CA-NY

We've just booked London consulate appointments for L1/L2 visa renewals. In the appointment confirmation email it states:

The following documents are required for all visa types:

Current Passport valid for travel to the United States. The passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the period of stay in the United States (unless exempt by country-specific agreements).

Our new I-94s have an expiry date of October 2019. My passport will expire in March 2019. Does the "period of stay" end with the I-94 date? Am I going to have an issue?

ian-mstm

I have left bolded the part that should interest you.

Ian

CA-NY

So the agreement allows for an extension of 6 months which would essentially make my passport valid up to September 2019. But at the interview they want a passport that's valid for the period of stay + 6 months. If my period of stay is October 2019, I need a passport valid up to April 2020. So a 6 month extension still doesn't help.

I'm concerned that I'll essentially turning up to the interview with a passport that [even allowing for the 6 month extension agreement] doesn't meet requirements.

ian-mstm

If you're I-94 doesn't expire until October 2019, why are you renewing now? Seems a bit premature, don't you think? It's the I-94 that determines how long you're able to remain in the US, not the validity of your passport.

Ian

CA-NY

The I-94 I'm referring to is the new one that was just issued with our petition renewal which was just approved a couple of weeks ago. This is us doing our 5 year renewal -our first visa renewal since 2012. Current visas expire in 2 months.

I know it's the I-94 that determines how long we can remain but if I don't turn up at the appointment with correct documents to get the visa approved, then that's going to be somewhat of a moot point. We'll speak with our lawyer to clarify.

S Folinsky

The I-94 is turned in upon departure from the United States. It is common for passport to have expiry dates before the petition expires. Consult with your attorney for your own peace of mind.

crg

Nothing is extended. The UK passport is valid for entry to and remaining in the US up until the expiration date listed (need a valid I-94 too). A passport from countries who are not part of the agreement (China, Morocco, Senegal and a lot of others) get 6 months shaved off of the validity listed in the passport. So a passport from China that currently lists an expiration date of August of 2018 is only valid for entry or staying in the US until Feb 2018.

S Folinsky's post is a good one. These things aren't uncommon. The consulate doesn't want to get into the weeds with the instructions and doesn't want someone from China to show up with a passport that lists expiration as 4 months from now because the DOS can't put a visa in it unless it's valid for travel.