Mexico border - Tijuana for I-94 extension

[ayub]

Hi All,

 

I found this forum very useful and great. Thanks to all contributors.

 

Well my I-94 is expiring in Sep'16 but my Visa is valid till Oct'17. After going through the forum I am planning to go to Mexico border Tijuana for I-94 extension on July'2. 

 

My company immigration was telling me that Mexico is not safe, so they advise not to go. 

 

wanted to check if anyone planning on that day cross the border from San Diego. so that we can accompany and go. 

 

Let me know so that we can plan to go together. I would be with my family.

 

Regards

Mohammed

[satish.sap970]

It is an individual call to go for mexico for I-94 renewal or not.. I met people who had both success and failure stories..

 

But what is your scenario of expiring I-94..?  is it due to passport expired or i94 till old petition end date..

 

If you have an updated petition and I94 expiring then you can try your luck at CBP defered office and get it corrected...

 

Please follow your immigration team, they are the best to guide you..

[ayub]

Hi,

 

well my L1-A petition is valid till Oct'17. But my I-94 is getting expired coz when I was entering US that they have provided me the I-94 expiry date as my passport expiry date. Now I have renewed my passport. 

 

I would like to extend my I-94 now. 

 

Thanks in advance.

[satish.sap970]

Hi,

 

well my L1-A petition is valid till Oct'17. But my I-94 is getting expired coz when I was entering US that they have provided me the I-94 expiry date as my passport expiry date. Now I have renewed my passport. 

 

I would like to extend my I-94 now. 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

It is your call to take chance and get it updated at mexico border... Again it depends on case to case and officer to officer,,

Why don't you talk to your companies immigration attorney and follow what they say..

[pontevecchio]

Yes. By all means get your I94 at the Tijuana border. GOOGLE that and follow the lead. You have to inform the CBP Officer absolutely frankly that you need a new I94 as the passport had expired and you have a new one. 12 USD and a few minutes/hours of your time and you can return with the I94. What is your nationality?

[rohit369]

Yes, you can do it. My friend did it last month with the same passport expiry --> renewal case. 

It take couple of hours (3-4 hrs) at the Tijuana immigration. You just have to pass Mexico immigration and immediately make a u-turn on to the US immigration side and stand in the queue. Each I94 will cost $6.

 

Please note that this process works only if you have a valid US visa (unexpired) on your passport. In this case, you also dont need a Mexico visa to enter Mexico since you have a valid US visa.

[jaisinghparidhi@gmail.com]

Hi All,

 

I just wanted to share my experience for renewal of I-94 which was due to expire with my passport expiry. I got my passport renewed and hence wanted to renew my I-94.

 

Well for those who plan to go, I hope this post helps. I start with the important points to note for those who do not want to go through the complete post.

 

Yes Mexico border is one place you would want to with someone, not ONLY because its is unsafe but because you would need company during the longggg wait.

 

Few points to note before I start:

- CROSS MEXICO VIA THE NEW MEXICO BORDER NOT THE "OLD" BORDER. The old border does not have any I-94 renewal facility anymore

- Carry water bottles/ umbrella if you are going in summer

- Try going as early as possible

- Avoid weekends if possible

- Have some company along to make sure you are safe and not bored during long waits.

- If you are on L-2 visa, it is recommended to have L-1 visa holder along to avoid too many questions (I am not sure about any other type of visa holders)

 

My experience:

Me and my husband flew from SFO to San Diego international airport (arrival time: 11:00am). Upon arrival to the airport, we booked the Uber Pool ($17.10 the 2 of us) to take us to the CBP office at the Tijuana border. We got dropped in front of Jack in the box. We followed the crowd to go to the "Pedestrian Path to Mexico". A lot of people would be there to guide you so do not worry.

We followed the general public line to exit U.S.A. At the immigration counter, we told the officer that we required I-94 renewal and he asked us to just go around and come back to U.S. which seemed pretty easy.

Again, we followed the crowd and entered Mexico (you will see a stark difference in the environment, so avoid street food if you don't want to get unwell plus the currency conversion causes even water to be expensive $2-4. We followed the crowd and took a U-turn to go back to the U.S. We saw two lines - right and left. We followed the right line and waited for 1.5 hours in the line. On reaching the officer after the long wait we were told, they do not renew I-94 at the old border we should go to the new border. So this is where we went wrong. So for those who plan to go take the following path:

Once you take a U-turn from the border to back to U.S.A, do not follow the line blindly. Notice a bridge right before the line starts, and take that bridge (or ask someone where the new border is). Once you cross the bridge. cross the road and keep going straight, till you see a board saying "to U.S.A., temporary entry". Follow the path and enter into the line, use the left line as the right one is for those who carry some express card. At the end of left line, you will reach the CBP officer (took us 2 hours - weekend plus afternoon). Tell the officer your purpose of visit (I-94 renewal) he will guide to a door on the right side of the exit and attach a slip to your passport. There would be a line waiting outside the door. if it is summer, please carry an umbrella as there is no shade and they allow only 15 people to enter the gate at a time and then a 40-45 min wait. Once you enter the gate, you have to pay $6 for the I-94 and keep your receipt along with passport and your I-94 instruction attached by the CBP officer to your passport at the table of the officer. Then wait for few more minutes. They will call you and ask basic questions. Soon they will stamp your I-94 and yeayyyy you have the new I-94. Do not worry about online status as it gets updated immediately. Login and check.

 

For the ladies - you can go for a shopping spree at the outlets across the road :)

 

Again, DO NOT ENTER THE OLD BORDER LINE. TAKE THE BRIDGE ON THE RIGHT BEFORE THE LINE!!!!!

 

I really hope this helps.

 

Please feel free to reply and I would reply back if I have answers to your questions.

 

[JoeF]

Tijuana isn't unsafe. I've been there lots of times both walking and driving (I used to live in San Diego.) It lives from tourism, so they have an interest to keep it safe.

Of course it is different from the US. It isn't the "First World."

[Mittal]

When going to Mexico for renewing I-94, do we need mexico travel  visa?