So long story short.. I'm preparing to spend Xmas with friends in the US, and only just noticed that there still is a (white) I-94W reprint in my passport.
It was given to me (stapled into the passport) on the day I flagpoled to activate my last Working Holiday Visa, before becoming PR.
Now this is where it becomes tricky.
I travelled to the US a month before then for a Disneyland vacation (via plane) and as a German citizen was issued a digital I-94 with 90 days validity. So far so good.
The officer at the flagpole seemed a little confused (I guess cause my trip the month before wasn't stamped in the passport), I explained everything, he gave me the refusal form for flagpole, stapled that I-94 "reprint" to my passport and sent me back to Canada. The I94 has the same expiry date as the digital one from the prev. month)
Got my work permit, went home, moved on.
Now for the first time in forever (it's been 2 years, I'm now a permanent resident) I noticed that on the back of the white card, it says I was supposed to surrender it when leaving the US?
I could swear the officer said I was meant to keep that one, but looking it up it doesn't only say that it should've been returned, but that as a Visa Waiver Program participant I might now be banned from the US, since the missing I-94 might make them think I overstayed?
Now I'm obviously a little freaked out.
My history on the i94 says that I arrived and departed on both dates (vacation and flagpole), the most recent I94 entry being the vacation (which makes sense since technically the Flagpole was a refusal, so not an actual entry?)
And I'm hoping that since this I94 is only a "reprint" (that's what the officer wrote) of the one from my flight, they are aware that I did in fact leave the US and did not get banned? But the fact that the paper itself says "return me" I'm worried that this might get me in trouble nevertheless.. :/
Did anyone have similar experiences to this?
Thanks in advance!
It was given to me (stapled into the passport) on the day I flagpoled to activate my last Working Holiday Visa, before becoming PR.
Now this is where it becomes tricky.
I travelled to the US a month before then for a Disneyland vacation (via plane) and as a German citizen was issued a digital I-94 with 90 days validity. So far so good.
The officer at the flagpole seemed a little confused (I guess cause my trip the month before wasn't stamped in the passport), I explained everything, he gave me the refusal form for flagpole, stapled that I-94 "reprint" to my passport and sent me back to Canada. The I94 has the same expiry date as the digital one from the prev. month)
Got my work permit, went home, moved on.
Now for the first time in forever (it's been 2 years, I'm now a permanent resident) I noticed that on the back of the white card, it says I was supposed to surrender it when leaving the US?
I could swear the officer said I was meant to keep that one, but looking it up it doesn't only say that it should've been returned, but that as a Visa Waiver Program participant I might now be banned from the US, since the missing I-94 might make them think I overstayed?
Now I'm obviously a little freaked out.
My history on the i94 says that I arrived and departed on both dates (vacation and flagpole), the most recent I94 entry being the vacation (which makes sense since technically the Flagpole was a refusal, so not an actual entry?)
And I'm hoping that since this I94 is only a "reprint" (that's what the officer wrote) of the one from my flight, they are aware that I did in fact leave the US and did not get banned? But the fact that the paper itself says "return me" I'm worried that this might get me in trouble nevertheless.. :/
Did anyone have similar experiences to this?
Thanks in advance!