Lady B
Mar 15, 2026
Combo Card Travel Experience
I wanted to share my experience for anyone that has combo card with Vawa pending.
I went to Tijuana, Mexico yesterday and came back same day. crossed via card through San Ysidro. I was taken to secondary inspection, officer that walked me was not familiar with my combo card and was asking for my AP approval. I was asked to sit in the lobby and wait for my name to be called, and he asked me if I have a digital copy of my approval to search for it.
as I was in my phone gathering all my VAWA receipts, a supervisor walked by and told me I couldn’t be on my phone i explained to her what the offer told me and she said, i didn’t need that but she will look into it. she came back about 20 mins later, asked me what was the reason I left, when did I leave, what did I do in tj, she asked about my vawa case and my current DACA. she then asked me if I had my AP approval letter because they needed to confirm if my parole was granted because of daca or vawa. by this time it was already 9:50 pm, and she told me she would be back. they do shift changes at 10 pm and she had to pass along all my information to the next shifts supervisor. the next supervisor came to talk to me at around 11pm and asked me the same questions, when did I leave, what did I do there. I showed him my AP & EAD approval. I asked what exactly was it they needed so I can try to help. he said my entry was approved, the only thing they are waiting on was verification on if I needed to pay the $1,000 fee. they were all very nice and it seemed like this type of combo card is not something they see often. my fees were waived, my passport was stamped. total time I was in secondary inspection was 5hours, part being the shift change, me having to dig for my copies in my emails and how complicated the case was for anyone else that came in to be processed.
I recommend traveling with your approval documents to help speed up the process.
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Lady BMar 15, 2026
forgot to mention, they took my finger prints and picture.
Leo BMar 15, 2026
Thanks for sharing
leny BritoMar 15, 2026
And at which airport did that happen to you?@Lady B
Lady BMar 15, 2026
@leny Brito i didn’t fly in, I crossed by car through the San Ysidro port of entry.
Jim doeMar 16, 2026
how do you have daca and vawa?
Jim doeMar 16, 2026
I always thought there’s no pathway with daca? just curious
Lady BMar 16, 2026
@Jim doe I’ve had daca since 2013 & applied for VAWA in 2024, my lawyer advised me to not give up my daca
Jim doeMar 16, 2026
@Lady B okay, I was just curious
oh Canada Mar 17, 2026
wow they charged me last Tuesday at Toronto airport pre clearance. every port of entry is applying the fee at their own discretion because I had proof my VAWA 485 were my only applications and my petition falls under 245 and AP is a valid combo card and they didn’t care. they said their internal process was to charge VAWA applicants the same as daca and tps. be prepared everyone
Lady BMar 17, 2026
@oh Canada you should receive information on getting a refund, based on USCIS website is exempt from the fee. It is #7 on the list.
but anyone should be prepared to pay just in case, I was prepared to pay just not with my paperwork.
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/10/16/2025-19564/immigration-parole-fee-required-by-hr-1-reconciliation-bill
oh Canada Mar 17, 2026
@Lady B yes I had the statute right in front of them and they didn’t care. I have reached out to every entity to resolve this and pursue a refund but with the shutdown it could take months.
oh Canada Mar 19, 2026
@Lady B update: I received an email yesterday that stated the following, please keep in mind this is after many emails to different parts of the agency to course correct: dear Ms.
A higher-level review was conducted internally, and we agree with your position. As such, we will be processing a refund of your parole fee in the amount of $1020. The typical timeframe for a refund will be 2-4 weeks and will be credited back to your original payment method.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
jack jagMar 22, 2026
not gonna travel, this is messed up.
