banumyname Posted March 16, 2012 Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 Hi.. I am currently under H1B currently , Transferred from F1 recently. I don't have my H1B stamping yet. Is it possible to visit US Virgin Islands with out stamping and come back US with out any immigration checks. Link to comment
JoeF Posted March 16, 2012 Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 The US Virgin Islands are part of the US. So, by flying there, you don't leave the US. It is basically like flying to NYC, Dallas, Los Angeles, etc. You need the I-94 showing that you are in H1 status. And your passport. That's it. Link to comment
banumyname Posted March 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 The US Virgin Islands are part of the US. So, by flying there, you don't leave the US. It is basically like flying to NYC, Dallas, Los Angeles, etc. You need the I-94 showing that you are in H1 status. And your passport. That's it. Thanks for reply Do we have any uscis calling # so that we can call them and make sure we are ok.. Link to comment
JoeF Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 Sigh. It is the law. What part of "The US Virgin Islands are part of the US" don't you understand? A country can have a bunch of islands. It is still part of the country. Link to comment
cap-gap Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 Thanks for reply Do we have any uscis calling # so that we can call them and make sure we are ok.. did u even look for it on USCIS website? make sure you don't land on foreign ports..that happens esp. if you are taking a cruise.. Link to comment
JoeF Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 did u even look for it on USCIS website? make sure you don't land on foreign ports..that happens esp. if you are taking a cruise.. Cruise ships is a whole different thing. Anything outside of a certain distance from land is legally international waters. However, flying from city A in the US to city B in the US is a domestic flight, even if the flight goes over other countries or over sea. Flights from the lower 48 states to Alaska, flights from mainland US to Hawaii, to USVI, to Puerto Rico, to Guam, etc. are all domestic flights. The same as flights from NYC to Chicago, to Miami, to Los Angeles. Link to comment
chaddibanyan Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 This happened to a colleague of mine. He got married in India and then came to the US with his wife. After a few days he changed employers and got his H1B approved. Then he went to US Virgin Islands for honeymoon, and one day he went swimming with his wife. When he came back on the beach, two cops arrested him and asked for his authorization of stay. They argued that he made exited the US when he swam into international waters, and then he returned without obtaining a visa. He was held in custody for 6 hours and only after multiple phone calls from his employer, lawyer, and CBP, he could reenter. Make sure you do not cross the territorial border limits of the US. I was told that if you swim/ take a boat ride more than 10 feet from the beach, then you are crossing the border... Enjoy your vacation. Link to comment
JoeF Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 This happened to a colleague of mine. He got married in India and then came to the US with his wife. After a few days he changed employers and got his H1B approved. Then he went to US Virgin Islands for honeymoon, and one day he went swimming with his wife. When he came back on the beach, two cops arrested him and asked for his authorization of stay. They argued that he made exited the US when he swam into international waters Hmm, did he swim out 12 miles? That's the usual boundary (there also is a 200 mile boundary sometimes.) I was told that if you swim/ take a boat ride more than 10 feet from the beach, then you are crossing the border... Sorry, but that is simply not true. If it was, everybody who takes a boat out to Catalina Island, a popular tourist island near Los Angeles would leave the US... Please don't spread false information. Thank you. Link to comment
JoeF Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 BTW, here's a link about the 12-mile territorial waters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_waters "The territorial sea is regarded as the sovereign territory of the state" Link to comment
satya222 Posted March 24, 2013 Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 Hello All, I went to US Virgin Islands on H1B, I dont have Stamping on my Passport but I have valid I-797. While going nobody asked me anything, While coming in STT Airport they asked me show my passport and H1B approval. All they wanted to see I am legal to enter to States or not. In USVI there are some boats goto British Virgin Islands for that Tour guy will tell you that you need passport (even for american citizens) you should avoid such trips other than that you are happy to road around St.Thomas and St. John Islands without any issues. Tx, Satya Link to comment
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