, France for 2 weeks for Christmas holidays. I will return in US at the beginning of January but I have an issue about I-94.

At JFK airport, they didn't take out my I-94 arrival/departure form.
It's written D/S on this.
I've seen that I'm supposed to surrender it except for temporary travel to Canada/Mexico... (less than 30 days)
Will there be problems for me to return to US in January ?
I've read it's possible to return it by postal service but I think they won't have received it before my next arrival.

Same problem for 3 of my friends with F1 visa that still have their I-94 with departures from different aiports...

Thanks for your help.

[kabkaba]

It is normally your responsibility to return it to the airline. Search the CBP website for the Kentucky address where it needs to be sent. When you return keep copies of your boarding pass, credit card transactions in France or some other proof that you had in fact left the US. It will not be a big problem in your case.

[eol]

It is normally your responsibility to return it to the airline. Search the CBP website for the Kentucky address where it needs to be sent. When you return keep copies of your boarding pass, credit card transactions in France or some other proof that you had in fact left the US. It will not be a big problem in your case.

Thanks for your response. At check-in and before boarding, I gave my passport opened at pages of visa and I-94, I thought that they would have took it, but in the plane I saw that they didn't.

If I send it now to Kentucky address, it won't be processed the next week so I have to keep copies of I-94 form and boarding pass for immigration officer for my return, isn't it ?

[txh1b]

Upon return, explain to IO about the unreturned I-94 and they might just take it at POE. You can send it to London, KY if they dont take it after returning.

[eol]

Thanks for your message, txh1b.
I will follow your instructions.

Immigration representative of my University says it's not a problem at all because before departure, we (students) gave her our dates of departure/arrival and she updated SEVIS database with these.

So just a additional question : for a F1 Visa, do immigration officers check previous departure with SEVIS and/or I-94 database at each arrival or not ?

[txh1b]

Sevis and I-94 databases are different. I-94 database will be for your lifetime whole sevis ends with your F1. It is not something that cannot be corrected and you can stop worrying.