Urgent-Is I-94 extension (after passport renewal) happening at Tijuana-Mexico OR Stopped !!!

[vijay122]

Hello vikas,

Response to ur queries

1.I am having a valid L1B visa

2.my case is i94 extension due to passport renewal(My visa is valid until 2016)

3.cbp officer gave me new i94, for land border they are still giving hard copy

4.no need to stay in Mexico, just cross the border by walk, make a U turn and stand in i94 queue.

Hope this helps, let me know if u need anything

Thanks

Vijay

[Innovation]

Hi,

This forum seems to be very helpful and would appreciate if someone could answer my question as well.

My case is a little different than the actual question of this topic.

I recently changed my employers and now I have received my i797 without an i94. But my i94 & visa stamping from old employer is valid until Apr'14. I know that i dont need a new stamping since I can use the old one.

Since I have not received an i94 can I follow the same process what has been mentioned in this topic to get a i94 from San Diego-Mexico border or would I need to fly to Mexico and be back. Even though my i94 is valid but I would need a new one to reflect my new i797 dates and latest i797 case no.

Please advice.

Thanks,

Shiv

[vijay122]

Hi Shiv,

You will always get a new i94 based on your petition expiry date whenever you cross the border.

Need not fly to Mexico , just goto San Diego border and cross by walk and come back to US

Thx,

Vijay

[aseem1980]

Hi this post is very helpful. My wife needs to get new I94, do we neee Mexican visa to enter Mexico? I am on H1 and wife in H4. Thanks.

[bhimau02]

Thanks Vijay122 for sharing your experience. I am exactly in same situation i.e. I am on L1B visa and my I94(and my wife's as well) is valid till June 2014 because of passport expiry. I have renewed my passport. I have following questions in mind:

 

1. Is entry through Mexico only option to extend i94 for passport expiry cases? I distinctly remember officer at airport telling me to visit them once I have new passport. Has anyone here extended his I94 like that? It would be great if you can share such a experience.

 

2. I am planning to fly to San Diego airport. If any of you guys can share tips/ advice as to how to go from airport to San Ysidro border it would be helpful.

 

3. Also, can I visit the border anytime until expiration or it has to be close to the I94 expiry date? Is the office open 24*7?

 

4. Apart from petition documents, I94  and passports do we need to carry anything else. Do they update the old I94 or will they issue a new I94?

 

 

Thanks,

Umesh

[Debojyoti]

Hi Guys

 

Will the office in Tijuana Border will be open on Sunday.

I am planning to go this sunday for my I94 extension.

Did anybody went there on sunday ?

 

Thanks

[bhimau02]

Debojyoti pls. post your experience once you are back. What all documents you had carried?

[ashitewari]

Hope this helps...

 

I visited San Ysidro last Sunday (2/23/2014) afternoon and it was a cake walk.

 

I took trolley (local train) from old town San Diego at around 12:00PM and changed at 12th & Imperial 1:30PM.

Once I reached San Ysidro, signs will tell you from where to cross border (says new path for crossing border).

it will take hardly 5 minutes to cross, follow people. No checks, no issues and no one will take your old I-94 (no worries).

once you get done from stairs, you'll see on the sharp right that there is an entry for US.

There is usually no line for I-94 (at my time no one was there).

 

Once you move past first gate, you'll have to get in the building on right side that says 'Permit/I-94'.

Go inside and office may ask you why you are here, explain your situation.

Pay $6 in exact cash. You'll get a piece of paper.

 

Then as usual get in line, officer will ask for passport, I-94 and I-797. Keep original I-797 (I was asked for it).

Few regular question like where do you work, what you do and finally your US address.

 

That's it, stamped on passport (up to visa validity) and on that piece of paper also. They tamped on my old passport and when I asked they said since visa is on that we stamped on old. It is OK.

 

Then happily move out, get in the line for general public (unless you have passport with a chip). It didn't take long, 15 minutes and you are standing next to another officer. They will check passport, may ask if you are bringing something that you want to declare. Assuming you don't shop in Mexico, you are good to go to a final scan of your carry bag.

 

That is is the end of fun, back to train and back to the downtown or where ever you wish to go.

