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What will happen if I've overstayed in the USA and I want to go back to my native country of Canada? Its been almost 2 years now and I need to travel back home. Does anyone know what will happen at the airports when immigration checks? I know they check the dates that you've been gone on the card when you are doing an international flight.

Will I have to explain it all to the immigration officers or will they stamp my passport and refuse my entrance in the US again? Just wondering what will happen with immigration officers at the airport in Canada and the US.

thank you

Tigerlilly
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2 Answers2

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There are no exit immigration checks in airports in the US:

  • You will leave without seeing anyone from CBP
  • The airline will notify CBP of your departure
  • CBP will know you have overstayed (a lot)
  • CBP won't let you in again
  • You'll have to ask for a visa to enter again, and expect a lot of difficulty getting one.

Canada doesn't care how long you were away.

jcaron
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When you leave the United States, you are not generally subject to inspection by a US immigration officer. Rather, the US will know that you have left (and the date) because the airline will transmit a list of passengers leaving a country to the US government. So they will not stop you from leaving, but they will likely know that you have overstayed because of this information coming from the airline. This will likely make it difficult to enter the US in the future. (How difficult depends on various factors, in particular exactly how long you overstayed.)

As for Canadian immigration, you will see them only when you arrive Canada, and whether or not you overstayed in the US is not their concern.

ajd
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