Successfully traveled USVI → mainland US on H-1B with NO visa stamp, carrying only a color copy of I-797 (not original). CBP cleared me with zero questions asked. Sharing because I spent days stressing and the existing info online is fragmented and skewed toward worst-case stories.
For anyone unfamiliar: USVI (US Virgin Islands) is US territory, so traveling there from the mainland is technically domestic. You don’t need a passport to fly in, and you don’t need a visa stamp. A driver’s license (Real ID) is enough to board.
Here’s the catch: USVI sits outside the US customs zone. So when you fly back to the mainland, you go through a CBP immigration checkpoint at the St. Thomas airport before boarding. They verify you’re legally allowed to be in the US. Just carry original but if you forget don’t panic, print a clear copy of i797A and you should be good. People are really friendly too!