Train/trolley is very economical. I suggest take a day pass. I spent only $7 on travel.

 

Hope to see more happy campers here.

 

Thanks,

Ashish

[bhimau02]

Hope this helps...

...................

That is is the end of fun, back to train and back to the downtown or where ever you wish to go.

Train/trolley is very economical. I suggest take a day pass. I spent only $7 on travel.

 

Hope to see more happy campers here.

 

Thanks,

Ashish

 

Thanks a lot Ashish for sharing your experience. I am planning to travel to San Diego in couple of weeks and the details you have shared will help me lot.  Couple of questions. Did they issued you a hard-copy of I94 (the "piece-of-paper" mentioned in your post)? Is it not a soft copy issued on airports? Also, if I am not wrong yours was also the case of I94 extension due to passport expiry right? Thanks again.

[amolbdubal]

Hi Ashish,

 

I got my i94 stamped yesterday. Thanks your post was very helpful. Are the new details of your i94 updated online? Mine still shows the old details online. Does it need to be updated online or the passport stamp is enough?

 

Thanks,

Amol

[jugu]

I am on L1 visa which is valid till 2015. On my last entry to US, my i-94 was stamped based on my passport expiry date which is Aug 2014. Now I have my passport renewed. I contacted the CBP office near my location and they said that they cannot issue i-94 because there was no mistake on their part at PoE. Now I am planning to go the Mexico border at Tijuana to get a new i-94. I have 4 months before my i-94 expires. Can I go early to the border and get new I-94 or do I need to wait till the last month?

[bhimau02]

This forum has been a great help. The amount of detail with which folks like Ashish have written their experience makes I94-extension-at-SanYsidro a familiar experience even when you go there for the first time.

 

I went to San Ysidro post last week for I94 extension after passport renewal. My passport is expiring in July'14 and one can got any time before that for extension.

 

So now to my experience; From San Diego airport I took bus no. 992 to which would drop me at the City College Trolley station - it is the last stop for the bus so you can sit back and enjoy the city. On the bus I took a day-pass which is valid on bus and trolley for the whole day and cost me only $7. From City college station take a blue line to San Ysidro Transit center and it is the last stop on that line.

 

At San Ysidro station there are clear signage for the path to Mexico which is a 3 min walk; cross the revolving gates and follow the crowd down the stairs. Once you are there immediately turn right - you will see line of people entering USA. There is a separate gate for I94 entry - you can straight away get through the gate and enter the building where permits are issued.

 

Apart from the Passports and I94, also carry petition document, employee verification letter and couple of latest pay stubs. CBP officer might ask you questions as to why are you here - I told him my case of I94 extension. At first, he told me I am good and there is not really any case of new I94. I explained him my situation again at which he asked me to come and meet his senior. After listening to me his senior told him to give me an I94 till my visa expiry ( I was really tensed till now and it was great relief that this thing sorted out quickly.) Back to the junior officers desk - he said he is new here and was getting such a case for the first time. So in case this happens with you, you can ask for speaking to a senior officer.

After getting new I94, you can enter USA where officer might again ask you where do you stay, why are you here etc. and will allow you to go. After exiting the building you are again at San Ysidro station and can take the trolley back to San Diego downtown.

 

 

Thanks,

Umesh

[emailteja]

I want to thank the contributors on this post. It helped me immensely in getting my new i94.

 

My passport was expiring on 1-Apr-2014 & so was my i94 but my L1 visa is valid till Oct 2015. I got a renewed passport last week.

 

I'll briefly describe my experience here. I drove from LA to San Diego yesterday @ reached there around 1 pm. I parked my car behind 'Jack in the Box' for $7 (8 hrs parking). It took me barely 5 mins to pass through the border (revolving door/bars) after I parked.

 

As soon as I took those few steps & got down, I took a right U-turn and saw a big line. I went to the gate directly without waiting in the line. As soon as I entered I was asked whether my documents were ready. I told the guards that I was there for i94 so they asked me to enter the small building on the right. Even this building had a small line outside but there was a board outside the building that says something like 'Do not wait in line for i94s, enter the building'. 

