Depart US through Mexico while on B1/B2 Visitor visa - how US will know I did not overstay?
I am currently in US with B1/B2 Visitor visa. Plan to depart US through Mexico by car. And then depart Mexico for another South American country. All within 120 day limit of B1/B2 visa.
When entering Mexico (by car) there is no passport control and nobody stamps my passport with departure stamp or stamp of entry to Mexico. And for B1/B2 Visa terms, Mexico or Canada is not considered a significant departure and time spent in Mexico will count towards staying in USA on B1/B2 visa.
If I overstay my Visa will be canceled and I am not lively to get another US visa again, it's a serious offence.
How can I prove to U.S. that I did not overstay my B1/B2 visa if there is no record of me leaving the US?
I can see one of these scenarios:
- Upon my next visit to US, the border control officer will see the stamp in my passport of me departing Mexico within US B1 visa stay term. (Not sure is Mexico will stamp it.) And that will make everything allright.
- I go back to US and deliberately fly out of USA to other country than Mexico or Canada.
- When entering the Mexico by car I stop at the border and ask Mexican border control official to stamp my passport.
- Is this something that can be fixed with I-94? However I wasn't given I-94 because it's no longer used for visitors arriving by air. Everything is electronic now.
Best Answer
I found this info at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/request.html
Not sure if it covers my situation:
If you received an electronic I-94 upon arrival by air or sea and depart via land, your departure may not be recorded accurately. A departure will be recorded if you depart via land and re-enter the United States prior to the expiration date stamped in your passport. If you are not a resident of Canada or Mexico and you receive an electronic I-94 and depart via land, but do not re-enter the United States prior to the expiration date stamped on your passport, you may want to travel with evidence of your departure into Canada or Mexico. Evidence of departure can include, but is not limited to, entry stamps in a passport, transportation tickets, pay stubs and/or other receipts. A traveler can request an entry stamp from CBSA when entering Canada or from the InstitutoNacional de Migracion (INM) when entering Mexico.
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How does the US know if you overstay?
Travel Records It's pretty easy for foreigners in the U.S. to know if they've overstayed their visas. All they need to do is look at their I-94 arrival and departure cards, which clearly state how long they can stay.Will I be able to reenter the US if I overstay my tourist visa?
If you overstay by 180 days or more (but less than one year), after you depart the U.S. you will be barred from reentering for three years. If you overstay by one year or more, after you depart the U.S., you will be barred from reentering the U.S. for ten years.Do embassies know about visa refusal in other countries?
As long as there is no visa rejection stamp on your passport none will know that another country has denied your visa. Except for Schengen countries as they use the same system and they will be able to pull you information. In the Western world all of the embassies are linked into common computer networks and systems.Can I travel to Mexico with US B1 B2 visa?
B-1 or B-2 visas: During your visit to the U.S., you may visit Canada or Mexico for up to 30 days and re-enter the U.S. as long as you re-enter within the period noted on the Form I - 94 which you received when you first entered.USA B1 B2 Visa Rules and Policy | USA Tourist Visa-10 Year Multiple Visa-B1/B2-USA
More answers regarding depart US through Mexico while on B1/B2 Visitor visa - how US will know I did not overstay?
Answer 2
When you enter Mexico, don't just drive past the customs border office. Stop and come in to get your visitor paper and passport stamp. That's your evidence when you go back to U.S.
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