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I was travelling back on the Amtrak train to New York from Montreal after a 3 day stay. On the way back, the CBP officer didn't even check my passport. Neither did he check the passport of the person sitting next to me and ahead of me.

What should I do about this if anything? I have an entry stamp in my passport for Canada, but no entry stamp for USA.

I checked my I94 on the website, and it says I entered on 4th April and exited on 27th May, but no entry for today(29th May).

Edit:

If it helps, I'm here on an F-1 visa.

Update:

I called the CBP office at JFK airport(the number for Philadelphia airport is unreachable) and they said that since my stay in Canada was just for 2 days my old I94 is still valid and that I didn't need to do anything about it.

Final update:

I just got admitted to the US again. So I guess there wasn’t a problem in the first place. I still am holding onto my tickets and documents just in case I need them in the future, but this doesn’t seem to be an issue since I just re-entered the US. Very bizarre and nerve-wracking experience, but it turned out to be alright.

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    You still have to follow what @crazydre wrote. You're not illegal however you need to get it fixed. US immigration can be very screwy and you want to err on the side of caution. Nothing to panic about at all because you did nothing wrong and you have proof (Amtrak tickets & pass keep it) of entry. I've been through the whole US Immigration from B to F1 to H1B through Permanent Residence and Citizenship so I know how you're feeling however this will be resolved in five minutes. You can email them today too if you want to, you won't get an answer but just for the record. Commented May 29, 2017 at 21:05
  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – JoErNanO
    Commented May 31, 2017 at 8:41

1 Answer 1

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What the officers did (not checking and registering everyone) was illegal, and unfortunately it's always the traveller that gets to pay for it.

You must go tomorrow morning to the deferred inspections site located at Philadelphia Airport, terminal A West, open Monday-Friday 09:00-12:00, and present your visa in the passport, I-20 form, and the train ticket to the US. They will take the necessary steps to Register your entry in the records.

To get to the airport, take the SEPTA train from central Philadelphia.

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    Although your suggested remedy is correct, he is not in the USA illegally. asianjournal.com/immigration/…. There is a case in immigration court which covers this situation. Of course OP does not need the hassle of having to go through immigration court one day to correct this oversight, hence should follow your solution. Commented May 29, 2017 at 18:11
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    In a case published by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), a person approached the border as a passenger in a car being driven by her US citizen friend. The immigration inspector asked the friend whether he was a US citizen, but did not ask the passenger anything. The officer then waved the car through the port of entry. Eventually, the person married a US citizen, and the issue was whether being waved through the border constituted “inspection. The BIA ruled that being waved through the border constituted inspection and admission to the US Commented May 29, 2017 at 18:11
  • Thank you for your answer. The earliest I can make it to one of those locations when they are open is on Wednesday(day after tomorrow). Would that be a problem? Commented May 29, 2017 at 19:19
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    I'm still on the Amtrak train. It's in upstate New York right now. Commented May 29, 2017 at 19:32
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    what a generous and useful answer!
    – Fattie
    Commented May 30, 2017 at 2:33

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