 

I got in, payed 6$ to the cashier.. got the departure card.. and joined the small queue. It took me like 5-10 mins to reach the CBP officer who was well aware of my situation, checked my new passport and visa expiry date. He casually asked me if I also got my i797 (which is a very important thing to carry, of course). He stamped my new passport with Admitted status and put the visa expiry date as the date on it. He also printed the departure card (i94) with the same details. The officers were polite and friendly.

 

I walked out of the building and got into the 'Documents Ready' queue. However, I should have been in the general public line. When I reached the officer (after 15-20 mins) he gently asked me to get into the other line, which I did. The customs officer was very jovial and asked me if I was taken care of properly. After a brief friendly chat, I was back in USA.

 

My employer's immigration team was not quite positive about me doing this whole thing, but once I read through all the cases here I was confident enough to do this.

[vsingh26]

Thanks everyone for their inputs, very useful. I have some queries -

1) will I get paper copy of I 94? Or online as we'll?

2) I am living in mountain view, CA, should I go to Mexico (no visa needed) or to canada which my employer is suggesting? Cost or process wise, which should I prefer.

My I 94 is expiring in August 2014 and I have renewed my passport already.

Appreciate your help.

[jugu]

Thank you guys. I followed the instructions of the people who gave detailed description of their trip to the border. I visited the border at San Ysdiro using the Trolley this Saturday and crossed the border on foot.

It was very easy and my job was done in less than 2 hours at the border. I got my I-94 stamped to the visa expiry date. 

Make sure you get in the line for I-94 permits first. After you get your I-94 join the General Public line to reenter USA.

My I-94 was immediately updated online as well. 

 

Important documents to carry:

1. Passports(old and new)

2. I-797 

3. Employment letter- as a safety precaution

4. Latest pay stubs- as a safety precaution

 

 

Expenses:

1. $7 daily pass for bus and trolley, after you land at the airport. Carry exact change

2. $6 for I-94 permit card at the Mexico Border when reentering US. Carry exact cash(recommended)

 

After the work is done, enjoy the beaches of San Diego(La Jolla cove is definitely recommended) and Balboa Park

 

PS: Do carry some snacks and water. The wait in the general public queue to reenter USA can be long

[jonjammi]

HI to all concerned about renewal of I-94

We needed to renew our I-94 visa expiry 07/03/2014.

Since my children were due for a renewal, I was in two minds about how to go about doing this. I have heard that going through the San Diego, San Yasidro border would provide I us with some issues. We therefore decided that we would most probably have to fly out of the USA for a seven day trip, after consideration, my wife convinced me that we should at least attempt a walk through at this border ( San Yasidro).

We drove down to the border from San Diego, Ca on Sunday 05/11/2014, arrived at 12:55 pm. In anticipation of the event We parked as close to the border as possible. Behind Jack in the box. The cost for day parking (8 hours) $7.00

We proceeded to walk to the entry point of the USA/Mexican border, hence no signage. We asked for directions, most were happy to offer us assistance. We entered, looking back there was no real evidence that we had entered into Mexico other than a differently clad official holding a gun behind very secure bars. We followed others and as expected entered into what seemed to be a chaotic affair of most border crossing visitors. As was expected we kept to the right side and followed the signs indicating I-94 processing. Our wait time before entering was at the most 65 minutes.

We entered the somewhat controlled environment and waited on a bench outside the I-94 processing building on the right side.

We were then requested to enter by an officer, there were many signs to pay first before processing, $ 6.00 per applicant for the

I-94. Once paid we moved towards the officers processing such. After few arbitrary questions, our I-94 were processd, no problems encountered.

We then proceeded towards the General public entry line and proceeded to arrive at final immigration into the USA.

Small talk and our offering passports as was requested. No problems experienced.

The whole experience took 2 hours and 10 minutes. Successful processing was enjoyed made and little expenses incurred for the renewal of our much needed I-94's for my family.

I highly recommend this option to all seeking a quick and cost effective procedure to I-94 renewal needs.

Good luck to all that are in the same situation.

[saiatoregon]

Hello,

 

I have a similar case of I94 due expiry due to passport expiry.

