AlliF

I'm sure this question has been asked before but can't seem to find it anywhere.
We travelled to US in June for 4 days, crossing via a land border.
We still have the I-94A Visa waiver departure records in our passports - I only just noticed that the Canadian Border did not stamp our passports on entry back into Canada either.

Hubby is convinced we can just hold on to the waiver forms in case we decide to visit again before the 3 months have, but it occurs to me that if we haven't returned it we have no record that we re-entered Canada/left the USA.

Further down the line if we need to show residency for citizenship or to retain PR could this become a problem?
Not sure why they don't just have a system where you can hand it back at the crossing rather than having to send it off etc.

Almost Canadian

You can keep them if you intend to return within the validity period. On every land crossing I have used, the CBSA person on the way back has asked if we wanted them removed.

neilg14

Can you not hand them back at the border now ?
Use to be able to, I've done it many times.

AlliF

Was told we needed to mail them back. Certainly no-one offered to take it out of the passport.
Surprised we didn't get our passport stamped on re-entry - assume that means we have to keep a separate record somehow of the dates for future reference.

DandNHill

We kept hold of ours and then sent them back...late... so we had to send copies of our payslips to prove we had left the country within the 3 month allocated timescale...

AlliF

So are they not able to check with the CBSA records to confirm you re-entered then? I assume they are keeping records..

DandNHill

No idea. We just did what it says on their website...

jennellapea

I've never had a CBSA officer ask to take it, I am the one who insists on giving it to them.

OP you can check your record online, if it's been logged that you crossed back in to Canada then I wouldn't worry. Just take it out of your passport if it expires.

https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/request.html

AlliF

Thanks, that's a nifty tool! All good.

jennellapea

No worries. Same thing happened to me.

helcat12

This is recent information.
We didn't hand ours back to the Canadian Border guard on our last trip within the 3 months. US Border Security were very shirty about it when we went over the next time because it was still in our passports.

We had to explain where we had been and why we hadn't given it back.
Apparently, if you do not give it in to the Canada border guard when you cross back for the last time within the dated 3 months, they assume you never left the US.

We were just honest and said we didn't realise. They pointed out it tells you on the card, but it is in tiny letters on the back and the card is stapled in so tight twice that the back cannot be read without tearing the passport page, which is an offence.

Anyway, they were fine about it, but I wouldn't do it again.
I do wonder what the Canadian border guards do with the I 94 when you give it to them, though.
Does it get filed under 'bin'?

helcat12

Whether they do keep records or not, they still give you a hard time about it, in our experience.

It is foolish, because how could you be re-entering the US from the Canada side if you had been in the US the whole time and did not go back?
They very fact that you are entering from Canada proves you went back!

It doesn't prove when, of course, but that would be easy to prove by other means.

Former Lancastrian

We give it back to USCBP. Believe it or not the Kentucky address employs people to enter the data for those who return the I94. If not going to be using it again within the 90 days then hand it over to CBSA.
Do not leave expired ones in your passport as some of those USCBP officers get shirty if they find them and COULD refuse you admission.

FlyingDutchman6666

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/det...l-have-my-i-94

I've always included a credit card bill showing Canadian transactions after the date I exited the US. It's always been accepted... judging by my online I-94W record.

MarylandNed

Return the I-94! Someone on here recently reported being denied an ESTA (and therefore couldn't fly into the US) because he hadn't handed in the I-94 when he left the US on a previous trip. He was eventually flagged as an overstay. He then attempted a land crossing from Canada into the US but was delayed for 4 hours by US immigration while he sorted it out.