Landing from the US and returning

[Mat_M]

I am a student in the US and I am scheduled to defend my PhD in March. I recently got PR and need to land in Canada by mid-February. My US visa has expired and if I leave the US I don't know how much time it might take to be able to get a new visa (especially given that I am from a country with travel ban) and if I'll be able to get back to the US by my defense date. Is there a way to land in Canada (for example through Peace Arch Park) and return to the US without a visa? If not, would that be possible to contact IRCC explain the situation and ask them to extend my landing deadline by two months? Has anybody done this before?

 

[zabrodov]

You have no problem going to Canada and then back to the US with the expired visa:

I wish to travel to Canada, Mexico, or one of the islands adjacent to the United States. Can I return if my visa is expired?
Yes, in most cases. You can usually revalidate an expired visa automatically when returning from a visit of less than thirty days to Canada, Mexico, or one of the islands adjacent to the United States provided that you have a valid Form I-20 and a valid unexpired Form I-94. This process is known as automatic visa revalidation.

https://www.ice.gov/sevis/travel

 

[zabrodov]

Thanks so much! This is such a relief.

You are totally welcome! I am in the same situation

 

[Mat_M]

You are totally welcome! I am in the same situation

Thank you so much for the information. Unfortunately I am from Iran and:

"Be a citizen of a country other than Syria, Iran, Sudan or Cuba. Nationals of these countries are not eligible for visa revalidation. If you are a national of one of the above countries, you must always have a valid visa in your passport to enter the United States."