TN and I-485 - No last entry stamp

[snnybrr 3]

We recently got married and are filling the AOS for me, the beneficiary.  The application asks for the date of last entry into the US.  I'm currently here on TN status and travel to Canada once a month or so. Most (all?) of the times I fly they stamp my passport.  The validity of my TN I-94 is 3 years.

 

During my last trip, however, they did not stamp my passport despite asking about my TN status at the airport.  The trip/date of entry does show up on I-94 online history, however.

 

Would attaching the I-94 travel history be sufficient?  

[azblk 338]

you can go go to a defered inspection site near you for a correction or a stamp.

[snnybrr 3]

Thank you.  Is that absolutely necessary, seeing that the entry does show up in my online travel history?

[shakeyy 78]

3 hours ago, snnybrr said:

We recently got married and are filling the AOS for me, the beneficiary.  The application asks for the date of last entry into the US.  I'm currently here on TN status and travel to Canada once a month or so. Most (all?) of the times I fly they stamp my passport.  The validity of my TN I-94 is 3 years.

 

During my last trip, however, they did not stamp my passport despite asking about my TN status at the airport.  The trip/date of entry does show up on I-94 online history, however.

 

Would attaching the I-94 travel history be sufficient?  

they usually don't stamp anymore especially if you never met an officer and used the automated machines that scans your canadian passport upon entry. I havent got stamped crossing US border (via Canada Airports) almost 2 years now

 

as long as its accurate on i94, i wouldn't worry

Edited April 21, 2018 by shakeyy

[snnybrr 3]

35 minutes ago, shakeyy said:

they usually don't stamp anymore especially if you never met an officer and used the automated machines that scans your canadian passport upon entry. I havent got stamped crossing US border (via Canada Airports) almost 2 years now

 

as long as its accurate on i94, i wouldn't worry

Thanks!  Are you also on TN?  I'm aware they don't stamp for normal Canadian visitors to the US.

[kp48 0]

Hi snnybrr, any follow-up on how this played out? I'm in the same situation.

 

On 4/21/2018 at 5:54 PM, shakeyy said:

they usually don't stamp anymore especially if you never met an officer and used the automated machines that scans your canadian passport upon entry. I havent got stamped crossing US border (via Canada Airports) almost 2 years now

 

as long as its accurate on i94, i wouldn't worry

Wrt Shakeyy's comment, as long as what is accurate on i94? Date of entry or date of duration of stay?

 

The issue here I think is that the online i94 date of entry will not match OP (or my) most recent entry at a land border because CBP doesn't update the electronic i94 file based on land crossings. 

[eckoin 211]

12 minutes ago, kp48 said:

Hi snnybrr, any follow-up on how this played out? I'm in the same situation.

 

Wrt Shakeyy's comment, as long as what is accurate on i94? Date of entry or date of duration of stay?

 

The issue here I think is that the online i94 date of entry will not match OP (or my) most recent entry at a land border because CBP doesn't update the electronic i94 file based on land crossings. 

What? Every land crossing I've done has appeared on my travel history when I check the CBP website. I got TNs at an airport (had to look up the I-94 online since I just got a stamp with a date) and TNs at a land crossing (technically also I-94 since they actually stapled an insert). But all of those appear on my travel history, along with other entries to the US, including generic visits to the US via the land crossing (car and train). If CBP hasn't included your latest date of entry, I'd contact them and have that corrected. 

Edited December 14, 2018 by eckoin

[snnybrr 3]

21 minutes ago, kp48 said:

Hi snnybrr, any follow-up on how this played out? I'm in the same situation.

 

Wrt Shakeyy's comment, as long as what is accurate on i94? Date of entry or date of duration of stay?

 

The issue here I think is that the online i94 date of entry will not match OP (or my) most recent entry at a land border because CBP doesn't update the electronic i94 file based on land crossings. 

 

I simply sent all of my travel history from the I-94 website + all of my I-94 print-outs + all of the stamps in my passport.  My case is now "ready to be scheduled for interview" and I haven't received any RFE (yet?).  Frankly, I believe they understand Canadian passports aren't always physically stamped.

[kp48 0]

13 hours ago, eckoin said:

What? Every land crossing I've done has appeared on my travel history when I check the CBP website. I got TNs at an airport (had to look up the I-94 online since I just got a stamp with a date) and TNs at a land crossing (technically also I-94 since they actually stapled an insert). But all of those appear on my travel history, along with other entries to the US, including generic visits to the US via the land crossing (car and train). If CBP hasn't included your latest date of entry, I'd contact them and have that corrected. 

 

Thanks for the eckoin. Let me clarify: My travel history is correct online (does reflect my most recent land entry). The online i-94 is what seems to be incorrect. It lists my most recent entry into the US as the time of my last entry by airplane -- I have more recently made the land border crossing. 

