1-94 extension by cruise

[madrasi_desi]

I am an Indian citizen in the US on a H1B visa. I have to get my i-94 extended, (i only have it for a couple months more, though my visa is valid for another year, because CBP would only give me I-94 till validity of old passport, which i recently got renewed). Now I am looking to go on either a 1 day or 3 day Bahamas cruise, to re-enter the country. Do i have to go through immigration while returning to the US?Will they extend my I-94 this way?

 

Thanks,

[Shorex]

This is a question to be answered by an immigration attorney, not random strangers on the internet. Please seek the appropriate legal advice.

[Shmoo here]

This is a question to be answered by an immigration attorney, not random strangers on the internet. Please seek the appropriate legal advice.

 

Best answer.

[zqvol]

I am an Indian citizen in the US on a H1B visa. I have to get my i-94 extended, (i only have it for a couple months more, though my visa is valid for another year, because CBP would only give me I-94 till validity of old passport, which i recently got renewed). Now I am looking to go on either a 1 day or 3 day Bahamas cruise, to re-enter the country. Do i have to go through immigration while returning to the US?Will they extend my I-94 this way?

 

Thanks,

 

As has already been said, your question isi too complicated to trust any answer you receive on a message board. Go find an immigration attorney or contact your consulate.

[notentirelynormal]

Before I'd hire a lawyer I would go to my consulate. Take with you all your visa information and your cruise information. Even if all your paperwork was in order, the people that check you in at the end of the cruise only say "hi". There is no office and no additional paperwork is generated.

[Shorex]

Before I'd hire a lawyer I would go to my consulate. Take with you all your visa information and your cruise information. Even if all your paperwork was in order, the people that check you in at the end of the cruise only say "hi". There is no office and no additional paperwork is generated.

 

Actually, it is US law, not the law of India, that is applied when an H1B visa holder wants to leave the US for vacation. A place to start online research would be the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Sure, go ask at your consulate. The worst that can happen is that you will be referred to a source of US law.

 

Wikipedia, (not to be relied on for matters of law) states:

 

Administrative processing: When an H-1B worker goes outside of U.S. for vacation, he or she has to get the visa stamped on his passport unless he has already done so for re-entry in the United States. The interview is taken in U.S. Embassy by a visa officer. In some cases, H-1B workers can be required to undergo "administrative processing", involving extra, lengthy background checks. Under current rules, these checks are supposed to take ten days or less, but in some cases, have lasted years.

 

There is much that goes on behind the scenes when a cruise ship returns to the US. Perhaps chengkp75 can chime in. Everyone else here is way out of their depth.

[notentirelynormal]

Actually, it is US law, not the law of India, that is applied when an H1B visa holder wants to leave the US for vacation. A place to start online research would be the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Sure, go ask at your consulate. The worst that can happen is that you will be referred to a source of US law.

 

 

That makes total sense. There are so many types of visas and so many circumstances that no matter what we say, it most likely will be wrong.