 

1) Petition validity: Sep-2015

2) Visa validity: April-2016

3) I94: Sep 2014, Passport Expiry: Sep 2014.

 

I have renewed my passport and CBP deferred inspection office says to file I539 or leave the country. Now after reading the experiences in this post, I want to try out the option of crossing the tijuana border. The post is great help of knowing what to do on the D-day, so my only question is do I need any mexican visa to cross the border??

 

Regards,

Sai

[sunny2wesley]

Hello,

 

I have a similar case of I94 due expiry due to passport expiry.

 

1) Petition validity: Sep-2015

2) Visa validity: April-2016

3) I94: Sep 2014, Passport Expiry: Sep 2014.

 

I have renewed my passport and CBP deferred inspection office says to file I539 or leave the country. Now after reading the experiences in this post, I want to try out the option of crossing the tijuana border. The post is great help of knowing what to do on the D-day, so my only question is do I need any mexican visa to cross the border??

 

Regards,

Sai

Hi sai,

 

i have a similar I-94 issue as yours.

please share your experience.

 

Thanks & Regards

Sunny.

[knightsbridge20]

Big thanks to this community for the detailed descriptions given earlier.

 

I got my I 94 extended by following the steps  listed here. was a cake walk.

 

1. Flew to San Diego

2. Rented a car ,  drove to San Ysidro  20miles

3. Parked the car near to the border,  parking lot  for $8.  (seems u can take tram from san diego to san ysidro which might be cheaper)

4. Walked across the border. 

5. As soon as u come down from the building,  need to take a sharp right and you will see the board for I 94 / permits.  I was taken away by the length of the queue and went in search to get the end of line.(which spans for a mile or more on a bad day). So wasted some time there in search of the permit building.

6. Inside  the I 94/permit office , very few were there,  officer asked about the intend. explained my situation. He had to consult with his colleague who was an expert in immigration. 

Got the I 94 extended to the  PED (petition expiry date).

7. Got a I94  stamped on the paper (which is no longer there , when u come through an airport)

8. Checked the online status of the I 94 as I came out, and it was instantly updated 

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

9. Join the general public queue.

10. Walk back to USA

11. Whole process took around 2 hours  from parking lot.

 

Wanted to give back to this community, hence this write up.

 

Since i am from east coast, wondering if there were any options with the borders  around  texas/arizona. But I have  a feeling San Diego might be the nearest airport  along the border line.

Texas border might be a good long drive from houston or  san antonio. 

 

Any thoughts on this, might be useful for future folks.

 

 

 

[migratedmouse]

My Case: I was let go from last employment by end of Feb 2014. It took me 2 months to find another job. Next job started in May 2014. When I applied for H-1B visa transfer, I could not provide paystubs for March and April. Stating above reason, I was denied extension of stay but H-1B visa transfer was approved. End of May, I received notice for the denial. June 22 I went to San Ysidro POE to obtain new I-94.

1. I reach Border Station Parking at 9:30 AM. Took an auto to the border (you don't really need one) Paid him $3.5. He dropped me at the McDonalds next to the last trolley station. Crossed the border and entered Mexico.

2. Took U turn to my right, where I immediately noticed a long queue. There was a separate entry for I-94 permit / SENTRY pass. This entry saved me quite some time.

3. Inside I-94 permit office, was no queue. Paid $6 <I-94 fee>. Went to the officer. Handed over my passport and I-797. He asked other officers what do we do with work visa??? His colleague as well had little idea. Senior officer on watch said they would check if I-797 is approved and grant new I-94.

4. Then the officer entered some details in his computer. Asked me if I had previous I-94. I showed him that. He took my photograph and handed over paper copy of I-94.

5. After that I come out of the office and stand in queue for baggage check/ US entry.

6. 10 AM I entered Mexico. 10:30AM I'm back in US. This was a Sunday experience.

 

 

[ibcsantosh]

Hi ,

 

Need your help guys ,

 

I am on L1A visa which is valid till Dec 2016 .

