Period Of Stay In US Will Be At The Mercy Of The Customs Officer

The United States of America offers different categories of Visas to people of other countries for various purposes like education, jobs, tourism and business. Usually, the period of stay in USA for foreign students, job holders, visitors would be decided at the time of granting the specific visa for the said purpose and individuals are generally permitted to stay there till the expiry of the date. 

But, the current administration under president Donald Trump is tightening the visa norms in every category. After enforcing stringent criteria and exorbitant fees structure for F1 and H1-B visas, the department of Homeland security is adopting a strict vigil on international tourists as well. 

Recently, the government has made it mandatory to screen the social media activity of international visitors before approving the Visas to applicants. Now, the US embassy in India gave another jolt as it has now once again reiterated that the period of stay in USA for visitor is not the expiry date on the Visa but will be decided by the Customs and Border Protection Officer at the port of entry. 

“Reminder! The length of time an international visitor is allowed to stay in the United States is determined by the Customs and Border Protection officer upon arrival, NOT the visa expiration date. To see how long you can stay, check your I-94 ‘Admit Until Date’ at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov,” the embassy tweeted. Visitors have been advised to check their authorised period of stay by reviewing the “Admit Until Date” on their I-94 record, which is available on the official CBP website.

The embassy had issued a similar reminder only two months before. It has again stated that this new norm will be applicable to all visitors coming into the USA. This is another shocking blow which will push the Indian visitors into a state of uncertainty because many travel to the USA to stay for a considerable period to accompany their family members in the country on a specific domestic purpose keeping in mind the expiry date in the Visa. 

Now that the period of stay will be at the mercy of the Customs officer at the time of landing in US, visitors are apprehensive because the duration of their visit might be cut short well before the original expiry date, which will push their travel plans into a dilemma.