Skip to main content

First trip to the US with my I-194 waiver

This afternoon I entered the US for the first time in over a year. The border process was quite simple. The airport where I fly out of has US Customs pre-screening. I approached the Officer handed her my passport, declaration and explained that I have a waiver to travel. She reviewed the waiver and asked me to complete a another form (I-94).

Turns out that you will need to complete the I-94 every time you enter the US. It is an arrival and departure record. The Officer will give you an end date (when you need to be out of the US). When returning to Canada there is a section of the form that you will drop off with Canada Customs. You can read about it here.

After completing the form, she processed me and sent me on to my gate. Strangely, she never asked me what my intentions were to be on this visit (I was heading down to visit a friend).
Labels:

Comments

  1. JanmarFebruary 19, 2007 at 8:10 AM

    I have been to the US numerous times since receiving my waiver but have only been issued one I-94 which is good for a 3 month period.
    Apparently the rules may differ depending on the port of entry.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ryan SmartyFebruary 19, 2007 at 10:16 AM

    Yes that is odd. I'm about to make my 5th trip since getting my waiver. On every occasion they limited my stay to just a week or less. Mind you, they asked me how long I expected to remain in the US on each visit - I am never down there for more than a week.

    ReplyDelete
  3. JanmarFebruary 20, 2007 at 7:25 AM

    Since writing my last post I have been advised by Homeland Security that an I-94 can be issued for up to 6 months (longer with a supervisors authorization) for land crossings, but you must obtain one each time you enter by air. Don't look for the logic.

    ReplyDelete
  4. US Waiver For CanadiansMarch 25, 2013 at 2:33 AM

    This is a good website for getting your waiver completed right away:

    US Waiver For Canadians

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Do you have an I-194 waiver?

Thanks to those who participated in my recent poll "Do you have an I-194 waiver?". It turns out that of those who participated over half have applied or intend to for the I-194 waiver (Advance Permission to Enter as a Non-Immigrant). It is also interesting to note that the amount that have 1 year or 5 year waivers are very close (3 to 4). I had read somewhere that the waivers were granted as 1 year or 5 based on the degree or seriousness of the past offenses. If this is true, then wouldn't a person expect that if he/she were granted a 5 year waiver, he/she should always expect the 5 year waiver? I'd be happy to hear your comments and personal experiences on this. Update: See  I-192 Waiver Application Process
167 comments
Read more

Check Your Waiver Application Status

I've never tried, but apparently there is an email address to check your waiver application status. CHECKING THE STATUS OF YOUR WAIVER REQUEST: Please allow at least 120 days from the date of submission of your I-192 before making an inquiry about the status of your application. As stated earlier, a full review of your circumstances can take up to a year, and requests for status updates may add to that timeline. However, if for some reason you are concerned about the status of your request, and you filed at a CBP Preclearance location or at a land border port of entry after August 26, 2007 you may ask for an update by emailing inquiry.waiver.aro@dhs.gov . In the email, be sure to provide your full name, DOB and your A number. If you filed at a land border port of entry prior to August 26, 2007, please contact them directly. Phone numbers are on our Web site. Attorney inquiries: attorneyinquiry.waiver.aro@dhs.gov If you have submitted an application and you have had a chang...
74 comments
Read more

I-192 waiver application cost going up?

As mentioned by a contributor on the I-194 waiver forum , a recent article on CBC ( Have you ever smoked weed? ) has made claim that the cost of an I-192 waiver application is increasing from $585 to a whopping $930 US ($1,200 CDN) later this year. There seems to be some truth as found on a US Federal Register under a section labelled "TABLE 9—PROPOSED FEES BY IMMIGRATION BENEFIT" (see here: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-05-04/pdf/2016-10297.pdf ) If these changes move ahead Canadian's who have been previously denied entry to the US will see a 59% increase on their US waivers. There is some potential good news in that all waivers after the fee increase may be issued for a set 5 year (instead of the current 1, 3, 5 year) with limited exceptions for sexual assault convictions but that has yet to be confirmed. Waiver renewal application processing seemed to have gotten quicker over the summer with some applicants commenting on 3 month returns. So perhaps we can f...
10 comments
Read more