In this video, we'll talk about whether it's possible to file an extension of a tourist
visa, even after it expired. Yes, it may be possible in some cases. Watch this video,
and I'll tell you more. So in this video, we'll talk about the possibility of filing
an extension for a tourist visa, even after it expired, meaning that even after your status
expired. But before that, I want to ask you, guys, to subscribe to our channel. If you’re
here for the first time, click that like button and the bell to get notifications every time
new videos come out. We try to do videos every week. And some of those videos are based on
our subscribers’ questions, comments, and emails. And this particular video is based
on a question from one of our subscribers, replying to one of my stories on YouTube.
We do stories on YouTube every week. You can follow the stories, what I do behind the scenes,
and also answer your questions. So, this is about a person who came to the United States
on a tourist visa. Typically, you can stay here after six months or whatever the I-94
card says. In this case, it was six months and that person overstayed their stay here.
They overstayed the six months, they overstayed by two months. And the question is, can they
extend that status? Now, in this particular case, this is actually one of my clients,
they came to me after overstaying. And what happened is that the person just gave birth
in the US and they're about to leave. But there were some complications, some medical
issues that prohibited that person from flying. So, she was able to obtain a document from
the doctor explaining the medical condition, and I was able to take the application and
file a request for an extension, even two months after the I-94 expired, explaining
to the USCIS the circumstances that prevented the person from flying. And in this case,
we got a request for evidence from the USCIS where it specifically stated that this happened
beyond the expiration of the status, that person had no status, and they want to understand
more about the reasons why she overstayed. So remember, they did not deny the case right
away, they issued a request for evidence. And then in my response, I said, “Yes, I've
already given you the reasons for the medical emergency. And here's more documents. We got
documents from the doctor. We got letters from another expert to say that there's no
way this person could have been able to travel from the United States during the time the
visa expired. We responded and this case was approved. Now, it doesn't mean that every
case can be approved, even if it's a medical issue, but I can tell you that typically with
a tourist visa overstay medical emergency could be a very good reason to file an extension,
even after an overstay, meaning, even after that I-94 expired, and you're not able to
leave for whatever reason if it's a medical reason, that will be an amazing opportunity
to use that to get you an extension if you cannot travel because some people will overstay
and then they will leave. And that is going to be a problem the next time they come back.
So, I always say to my clients that if you're able to, if you have a medical emergency,
and you're able to document it, it is worth it to try to file it even after the expiration
of the I-94 because just like in this case, even if they had a 60-day overstay, it was
better to file the extension because they had to be here for another three months after.
It was better to get that extension because when they left the US, I know that the next
time they're going to come back here, they will have no issues because they have a legal
extension that was approved, it will make their possibility to come back to the US safely,
with no issues most likely. Because remember, people that overstay their status, when they
try to return to the US, there's a big chance that the USCIS and the CBP at the border will
find out that there was an overstay, and most likely they're not going to be able to…
they’re not going to let you in and they will deem you inadmissible because of that
overstayed. So, therefore, it's really important, first of all, to try not to overstay but if
there's a reason that will prevent you from leaving, typically a medical emergency, then
you can try to use that to stay. What could be another reason that a person who cannot
leave after the expiration of the status and try to get an extension? For example, we had
a case where a person had a business emergency where they were going through some sort of
a deal, everybody had to be here. His departure would literally collapse the whole deal and
result in losses of millions to the company. And literally we're able to document that,
getting letters from all the board members, from the investors and we show to the government
that he had to stay here. Though it was only two weeks, two weeks that he had to stay more,
but he didn't want to risk it. He filed this extension and he stayed here for a few more
months while the deal was going on even after the two weeks that he originally overstayed.
And we were able to get that case approved because of the business necessity in this
case. Again, those are not common. We don't recommend for anybody to overstay. But if
there is a reason, like a medical emergency, or some sort of a business issue, a family
matter that you can document and you really think it's a compelling reason, then it may
be worth it to try at least to file as opposed to just overstay and not do anything about
it. So, hopefully, this information was useful. Again, that was in response to one of our
subscribers’ questions. That person had to overstay and we were able to help them
get that extension approved. So, thanks for watching, and we'll see you in the next video.
And remember, make sure to subscribe to our channel so you can get notifications. Click
that bell about videos like that that will help you solve a legal issue here. And also,
click the like if you liked the video, share it with somebody who may need it, or who may
find this information useful. And we'll see you in our next video.