EAD/AP Combo card renewal - reporting a cruise [edited title]

[Mudra Desai 0]

Hello, I have a question about my EAD & AP renewal. I have my I-485 pending and have received the EAD/AP combo card. Now I need to file the EAD/AP renewal.My husband and I took a closed loop cruise in December 2018 to the Carribean islands from Gaveston and I had no issues going and coming back with the AP. On the EAD & AP form, there's a question no. 22& 23 "Date of last arrival into the United states & Place of your last arrival in the United States".

Do I need to enter the cruise port as the place of arrival? My I-94 still shows the date I originally entered on my K-1 visa to Dallas & travel history also doesn't show the cruise since the Customs & border patrol officer only looked at my EAD/AP combo card and allowed me entry, they didn't make any notes or stamp my passport. 

I am thinking to write the date I returned from the cruise and then add an explanation on the last page where they provide additional lines explaining that the I-94 doesnt reflect this date since the CBP Officer did not stamp my passport when I returned from cruise. I dont want to wait 4-5 months only to have my EAD renewal rejected. I tried calling USCIS but couldnt reach a representative, the automated voice kept playing on loop. Please help, any advise is appreciated. Thank you. 

[Loren Y 2,731]

Don't think you will have to put the dates. you can if you want, but I have done many cruises out of Galveston, Miami, etc. and all the cruises there are covered under what is called the Western Travel Initiative( google it for explanation). But any US citizen can take those cruises without a passport being required, and since you have AP, though you are not technically a US citizen , the CBP at the cruise ship ports are pretty lax when it comes to entry back into the United States because because of the travel arrangements you are not really leaving the country on a closed loop cruise like that. Yes, you do visit the Bahamas, Cancun, Cozumel, etc. you don't ever really leave the United States in a way, it is a weird arrangement, but set up more buy the cruise lines as a way to increase revenue because they can advertise no passport required, welcome aboard!!!

Just to be safe I would stick with your plan to mention it in the explanation page, but since they didn't stamp or scan your EAD or passport there really isn't a record per say. The cruise ship maintains records for CBP inspection, but other than that nothing super official. When I take the cruises I usually bring my passport, but I just use my Real ID drivers license most of the time because it is all that is required.

[Mudra Desai 0]

12 minutes ago, Loren Y said:

Don't think you will have to put the dates. you can if you want, but I have done many cruises out of Galveston, Miami, etc. and all the cruises there are covered under what is called the Western Travel Initiative( google it for explanation). But any US citizen can take those cruises without a passport being required, and since you have AP, though you are not technically a US citizen , the CBP at the cruise ship ports are pretty lax when it comes to entry back into the United States because because of the travel arrangements you are not really leaving the country on a closed loop cruise like that. Yes, you do visit the Bahamas, Cancun, Cozumel, etc. you don't ever really leave the United States in a way, it is a weird arrangement, but set up more buy the cruise lines as a way to increase revenue because they can advertise no passport required, welcome aboard!!!

Just to be safe I would stick with your plan to mention it in the explanation page, but since they didn't stamp or scan your EAD or passport there really isn't a record per say. The cruise ship maintains records for CBP inspection, but other than that nothing super official. When I take the cruises I usually bring my passport, but I just use my Real ID drivers license most of the time because it is all that is required.

Thank you, this helps a lot. I think I should mention the official date on my I -94 in the main form & add an explanation for the cruise travel mentioning there's no record for it since the CBP Officer didn't stamp my passport or scan my EAD, Just to be on the safe side.

[Loren Y 2,731]

1 minute ago, Mudra Desai said:

Thank you, this helps a lot. I think I should mention the official date on my I -94 in the main form & add an explanation for the cruise travel mentioning there's no record for it since the CBP Officer didn't stamp my passport or scan my EAD, Just to be on the safe side.

Yes, just to cover yourself. My wifes EAD card will be here tomorrow, and I am not sure if like the US passport card they have the electronic chip inside them ( Will scan it with my reader), where you just get close to the reader usually when you approach the CBP counter it reads the card wirelessly. So there may be a record of your travel and you don't even know it, as soon as you have the passport card within 5-7 feet of a reader, it pulls the information right off the card into the system. Does your EAD/AP card come with what they call a special sleeve to keep it in? that means it has an RFID chip inside it. I'll google it myself because I don't know, and that would be something to know about.

[Mudra Desai 0]

37 minutes ago, Loren Y said:

Yes, just to cover yourself. My wifes EAD card will be here tomorrow, and I am not sure if like the US passport card they have the electronic chip inside them ( Will scan it with my reader), where you just get close to the reader usually when you approach the CBP counter it reads the card wirelessly. So there may be a record of your travel and you don't even know it, as soon as you have the passport card within 5-7 feet of a reader, it pulls the information right off the card into the system. Does your EAD/AP card come with what they call a special sleeve to keep it in? that means it has an RFID chip inside it. I'll google it myself because I don't know, and that would be something to know about.

Yes, I do have the one with sleeve. I didn't know about the automatic card reader. Thank you for your help  I'll include the cruise details in the additional info.

[Loren Y 2,731]

19 hours ago, Mudra Desai said:

Yes, I do have the one with sleeve. I didn't know about the automatic card reader. Thank you for your help  I'll include the cruise details in the additional info.

My wife's card just arrived today. It definitely has a chip in it, and they included the protector as well. So if you had your card out within 5 feet of the CBP officers desk, it recorded you were there. That is why he just glanced at it, the information was already on his screen by the time you approached the desk/counter.

[Mudra Desai 0]

6 hours ago, Loren Y said:

My wife's card just arrived today. It definitely has a chip in it, and they included the protector as well. So if you had your card out within 5 feet of the CBP officers desk, it recorded you were there. That is why he just glanced at it, the information was already on his screen by the time you approached the desk/counter.

Oh okay. I am including the cruise details in the additional information so hopefully I'll be okay.

Thank you for your help.