Not sure who else to turn to as I have not gotten much help from the airlines.
My Father and Uncle traveled from Ireland to the United States. They traveled under a tourist visa which allows them to stay in the US for 90 days. When they entered the country they filled out form I-94W which is basically a green form confirming their tourist status. Immigration officials in Ireland then stapled this form to their passport.
Upon leaving the US, the carrier is supposed to remove the form and (I presume) send it to US Immigration.
When my relatives returned to Ireland they noticed that the carrier (though checking their passport) never removed the stapled form. They are both concerned about this as they do not want U.S. Immigration officials to think that they overstayed their welcome.
Any suggestions, thoughts or comments would be appreciated. Thanks.
I have done a fair bit of traveling and have often had the visa cards you speak of attached to my passport.
But never have they been removed by the airline. I’d be a little suspicious if they were, quite honestly.
In my experience it is issued to you by customs/immigration when you enter the country and removed, also by customs/immigration when you leave. I thought they sort of matched them up with something or other. When it doesn’t turn up, by the date it expires they know someone has overstayed. Or so I always understood anyway.
Were I your Uncle or Dad, I would call the nearest U.S. Embassy and make inquiries. They may be very grateful for it’s return, or be told where they should return it to. It may also avert a misunderstanding when they next wish to enter America so I’d say it’s worth pursuing even though it is clearly just a simple oversight on the part of some front line minion.
