My son is a fairly regular visitor to the US from the UK, having now been about ten times on vacation. Yesterday he came back from New York with his brother to discover that the green I-94W card had been left in his passport, rather than being taken out by the US immigration staff.

He now finds that

* He has broken American law, according to the embassy website. It is, apparently, his responsibility to give the card rather that of the immigration to take it.

* It costs a pound a minute to talk to the embassy to try to sort things out. Having spent several pounds doing so, it seems the Embassy does not have to authority to assist anyway and it must all be done through USCIS on Kentucky.

* He needs to provide evidence he is now in the UK. Boarding cards were suggested, but the airline collected these. A bank statment is another possibility, but it will take too long (see below). Fortunately a credit card slip is acceptable, presumably because it can be traced through the bank.

* If this is not sorted out before his next trip in October he stands a good chance of being refused entry for apparently overstaying on the old visa.


So yet another reason why travel to the US is becoming a pain for the rest of the world. In the meantime, if you are travelling, please check the US immigration have taken your card.