Can US tourist visa program be used after student exchange visa after visiting Canada and coming back to USA as tourist?
I am German citizen and I am in USA for 9 month with student exchange visa. MY visa expires on 5/13/2015. College told me that I can be 30 days more in USA after visa expired. I bought ticket to fly from Toronto to Germany on 06/17/2014. I have 2 questions:
- If I leave USA my last permitted day ( 30 days after visa expired) on 06/13/2015 and stay in Canada until my flight ( 4 days) , do I can have any problems to get visa waiver entry in Canada as German tourist for 4 days on 6/13/2015?
- Can I leave USA after my student exchange visa expired, for example on 5/15/2015, go to Canada for one day and reentry back to USA as a tourist with 90 days visa waiver program?
Best Answer
That's perfectly legal. You have a flight out of Canada and you only stay 4 days. Can't see a problem. Except... be very careful on flying the last day of your allowed stay because if there's a problem with your flight to Toronto and you are rebooked on a flight on the next day then you will get an overstay and lose your VWP rights for life and will need to apply for a B1/B2 visa ongoing. There's no mercy here. Noone cares it's not your fault. Absolutely noone. Neither the airline nor the CBP. Of course, if you are going on land then it's all fine.
Someone already asked this from the CBP https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120315213348AA7hUir and here's the reply:
once your grace period has expired you are required to make a meaningful departure back to your home country. If you travel to a contiguous territory or adjacent island and try to reenter the US you could be denied entry
Pay attention to the word required and do not hang your hopes on "could".
Edit: in general, do not try to outsmart the CBP. No, you are not the first to think of it and if it's even slightly tricky then it's easier to presume it's forbidden. Even if you cooked up something truly convoluted that the CBP haven't seen yet (good luck) the immigration officer you meet can deny you entry just because (s)he doesn't like your convoluted trick without needing to give much of a reason to anyone and you have no appeal. The whole process is not in your favor.
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Can I apply for US tourist visa while studying in Canada?
If you are going to visit the United States of America during your study in Canada, you may require a U.S. Visitor Visa depending on your country of citizenship. However, citizens of certain countries may be able to travel to the USA without a visa if under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).Can I participate in another exchange visitor program after finishing my current program?
Can I participate in another Exchange Visitor program after finishing my current program? Your current Exchange Visitor Visa is ONLY applicable for your current exchange program and under your current program sponsor.Can you apply for tourist visa after student visa?
While visiting, you can convert your visitor visa to a student one without ever leaving the country. You get to study and extend your stay without any restrictions. No, this visa conversion would not affect your student visa application since these two are entirely different visas.Can I travel to USA with Canada visitor visa?
Citizens of Canada and Bermuda do not require visas to enter the United States, for visit, tourism and temporary business travel purposes. For more information see U.S. Embassy Ottawa website, U.S. Consulate Hamilton website and CBP website.What documents you need for applying USA tourist visa for International Student in Canada
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Answer 2
If you need more than the 30 days grace period in the USA, you have another option. File for a change of status to tourist (form I-539). As long as you file at the last day, you will remain in status until the case is decided (which can take six months). You can also leave for Canada during that time, but you would not be able to return to the USA.
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