 

My I94 is stamped till my NOv 21 2014 (as my passport expires on Nov 21 2014 )

 

My wife's I94 as well is  till NOV 21 2014 (Due to my passport expiry issues )

 

Now I have got my Passport renewed ..

 

After reading the forum I am planning to visit the Mexico border for new I94 had a few questions

 

I am planning to travel from Omaha to San Diego  during the coming long weekend (July first week )

 

Have a couple of questions

 

1)Since I have a I94 till Nov. 21 2014 .. will it be a problem to get a new one ? is there any time frame i need to wait before getting a new I94 (Example like 2 months prior to the current expiry of I94--I can apply ro get a new I94)

2) if i get a new I94 there ,my wife should also be able to get one right ?

3)The border office is it opened on all week days ?are they closed on Holidays ?

 

Would really appreciate your help on it .. based on which i am planning for my trip :)

 

Regards

Santosh

 

 

 

.

[surendramalu]

Well I just created a small map of the actual path from parking lot (on the US side) to the US Port of entry. Here it is -

<iframe src="https://mapsengine.google.com/map/embed?mid=z7LSEy4fqprA.klD0sIoZAI5M" width="640" height="480"></iframe>

There is a cheaper parking space behind 'Jack in the Box', charges $7 for 8 hours (If you park on the other side of the freeway, you will have to walk a lot). The address of the parking lot is - 721 E San Ysidro Blvd, San Diego, CA 92173. Walk along the yellow line to reach the US port of entry (You can zoom-in to see details). Do not join any queue, just walk till the end of the yellow line. You will be asked either to wait here or to join the queue at the green colored line.The green building is where your I94 will actually be updated. Once done, join the 'General Public' queue, highlighted in orange.

 

Since I'm in the US on L1, I was asked for my original I-797 two times - at the I-94 update center as well as at the Document Check. I had carried couple of my recent paystubs as well as Employment Verification Letter (EVL). The EVL came handy. 

 

The total time it took for me, from Parking Lot back to the Parking Lot, was 90 minutes. I think I could have come out earlier hadn't it been a Sunday.

 

Do not forget to carry the original I-797.

[surendramalu]

The map could not be embedded correctly in my post above. Here's the link to the map - https://mapsengine.google.com/map/embed?mid=z7LSEy4fqprA.klD0sIoZAI5M

[tonu2u]

I understand from the posts above that going to San Ysidro is a pretty reliable way for I-94 extension ( due to passport  renewal and valid visa  for next 3  years) . Does anyone know if there is any other port closer to east cost ( I live in  NJ) where one can do the same thing i.e. cross the border and get a  new I-94?

[tonu2u]

Well I just created a small map of the actual path from parking lot (on the US side) to the US Port of entry. Here it is -

<iframe src="https://mapsengine.google.com/map/embed?mid=z7LSEy4fqprA.klD0sIoZAI5M" width="640" height="480"></iframe>

There is a cheaper parking space behind 'Jack in the Box', charges $7 for 8 hours (If you park on the other side of the freeway, you will have to walk a lot). The address of the parking lot is - 721 E San Ysidro Blvd, San Diego, CA 92173. Walk along the yellow line to reach the US port of entry (You can zoom-in to see details). Do not join any queue, just walk till the end of the yellow line. You will be asked either to wait here or to join the queue at the green colored line.The green building is where your I94 will actually be updated. Once done, join the 'General Public' queue, highlighted in orange.

 

Since I'm in the US on L1, I was asked for my original I-797 two times - at the I-94 update center as well as at the Document Check. I had carried couple of my recent paystubs as well as Employment Verification Letter (EVL). The EVL came handy. 

 

The total time it took for me, from Parking Lot back to the Parking Lot, was 90 minutes. I think I could have come out earlier hadn't it been a Sunday.

 

Do not forget to carry the original I-797.

Dear Sushma,

After reading your post and several other posts  on this website, i have planned my trip to the San Ysidro border next weekend. Regarding the documents you mentioned that it was important to carry the original I 797. Since our company has a blanket approval and my case was under Blanket L1 B visa, I only have a copy of the blanket I 797 approval and the original  I-129 stamped. Will this suffice? Did you apply for L1 visa in the individual category? or Blanket?