The Department of Homeland Security operates several programs for visa holders, some of which require certain actions on the part of the traveler. For more information, please consult the tabs below.
U.S. Arrival-Departure Record
It is important that visa holders register their departure from the United States. This registration is made automatically when traveling by air, train and passenger ship, but requires a Form I-94 when the departure is made via a land border. Failure to record a departure can result in an erroneous overstay charge being levied against the traveler.
If you failed to turn in your I-94 when you departed the United States, do not mail your I-94 to the U.S. Embassy or consulates in Canada. Instead, you must send it — along with any documentation that proves you left the United States — to:
Coleman Data Solutions
Box 7965
Akron, OH 44306
Attn: NIDPS (I-94)
USA
(If using U.S. Postal Service)
or
Coleman Data Solutions
3043 Sanitarium Road, Suite 2
Akron, OH 44312
Attn: NIDPS (I-94)
(If using FedEx or UPS)
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requires U.S. and Canadian travelers to present a passport or other identity and citizenship document when entering the U.S.
Under the WHTI, Canadian citizens traveling to the U.S. are required to present one of the following travel documents:
- A Canadian Passport;
- An Enhanced Driver’s License or Enhanced Identification Card. Canadian provinces have begun issuing these documents that denote identity and citizenship that are WHTI-compliant for cross-border travel into the U.S.; or
- A Trusted-Traveler Program card. NEXUS and FAST enrollment cards can speed your entry into the U.S. and are issued only to pre-approved travelers. FAST cards are valid for use at land or sea ports of entry, while the NEXUS card can be used at land or sea ports of entry and at kiosks at participating airports.
The WHTI offers certain provisions to special groups, including children (both individuals under age 16 and groups under age 19), Native Americans, passengers on ferries and small boats, and boaters.
NEXUS
NEXUS cards are WHTI-compliant documents for land and sea travel, as well as air travel when traveling to and from airports using the NEXUS program, and provide expedited travel via land, air or sea to approved members between the U.S. and Canada border. For more information, please visit CBP.gov.
To apply for the NEXUS Program, please visit CBP’s Trusted Traveler Programs Site.
Problem resolution/DHS TRIP
Travelers denied entry to United States can seek redress and resolve possible misidentification or other issues encountered at the port of entry through the Department of Homeland Security’s Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP).