Tijuana Travel Forum

Hello,

I am a US citizen and my girlfriend is a French Citizen staying here with me in the US. Her 90 day visa waiver is up in the first week of october. We'd like to buy ourselves a little more time (another 90 days) but don't want to go through all the marriage/immirgration hassle just yet. She doesn't have a green card, etc. All she has is her valid passport and california state issed ID + her social security card when she used to study here a few years back

So we plan to go to mexico for the weekend and re-enter so she doesnt have to necessarily fly back to France to re-enter. As you can immagine, the cost of driving to mexico is much cheaper than flying LAX/CDG.

If anyone has any imput, comments, or advice on what I will expect at the re-entry border let me know :) Thank you all!

Sincerely,

A poor man in love with a non-us citizen who is sick of the US immigration policy and its astronomical hike of application fees!

Be careful. That is not allowed by US authorities. Going to Mexico and/or Canada is not considered as leaving for a stay abroad and then when coming back to apply for another 90 day visa waiver stay. There has been a discussion here about that some time ago, VT-member albertriddell (Ian) has experienced that the hard way. He was refused entry when coming back from Mexico doing exactly what you have in mind.

Saludos poor man in luv. Immigration and border crossing issues should be directed at savy official personnel. Can only suggest you contact LORENA BLANCO, she is PR person for US Consulate in TIJUANA. Ask her/them. You dont want to end up with her in TJ and you in US. good luck.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/visitors_us/vwp/vwp.xml

Get advice from a competent imigration lawyer before you leave the country, or she may not be able to get back into the country (meaning that she would have to fly back to France from Mexico.)

This is not a do-it-yourself project. I know they are expensive, but this is a question for an imigration attorney. If you are in California I would look for an imigrant rigths organization, see if they have a hotline, they answer questions like this all the time.

Good Luck,

David

If your friend's passport includes "multiple entry," and she visits Mexico and returns before the October date, she could ask at the San Ysidro entry point for an extention on her visa. She should be able to prove that she can afford to stay for a longer period without having to get a job of any sort.

I had an Austrian friend, from South Africa, who had applied for an extention and since she had been traveling around the extention didn't reach her and her time was running out. We crossed the Tijuana border one night after an evening of dinner and dancing and when when crossing back to the USA about 2 am we asked the Custom officials what she could do about the extention. He sent us upstairs where it was issued on the spot. She had travelers checks to prove that she could afford a longer stay.

Since 9/11 I know things have changed to some extent so it might not be this easy, but I believe that at the border they do have the authority to issue the extention.