FNDLND

Gosh this forum is peculiar.
Ian, sorry but you're missing the point.

Curious as to what other patronizing replies I'll be expecting. I feel like I'm getting scolded!! haha.

Oh internet how I love thee

YouWantFriesWithThat

Everyone has different ways of expressing themselves and the need to make a particular (important) point sometimes necessitates emphasis of tone, manner, etc.

I'm familiar with Ian's style and I want to reassure you that his intent is to help and guide you

ian-mstm

I though you had an extension letter but that that the visa itself had expired... that you had planned to interview in London for a new visa, but that you had to cancel - and now you want to know if you can interview in Nicaragua instead. The visa is still expired, isn't it? Perhaps I've misinterpreted - and, if so, I apologize.

Ian

FNDLND

Not a problem Ian, I know it's a long and confusing post which started in Nicaragua and ended up in Mexico.

Here's where we're at.
The visa appointment in London in May is happening (just to keep things simple for now)
A holiday in Mexico beforehand would be nice. There's some weird rule that says you can cross the Mexican/Canadian border (and re-enter the US)
In the previous post you can see some links that point to other forums who have done the same.

That's pretty much where I'm at. Asking simple straight-forward sensible non-vitriolic advice from fellow travelers who don't make me feel like I'm having a conversation with someone from the post office

YouWantFriesWithThat

If that were the case, you'd be waiting in line for 1 hour only to told that the one piece of paper that you didn't bring is the one that you need! God how I don't miss UK post offices.

zerlesen

Sorry, you mentioned interviewing in Mexico so I was responding to that. AVR is a thing, yes. It only applies in certain circumstances so you want to be very sure that you qualify before you cross any borders. (Eg. check the date on your I-94 and make sure not to turn it in when you leave, check that you're not a Sudanese national, etc.)

EDIT: This is the most recent update I can see from the guys in green.

Orangepants

Search for a poster called Fred16, I think he may have done this during his visa/green card journey! Probably not wise to follow his path.

zerlesen

IIRC, although Fred16 had a hell of a time with PERMs and visa extensions and whatnot, one time everything worked out smoothly for him was when he used AVR to reenter from Canada.

I don't know the answer to this: does an attempt at using AVR count as a new application for admission? (It doesn't result in a new I-94, right?) I would expect they reserve the right not to let you back in, just like any time you show up at the border as a nonimmigrant, but I've never used it myself and I don't know if there are other legal or procedural wrinkles.

Noorah101

Keep your life simple to avoid complications. If the visa interview is still happening in London in May, great. If the Mexico trip is just something that "would be nice", but isn't a necessity, postpone it until you have your new visa (after May).

So now how does Nicaragua come into the picture? I've lost track.

Rene

FNDLND

Thanks for the constructive responses everyone!

Well, I'm a British national and I can make sure to not turn the i94 when I leave.
The date on the i94 is something I overlooked: it says July 2014. I didn't even realize these things had expiry dates on them.
Does this mean this whole plan goes out the window?

Ha true! Though funnily enough my worst post office experiences are here in the US.

Yep, bear with me Noorah: This whole thing started cause I had the option of going to Nicaragua, and was trying to figure out what risks were involved in going to do the interview there.

But after posting the initial question, I discovered this whole AVR thing with Mexico, which meant I could still travel to S.America without the hassle of dealing with handing in my passport to a US embassy (cause I'd still do the interview in London as planned). Nicaragua got thrown out the picture.

Now... if the AVR thing is definitely not possible due to the i94 date (thanks for spotting that zerlesen), well then I'm right back at where I started this topic, back in my old days of blissful ignorance, before I even knew of AVR's existence and when I thought Puerto Rico wasn't US soil.

Sorry for the huge post, thanks for keeping up.
Any extra knowledge on these points are mightily appreciated!

zerlesen

The date stamped on the I-94 when you enter is the date by which you have to leave the US. But you said you extended your O-1 status, right? When that was approved they issued a new I-94 (it's a detachable bit at the bottom of the I-797, unless they've changed things since I was a nonimmigrant). The departure date on the new I-94 is the one that you're subject to now. Hopefully that's not July 2014, otherwise you'd have a problem.

Noorah101

Mexico is not in S. America, though. So you're still not traveling to a South American country. If I were you, I'd skip traveling to Mexico or Nicaragua, until after you get your visa in London. Why make it so complicated just so you can take a non-essential trip?

Rene

FNDLND

Oh.. i'm an idiot.. Didn't realize the i94 was actually in the i797.
I got that date from https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/request.html
But yes, the i94 at the bottom of the i797 says it expires in 2017.
So the AVR plan for Mexico is still valid?

ian-mstm

Just to clarify, you won't be giving your passport to the US Embassy. You'll be giving it to the US Consular Service. The Embassy is not involved with visa issuance. The Consulate issues visas.

Ian

FNDLND

Good point. Attention to these details isn't my forte as you can probably tell.