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Soft landing and Automatic Visa Revalidation Experience

Jul 27, 2019
11
1
Hi,

I thank this community for all the info and its my turn :) There is always some confusion about AVR and hope that my experience will help all others

________________________________________________________________________________

Background:

Me:

* Visa on Passport: F1 visa, Valid from 2014 to 2019
* Last time entered, USA in 2017 on F1 Visa, working on OPT-EXT at that time
* moved from F1 Visa to H4 in 2019 (within USA)
* moved from H4 to H1 in 2020(within USA)
* moved from Employer 1 to Employer 2 on H1 in 2021(within USA)
* H1 Extension/amendment in 2022, Valid upto 2025 (within USA)

Spouse

* Visa on Passport: H1 visa, Valid from 2015 to 2018
* Last time entered, USA in 2017 on H1 visa
* H1 Visa extension in 2018 and 2021 (within USA)
* moved from Employer 1 to Employer 2 on H1 in 2022, Valid upto 2025(within USA)


Soft Landing: Peace Arch Border Crossing, WA

________________________________________________________________________________

Entering Canada: Reached Border on a rental Car and submitted only COPR, Passport.
VO: Are you moving to Canada
ME: No, we will be returning back to USA today itself and we will return back to Canada after securing Jobs.
VO-1: Please drive to the secondary screening and go inside the building

(inside the Immigration office )

VO-2: Asked COPR, Passport, Valid Visa in USA
(Submitted I-797 and Visa Officer do knows about this document )
VO-2: Why are you not moving to Canada today
ME:we will feel more comfortable to move after securing jobs
VO-2: Write your Canadian address in COPR
(also asked standard questions like did you commit any crimes, etc)


She took 15 minutes to do some documentation from her end and then notified us that we are officially PRs from today and PR cards will be shipped to the address in 6 weeks. GTF is not required to be summited now and carry with you, when you are moving permanently

Showed us the way to re-enter into the USA

________________________________________________________________________________

Entering USA: Reached Border on rental car and Submitted Passport and I-797. Officer asked to go through the secondary screening, since we have expired Visa’s

(inside the immigration office)

VO: Purpose of the todays travel to Canada
ME: we went to Canada to finish documentation in regards to our PR
VO: Are you “flag-poling” in USA
ME: Can you explain what is flag-poling
VO: will you be going back to Canada to activate your status ?
ME: No, we went to Canada to activate our status but will be returning back to USA
VO: Okay. whats your status in USA ?
(Submitted our Passports and our present valid I-797 and VO, first evaluated my wife’s status )
VO: So are you trying to use AVR ?
WE: Yes
VO: when is the last time you entered USA
WE: 2017
VO: I need all you I-797’s from 2017

my wife case was simple since she showed three i-797s(all related to H1) covering the timeline from 2017-2022 . My documentation was little complicated since I moved from F1 > H4 > H1 but I was able to provide all the I-797’s starting from F1 OPT.


VO had concerns about me using AVR but able to verify with her manager.

(what i was able to understand is, VO is simply trying to see if we have I-797 from *date of visa expiry* to *today* and in my case I was able to prove using 5 I797s ** )

VO stamped our passports and also gave exit-pass which we have to show to a guard before re-entering into USA.
 
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Reactions: sraran

nitin.janagam

Member
Apr 15, 2021
19
2
Hi,

I thank this community for all the info and its my turn :) There is always some confusion about AVR and hope that my experience will help all others

________________________________________________________________________________

Background:

Me:

* Visa on Passport: F1 visa, Valid from 2014 to 2019
* Last time entered, USA in 2017 on F1 Visa, working on OPT-EXT at that time
* moved from F1 Visa to H4 in 2019 (within USA)
* moved from H4 to H1 in 2020(within USA)
* moved from Employer 1 to Employer 2 on H1 in 2021(within USA)
* H1 Extension/amendment in 2022, Valid upto 2025 (within USA)

Spouse

* Visa on Passport: H1 visa, Valid from 2015 to 2018
* Last time entered, USA in 2017 on H1 visa
* H1 Visa extension in 2018 and 2021 (within USA)
* moved from Employer 1 to Employer 2 on H1 in 2022, Valid upto 2025(within USA)


Soft Landing: Peace Arch Border Crossing, WA

________________________________________________________________________________

Entering Canada: Reached Border on a rental Car and submitted only COPR, Passport.
VO: Are you moving to Canada
ME: No, we will be returning back to USA today itself and we will return back to Canada after securing Jobs.
VO-1: Please drive to the secondary screening and go inside the building

(inside the Immigration office )

VO-2: Asked COPR, Passport, Valid Visa in USA
(Submitted I-797 and Visa Officer do knows about this document )
VO-2: Why are you not moving to Canada today
ME:we will feel more comfortable to move after securing jobs
VO-2: Write your Canadian address in COPR
(also asked standard questions like did you commit any crimes, etc)


She took 15 minutes to do some documentation from her end and then notified us that we are officially PRs from today and PR cards will be shipped to the address in 6 weeks. GTF is not required to be summited now and carry with you, when you are moving permanently

Showed us the way to re-enter into the USA

________________________________________________________________________________

Entering USA: Reached Border on rental car and Submitted Passport and I-797. Officer asked to go through the secondary screening, since we have expired Visa’s

(inside the immigration office)

VO: Purpose of the todays travel to Canada
ME: we went to Canada to finish documentation in regards to our PR
VO: Are you “flag-poling” in USA
ME: Can you explain what is flag-poling
VO: will you be going back to Canada to activate your status ?
ME: No, we went to Canada to activate our status but will be returning back to USA
VO: Okay. whats your status in USA ?
(Submitted our Passports and our present valid I-797 and VO, first evaluated my wife’s status )
VO: So are you trying to use AVR ?
WE: Yes
VO: when is the last time you entered USA
WE: 2017
VO: I need all you I-797’s from 2017

my wife case was simple since she showed three i-797s(all related to H1) covering the timeline from 2017-2022 . My documentation was little complicated since I moved from F1 > H4 > H1 but I was able to provide all the I-797’s starting from F1 OPT.


VO had concerns about me using AVR but able to verify with her manager.

(what i was able to understand is, VO is simply trying to see if we have I-797 from *date of visa expiry* to *today* and in my case I was able to prove using 5 I797s ** )

VO stamped our passports and also gave exit-pass which we have to show to a guard before re-entering into USA.
Thank you. This detailed post really helps.

I'm on H1 as well and am planning to do a soft landing by the end of November and plan to come back to US on AVR.

May I ask why did you choose Peace Arch Border Crossing, WA as your location for soft landing?