About 10-day Grace Period for B2 visa according to USCIS

[mama bear]

Hi, folks,

I need help for my parrents' visaes.

My parents came to visit us on April 8th, and the tickets they booked is on Oct, 8th, half year round trip. But on their I-94 they are allowed stay in US till Oct. 7th. The officer who signed I-94 said if they leave on Oct 8th they will not alowed to come again in the future.

I heard about there is 10 days grace period for B2 visa, but i cannot find it from USCIS, I hope somebody here can help me. Or give me some other suggestion. Or I have to change tickets or apply to extent their visa 6 more months just for 1 more day stay here?

Thanks in advence!

Mama bear

[warpedbored]

Hi, folks,

I need help for my parrents' visaes.

My parents came to visit us on April 8th, and the tickets they booked is on Oct, 8th, half year round trip. But on their I-94 they are allowed stay in US till Oct. 7th. The officer who signed I-94 said if they leave on Oct 8th they will not alowed to come again in the future.

I heard about there is 10 days grace period for B2 visa, but i cannot find it from USCIS, I hope somebody here can help me. Or give me some other suggestion. Or I have to change tickets or apply to extent their visa 6 more months just for 1 more day stay here?

Thanks in advence!

Mama bear

They can apply for an extention of their visas. I would be very surprised if they were denied if you sent a copy of the return plane tickets showing they are scheduled to leave one day later.

 

How Do I Extend My Stay?

 

Those visitors who wish to stay beyond the time indicated on their Form I-94 must contact the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services to request an application to extend status. The decision to grant or deny a request for extension of stay is made solely by the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. Learn more about Extension of Stay. To visit the Department of Homeland Security’s, Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services internet site to find out more detailed information, select How Do I Extend My Stay in the United States?

 

 

Extension of Stay

 

Permission to enter and/or remain in the U.S. and extensions of stay in this country are granted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). If you came to the U.S. on a nonimmigrant visa, and you want to extend your stay in the U.S., then you must ask for permission from DHS’s United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) before your authorized stay expires. If you have a date on your Form I-94, you should apply for your extension of stay with USCIS well in advance of its expiration.

 

To learn more select USCIS, How Do I Extend My Stay? or Extension of Stay Fact Sheet.

 

Providing permission to remain in the U.S., called extension of stay, to persons in the U.S., holding a nonimmigrant visa is not the responsibility of the Department of State, and therefore Visa Services is unable assist you in this regard.

 

How do I extend my stay?

 

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...f3d6a1RCRD#need

 

The form

 

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD

 

As you know the wheels of immigration matters turn slowly, I would file as soon as possible. It will cost you $300 to file but it would also cost you to change the plane tickets. I wouldn't take the risk of over staying the visa even one day. It could result in them not being able to come again.

Hope this helps Yajie.

[Sebastian]

They got a 1 year visa with 6 month duration, each stay, yes?

 

Coupla options come to mind (my mind is fuzzy, it's monday, so be 'ware):

 

1. send them out of the country prior, and come back. The time tick restarts with a new I-94, but it ok because the visa is good for multiple entry for one year. If it's only single entry visa, ignore this option.

 

2. redo the tickets, get em on the plane before the 8th of October. You have enough time to change them, this week, so that a substantial penalty can be avoided. You'll have to pay something, but not a huge amount.

 

3. apply for visa extension (i've no idea how to do, sorry).

[Missingyou]

Not sure where you live now, but I live in Seattle, about 2 1/2 drive to Vancouver BC. Few years ago, my grandmother came to US and had the same situation like yours, plane ticket problem. SO, I took her to Vancouver for a day trip and got a new I-94 which solved our problem.

[warpedbored]

Not sure where you live now, but I live in Seattle, about 2 1/2 drive to Vancouver BC. Few years ago, my grandmother came to US and had the same situation like yours, plane ticket problem. SO, I took her to Vancouver for a day trip and got a new I-94 which solved our problem.

Didn't this require a visa for them to enter Canada?

[Missingyou]

Not sure where you live now, but I live in Seattle, about 2 1/2 drive to Vancouver BC. Few years ago, my grandmother came to US and had the same situation like yours, plane ticket problem. SO, I took her to Vancouver for a day trip and got a new I-94 which solved our problem.

Didn't this require a visa for them to enter Canada?

 

 

Sorry, my grandermother is from HK, so she holds this British issued passport for HK residents, so to enter Canada, no visa needed for HK ppl.

 

Um... I see what the problem is now. I am from HK too, so this extra visa stuff for other countries was never an issue for my family, as we all still holding a US Passport and a British Passport.

[warpedbored]

Now I wonder how hard it would be to get a day trip visa to Canada. It may be possible to get one at the border.

[warpedbored]

It doesn't look like it is possible to get a visa at the border. The fee for a single entry visa to Canada is $75.00 Canadian per person. Still, it's cheaper than a visa extention and since you don't live all that far from Canada it may be a fun day trip for you and your folks. Here is a website with a lot of good information.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/apply-how.asp

[mama bear]

Thank a lot Carl and everyone.

My parents came from Beijing, they don't have other citizenship beside chinese.

And I have ever read a news that Chinese goes to other american countries they used to get an other entry to the US such as Canada , Mexico or other countries around won't count. If it is true, the canada trip won't help either.

It seems to find the policy about 10 days grace period is the cheapest and most convenient way.I will see, what I can do, it seems I have to work more in this summer to get more money to pay either extend visa or change ticket.

[Sebastian]

what is the price to change the tickets?

[Urkidding]

My mother-in-law over-stayed her visa once. (She¡¯s been here a total of 4 times)

 

When she applied for another visa after her over-stay the VO brought it to her attention. She/he told her that if she over stayed again she would not be allowed to ever come here again.

 

So all they did was slap her hand and told her not to do it again.

[mama bear]

what is the price to change the tickets?

$210-500 per person depends when they will go back, diffrent season and diffrent days in a week.

Edited April 20, 2009 by mama bear (see edit history)

[mama bear]

My mother-in-law over-stayed her visa once. (She¡¯s been here a total of 4 times)

 

When she applied for another visa after her over-stay the VO brought it to her attention. She/he told her that if she over stayed again she would not be allowed to ever come here again.

 

So all they did was slap her hand and told her not to do it again.

This is really a good news.

Maybe I will just let it be.

[Randy W]

My mother-in-law over-stayed her visa once. (She¡¯s been here a total of 4 times)

 

When she applied for another visa after her over-stay the VO brought it to her attention. She/he told her that if she over stayed again she would not be allowed to ever come here again.

 

So all they did was slap her hand and told her not to do it again.

This is really a good news.

Maybe I will just let it be.

 

The catch is you don't find out for sure until you apply for the next one

[Urkidding]

My mother-in-law over-stayed her visa once. (She¡¯s been here a total of 4 times)

 

When she applied for another visa after her over-stay the VO brought it to her attention. She/he told her that if she over stayed again she would not be allowed to ever come here again.

 

So all they did was slap her hand and told her not to do it again.

This is really a good news.

Maybe I will just let it be.

 

The catch is you don't find out for sure until you apply for the next one

 

You are correct sir and like a cop who wakes up in the morning after kissing his wife goodbye and deciding NOT to write you a ticket for speeding, the interviewing VO may have had a good start to his/her day and let it pass...this time.

 

as a side note: she over stayed by a month... not a few days.

Edited April 20, 2009 by Urkidding (see edit history)