This summer, the World Cup matches will be held in stadiums across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. We already covered the FIFA PASS and entry requirements, but there will also be attendees who are temporarily visiting the U.S. that need to hop to Canada or Mexico and then to seek re-entry into the United States.
To help ensure they do so as efficiently and problem-free as possible, in this post we explain a few of the rules, tips, and procedures that apply to fans seeking to re-enter the U.S. after visiting a host city in Canada or Mexico.
Preparing for cross-border matches requires understanding key U.S. entry policies.
- Ensure your passport and any required visa are valid well past your stay, and carry documentation of your most recent U.S. departure.
- Prove you are a temporary visitor by documenting World Cup plans, return travel, and strong ties abroad; consider requesting a shorter stay at entry.
- Understand Automatic Visa Revalidation rules, officer discretion, and always verify your online I-94 after re-entry to comply with your authorized stay.
Preliminary Tips for Re-Entry Into the United States
Ensure Your Passport is Valid for Re-Entry Into the United States
Ensure your passport isn’t expiring soon. The first recommendation is to make sure that your passport has at least six months of validity after the date you plan to leave the United States. Because border officials will likely notice and scrutinize a passport that will expire soon after the passport holder enters the U.S., this alone can help reduce the risk of extensive scrutiny and questioning at the border.
Verify That Your Visa is Not Expiring Soon
Ensure your visa isn’t expiring soon. On a related note, make sure that your visa is valid. Remember that a visa is the document that allows you to seek entry into the U.S. If your visa has expired, this will cause major issues when seeking to re-enter the United States.
Keep Clear Documentation of Your Most Recent Departure
Keep good documentation about your most recent departure. Next, keep documentation regarding your most recent departure from the U.S. This might sound strange, but having clear documentation showing when you left the United States can help convince officers to issue you a new I-94 form with a new “admit until” date upon your re-entry. (More on this later in the post).
Document Your Intent to Stay Temporarily and Depart
Keep good documentation about your intent to stay in the U.S. temporarily and to depart from the U.S. Keep documentation showing that you intend to stay in the U.S. only temporarily. Particularly if you make frequent trips to the U.S. or recently stayed in the U.S. for an extended time, there is a good chance that the border officer will question whether you actually intend to stay in the U.S. for the long-term (which would likely result in a denied entry).
By having documentation showing your plans in the U.S. (an itinerary, tickets to the World Cup games, etc.), your plans to depart (such as a ticket for a flight out of the U.S.), and your ties to your home country (proof of funds in a foreign bank account, proof of tax bills and payments, payment of utilities abroad, ownership of property abroad, etc.), you are better prepared to assure the officer that you do, in fact, intend to be in the U.S. only temporarily and to leave when you are required to do so.
Consider Requesting a Shorter Period of Stay
Ask for a shorter period of stay. On a related note, consider asking the border officer for a shorter period of stay. If you are using a B2 visa to attend a soccer match in a week and you intend to leave after the match, ask for a week or two instead of 6 months. This can signal to the officer that you do, in fact, plan to leave after your temporary stay to attend the match.
Rules and Procedures That Apply When Re-Entering the U.S.
To analyze the rules and procedures for seeking re-entry into the U.S. after visiting Canada or Mexico, let’s break our World Cup fans into a few categories and take a look at how each can navigate re-entering the U.S. after visiting Canada or Mexico.
Category 1: Visa-Exempt, ESTA, and Multiple-Entry Visa Holders
Fans who are visa-exempt (e.g., Canadians), traveling on ESTA, or who have a valid visa that allows multiple entries (for example, a B1/B2 visitor visa, an F-1 student visa, or a work visa such as a TN or E-2).
For those fans who have ESTA, are visa-exempt, or who have a valid visa (meaning a visa that has not expired or been cancelled) that allows multiple entries, they can typically seek re-entry by showing their valid visa and passport at the port of entry. Keep in mind the tips described above and be ready to show documentation proving that you intend to stay in the U.S. only temporarily.
Category 2: Expired Visa Holders and Automatic Visa Revalidation (AVR)
The possibility of Automatic Visa Revalidation (AVR) for fans whose visa has expired. In general, those who are not visa-exempt or who have ESTA must have a valid visa in order to re-enter the United States. There is a narrow exception to this, called Automatic Visa Revalidation (AVR).
Deep Dive: Automatic Visa Revalidation (AVR)
When a visitor who has an expired visa seeks to re-enter the United States, automatic visa revalidation enables the border official to allow the person to re-enter by assuming that the visa has been automatically extended to the date of re-entry. In effect, the visitor is able to re-enter the United States with an expired visa, but only for the duration of the I-94 that was effective before they last departed from the U.S.
Eligibility Criteria for Automatic Visa Revalidation
To be eligible for automatic visa revalidation, the person seeking to re-enter the United States:
- Must be a nonimmigrant, meaning that they intend to remain in the U.S. temporarily and do not intend to apply for a green card;
- Must have a Form I-94 that shows an unexpired period of authorized stay (for more information on the Form I-94, see our post here);
- Must have a valid passport;
- Must be seeking to re-enter the U.S. after being outside the U.S. for no more than 30 days;
- During this period of no more than 30 days, the person cannot have traveled outside of Canada or Mexico; and
- During the period of no more than 30 days, the person cannot have applied for a new visa while abroad.
Additional details about the requirements for automatic visa revalidation can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations at 22 CFR 41.112(d).
Critical Discretionary Warning Regarding AVR Use
One big note of caution regarding AVR: there is a lot of variation among border officers regarding their willingness to use AVR, and at the end of the day it is entirely up to the officer as to whether to use it. By being respectful and courteous, and prepared with clear documentation, you increase your chances of being granted AVR.
What if my visa has expired and I am not allowed to re-enter the U.S. on Automatic Visa Revalidation?
If your visa has expired and you are not allowed to re-enter the U.S. on AVR, your options are limited.
First, if you have a passport from a country that is a member of the Visa Waiver Program, you can apply for ESTA and, if approved, enter using that. Another alternative is to apply for a new visa at a U.S. consulate. Currently, many consulates are only accepting visa applications from applicants who either are citizens of or reside in the country where the consulate is located. So, for example, a national of South Africa might need to travel to the U.S. Consulate in South Africa in order to secure the visa. Additionally, the process of applying for a visa is not quick, typically requiring at least a month or two. This may well put you past the World Cup Finals, so it is important to plan ahead.
Crucial Actions After Re-Entering the U.S.
Once you have re-entered the United States, it is important to check your I-94, which can be done online here. The I-94 controls the length of time you are allowed to remain in the U.S. and shows the status you were granted.
Remember: CBP officers have discretion to shorten the validity period of your I-94, so you might be given status for only a few weeks or days. Always check when your I-94 expires, and be sure to leave the U.S. before that date in order to avoid accumulating unlawful presence (which can have a significant impact on your visa or future applications for immigration benefits).
For Canadians, remember that you should also be issued an I-94, and it might have been issued for fewer than six months. Always check your I-94, and comply with its “admit until” date.
