TN status time was incorrectly shortened

rsargant · Post by **rsargant** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 7:26 pm

I returned to the U.S from Mexico today after a 5 day vacation. My original I-94 card was still in my passport. The border official made me fill out another I-94 card which was incorrect since it was N.A travel but I did it to avoid being argumentative. I always travel with my "Notice Of Action" stating my TN Status is valid until 01/2013 (I had a 3 year extension approved in 09).

Anyway, the border official clearly had no idea how to handle the 3 year TN. He said the computer wouldn't let him put in anything other then 1 year so the final result is I was admitted under TN status good until April 2012 instead of my original status good until Jan 2013. He said I could still stay until 2013 but had to renew each year until then which makes no sense at all but by this point I was just crossing my fingers to be let in.

My question is, do you think that if I just "try again" the next time I arrive in U.S and present the same notice of action, I'll be bumped up back to 2013.

I'm assuming it will be virtually impossible to get it fixed without leaving and returning but that's likely before April, 2012

nelsona · Post by **nelsona** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 6:34 am

You will need to get a new I=94 at some point before it expires by leaving US and re-entering unfortunately.

So many mistakes were made by the agent, I'm impressed you kept your cool.

rsargant · Post by **rsargant** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 11:14 am

Believe me it wasn't easy. There's a good chance I won't be living here next year which was another reason why I didn't really worry about it too much.

Last fall I took a cruise and they made similar errors. Made me complete a new I-94 and the border official extended my time to Nov 2013 instead of readmitting me under my original status ending Jan 2013. He even asked me if I'd paid my $50 dollar visa fee and there he is clearing me in a lounge on the cruise ship for rentry.

You can't do much other then shake your head and put up with it. Nothing is worse then being denied entry.

From my personal experiences, it would seem that nobody really understands how to handle rentry of TN'ers properly. If I wasn't carrying my I-797, I don't think he would have let me in at all on the basis of my prior I-94.