I-94 W status....
 

Hi!

I wondered if someone could enlighten me...at your earliest convenience(s) of course! I am a UK citizen currently employed in the US and am able to maintain 'alien resident' status because I possess a J-1 worker's visa... My partner (also from the UK), on the other hand, has been staying with me on his second visa-waiver programme (the first was from May 'til August...i.e. the standard 90-day limit...). This second programme is due to 'expire' around mid-December. However, he was originally scheduled to leave last month but fell too ill to fly...unfortunately, the return-date on the ticket was non-negotiable....which means I'm saving up for a new one!! I hope to be able to raise enough cash on time for next month, but just in case we might have difficulties: would there be any possibility of extending this second programme until, say, January (it would be an extension only as he has absolutely no interest in returning to the US!!)?? Help!!!

Yours in Desperation
Amanda :(

Re: I-94 W status....
 

I am 99.9999% certain that there is zero possibility of extending a visa waiver, no matter what the circumstances.

On the other hand if he is never going to return to the US there is not much harm in over-staying by a few weeks. .... But this would be almost certain to give him problems if he ever tries to enter the US again on a visa waiver.

BTW In my experience even bagain basement, non-refundable, non-negotiable tickets can be rebooked on payment of a fee - $100 seems to be the figure that I recall. Have you looked into that possibility?

.... It may be tied up with the rules on visas and visa waivers, that the airlines are not permitted to abandon a non-US citizen in the US and refuse to fly them home due to a ticketing technicality.