Canadian Citizen, H1B extension in progress, previous H1 expired, rules of travel?

[swan0206]

UPDATE on H1B Extension Process in 2024 :

I became a Canadian citizen in early 2024 + US H1B was set to expire on 30-Sep-2024.

In August 2024, I went to the US and initiated H1-B Extension. I got approval in 3 days in the premium process. I was in the US for 2 weeks till I saw approval status on the case status tracker. I travelled back to Canada after approval, and the company attorney sent an approval notice to my Canadian address.

After that, I have crossed the US-Canada land border multiple times and ensured to visit the USCIS border office to get updated I-94 once by paying $6 fees. Once that is done, next visit you aren't required to go to the border office for I94 as the previous I-94 expiry will remain the same. This one I was able to identify based on the below experience:
- Visit 1: after new approval notice (Approval notice's new I-94 expiry was for July 2027) - cross the border without USCIS border office visit so got old I-94 expiry of 30-Sep-2024
- Visit 2: After crossing border, visit USCIS border office to get I-94 updated to July 2027
- Visit 3 .. N : Just showed Canadian PP + approved I97 to Immigration office (without going to USCIS border office), and my old I-94 remains the same to July 2027.

Congratulations. thanks for sharing your inputs in the forum. By the way, a small correction here, the office that you are visiting in the border is not USCIS office.,its a CBP office. CBP and USCIS are different bodies.

 

[Mum2Can]

Congratulations. thanks for sharing your inputs in the forum. By the way, a small correction here, the office that you are visiting in the border is not USCIS office.,its a CBP office. CBP and USCIS are different bodies.

Thanks for the catch. I have corrected in the original post to avoid confusion.