I-94 form Guide
The purpose of Form I-94/I-94W is to record the arrival and departure information of all visitors to the United States. Most visitors to the United States need to apply for a visa before entering the U.S., unless if the person is a citizen of one of the 27 visa waiver countries and has a machine-readable passport. Citizens of visa waiver countries can enter the U.S. for up to 90-day visa-free. Regardless of whether the visitor is entering the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, or if he/she has a visa, all visitors must complete either Form I-94 (white) or Form I-94W (green).
I-94 visa form when entering the USA
As of April 30, 2013, the US immigration authorities have amended the regulations for issuing and completing the I-94 Arrival / Departure Record for the United States. Currently, Form I-94 is only available in electronic form to anyone crossing the US border.
Electronic version of the I-94 form
The electronic entry form I-94 is valid for all persons crossing the US border by sea or air. Instead of the current i-94 paper form, which we filled out on the plane, we will only receive an additional stamp at passport control (in the USA). The stamp will contain a date informing us of the length of the US entry visa received.
Print yourself copies of I-94
Attention! Anyone who crosses the US border no longer needs to complete an I-94 form. Copies of the I-94 form for personal use will be available for printing online, the form is available at (https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94)
What should be entered in each field:
Family Name: Surname
First (Given) Name: The first name
Birth Date (MM / DD / YYYY): The date of birth. We provide in the month / day / year format
Passport Number: Passport Numar
Country of Issuance: Country that has issued a US entry visa
Date of Entry (MM / DD / YYYY): The date of crossing the US border is given in the month / day / year format (it is on the stamp that the customs services at the US airport have stamped into our passport)
Class of Admission: The type of visa we received. Most often for tourist trips it is B1
After completing the form, press the “Submit” button to submit the information. After a while, the system will generate a document that can be printed.
Form I-94, departure from the USA
People leaving the United States who have a stamp in their passport with the date of leaving the territory of the United States, “the so-called electronic version of I-94 ”do not need to take any steps to register their departure from the USA at passport control.
If you have a paper I-94 form, you must still remember to return the form to an airline or U.S Custom Protection employee before leaving the US.
Questions from traveling to the USA:
I cannot print the I-94 form. My data is not in the system! Does this mean that my trip has not been recorded in the system and that I will have problems with my next trip to the USA?
A lot of people ask me why, after returning to my country, they cannot find their data on the website and thus cannot print the form. What do you have to do in this case?
According to information provided by the US Immigration Office, people who left the US will not have access to the electronic version of I-94. The form will be available for printing or viewing only during your stay in the USA.
So, if you want to check your online form after leaving the US and it doesn’t appear, please don’t panic. You have certainly been recorded in the system as people who left the territory of the United States.
The entry clearly says about it:
“A traveler will have access to their most recent admission record on the I-94 website until departure from the United States. An admission record will no longer be available to the traveler on the website once he or she departs the United States. The record will remain available to the traveler for the duration a traveler remains in the United States. ”
What is the difference between Form I-94 and Form I-94W?
Form I-94 (white): It is issued to visitors who hold a valid U.S. visa, such as B-1, B-2, F-1, H-1B, etc. Form I-94W (green): Is issued to visitors who enter the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program. The “W” stands for “Waiver”. This means that you waive your rights to review or appeal any decision regarding admissibility in the United States, and prevents you (in most cases) from extending your stay in the United States or changing immigration status. Normally this is not a problem, but it is important to be aware of in case on possibly changing status after you enter the United States.
Form I-94 and Form I-94W consist of two parts:
Arrival Record: The top part of the form is kept by the immigration officer upon arrival
Departure Record: The bottom part is your departure record which must be returned upon departure
The information requested on the CBP Form I-94, Arrival Record, upper portion, includes:
– Family Name
– First Name
– Date of Birth
– Country of Citizenship
– Sex (Male or Female)
– Passport Number
– Airline and Flight Number (if applicable)
– Country Where You Live – Lawful Permanent Residence
– City Where You Boarded (if applicable)
– City Where Visa was Issued (if applicable)
– Date Issued (Day/Mo/Yr) (if applicable)
– Address While in the United States (Number and Street)
– City and State
The information requested on the CBP Form I-94, Departure Record, lower portion, includes:
– Family Name
– First Name
– Date of Birth
– Country of Citizenship
After the successful completion of processing the applicant, a CBP officer stamps the applicant’s CBP Form I-94, Arrival and Departure Records, and the passport. The CBP Declaration, used at air and sea ports of entry, may also be stamped by the CBP officer. The CBP officer retains the arrival portion of the CBP Form I-94 print and returns the departure portion of the CBP Form I-94 and passport to the applicant.
The departure portion of CBP Form I-94 and passport is to be in the applicant’s possession at all times until the applicant departs the United States.
IF I LOSE I-94 FORM?
If you lost I-94 card or if it is damaged, you can apply to replace it by filing Form I-102, Application for Replacement Arrival-Departure Document. You can file Form I-102 if you want to replace a lost, stolen or mutilated Form I-94 or I-94W. You can also use this form if you want to replace a mutilated Form I-95. Additionally, if you want an initial Form I-94 and if you want to file Form I-102 at the same time as an application for an extension of stay or change of status, you may use this form.
You can find more information on Wikipedia