 

This means I have a record of arrival on the CBP website by land border, but no i-94 or PP stamp to reflect this. Now as I approach filling out my AOS, they ask for a proof of legal entry. I don't have this since I have no stamp or i-94 which correctly states the date of my most recent entry.

 

My question is: what's my actual currently valid i-94? Is it my multiple entry i-94 paper card I got at time of TN application? It would seem that this is superseded by the online i-94 that has more recently been issued online with my last airport arrival. Has a new i-94 been issued to me when I crossed the land border that I have no record of?

 

Any ideas on these points? Thanks for your thoughts.

 

12 hours ago, snnybrr said:

 

I simply sent all of my travel history from the I-94 website + all of my I-94 print-outs + all of the stamps in my passport.  My case is now "ready to be scheduled for interview" and I haven't received any RFE (yet?).  Frankly, I believe they understand Canadian passports aren't always physically stamped.

 

Okay very nice thanks. This may be what I end up doing.

 

Do you recall which i-94 number you put on the i-485 under the date of your most recent entry?

[eckoin 211]

@kp48

 

I see. If I were you, I'd call CBP and ask if they can provide you the more recent I-94 number based on the travel history reflected on their site. If no, I would put the latest I-94 you get from the site (even though it's not your latest actual entry) as your I-94 number, print it out, print out the complete travel history, and attach it to the form at the end with an explanation. 

 

Out of curiosity, is the "latest I-94" the website is showing you your TN entry as well? Or just an air crossing? 

 

At the end of the day, I don't think this is a major issue--I think we all agree that CBP doesn't care much about the whole stamp thing for Canadians. I'd do what @snnybrr did, but would still call up CBP in case they literally made an error. 

[kp48 0]

Thanks. That's what I am planning to do atm.

 

For the record & future readers:

 

9 hours ago, eckoin said:

 

Out of curiosity, is the "latest I-94" the website is showing you your TN entry as well? Or just an air crossing?

No it does not show my TN entry date and this is one of the confusing factors. I have one I-94 (white card) issued to me at time of TN application (land border) still stapled in my passport. This is a multi-entry I-94 and it is my understanding that multi-entries are not surrendered when departing until the end of your TN visa stay (the ultimate departing). It has never been removed despite my many travels to many countries over the years. My online I-94 number does not match this I-94's number. Also the dates of entry differ. They both correctly reflect their respective entry dates, the online one from my most recent plane trip. I have checked against some old online I-94's from previous flights in that I had printed off for my records, and they each have unique I94 numbers. This leads me to believe that indeed a new I94 is issued for each arrival, regardless of whether you have a preexisting multi-entry I94 issued in your name. I have had at least ten issued to me electronically over the years. Also all of the expiry dates on all my I-94s match as the date of the expiry of my TN visa (this also makes sense).

 

10 hours ago, eckoin said:

If I were you, I'd call CBP and ask if they can provide you the more recent I-94 number based on the travel history reflected on their site

 

I have been trying to get in touch with a deferred inspection site through email and phone to no avail, but I'll keep trying.

 

Thanks again.

[snnybrr 3]

15 hours ago, kp48 said:

Thanks. That's what I am planning to do atm.

 

For the record & future readers:

 

No it does not show my TN entry date and this is one of the confusing factors. I have one I-94 (white card) issued to me at time of TN application (land border) still stapled in my passport. This is a multi-entry I-94 and it is my understanding that multi-entries are not surrendered when departing until the end of your TN visa stay (the ultimate departing). It has never been removed despite my many travels to many countries over the years. My online I-94 number does not match this I-94's number. Also the dates of entry differ. They both correctly reflect their respective entry dates, the online one from my most recent plane trip. I have checked against some old online I-94's from previous flights in that I had printed off for my records, and they each have unique I94 numbers. This leads me to believe that indeed a new I94 is issued for each arrival, regardless of whether you have a preexisting multi-entry I94 issued in your name. I have had at least ten issued to me electronically over the years. Also all of the expiry dates on all my I-94s match as the date of the expiry of my TN visa (this also makes sense).

 

 

I have been trying to get in touch with a deferred inspection site through email and phone to no avail, but I'll keep trying.

 

Thanks again.

This was the case with my I-94 as well.  The I-94 I initially got was the paper one.

 

Mysecond I-94 issued for my second TN status was electronic.  The I-94 number changed automatically after a few visits to Canada.  So, I attached the latest one I had online and the older one I had a PDF for from when it was initially issued.

 

Iwouldn't worry about this whole thing at all and just attach as much documentation (all I-94s, travel history, stamps) as you can, using the latest I-94 number you see online on your immigration forms.

[kp48 0]

Alright, this is my plan at this point.

 

Cheers Snnybrr, thanks!