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Automated I-94 Card Pointers

United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has officially implemented its program to automate Form I-94 at all air and sea ports of entry.  The I-94 card has historically been used to document the arrival and departure of foreign citizens who are being admitted into the U.S. with a nonimmigrant visa status at time of entry.  Under the new provisions, the information is captured electronically but an actual card is no longer issued.
This new automated system has resulted in some confusion across various government agencies and law firms, and with foreign nationals, as people try to navigate through the new process of obtaining proof of valid, legal admission into the U.S.
Berardi Immigration Law advises our clients to do the following:

  1. Print your Form I-94 each time you arrive in the U.S.; and
  2. Verify that the information on the Form I-94 is correct.

Following are several tips on how to locate and print the Form I-94 from CBP’s automated system at: www.cbp.gov/I94.  Please note: you must print your I-94 information while you are inside the U.S.  Once you depart the U.S. that latest I-94 information will be irretrievable from the system.  
If you are still inside the U.S. and Form I-94 cannot be located on the CBP website, follow these below steps:

  1. Ensure all data is entered correctly and that the data is entered in the applicable fields.
  2. Enter name as stated in the passport, visa, or the submitted Form DS-160.
  3. Enter the first and middle name in the First Name field.
  4. Switch the order of the names.
  5. Enter multiple first names or multiple last names without spaces.
  6. Check for multiple passport numbers.
  7. Do not enter the year if included in the passport number.
  8. Check the classification to ensure that the classification stated on the admission stamp is the same as the classification on the visa.
  9. If none of the above efforts resolve the issue, call or visit the Deferred Inspection Office.

For more information please see a previous post, How to get a copy of your electronic I-94 card, or contact one of our nonimmigrant visa attorneys today.