Checking your I-94 when returning from foreign travel to the United States is one of the easiest but most important steps for all foreign nationals. Ensuring your I-94 was filled out correctly and wasn't limited for some reason can save you from major heartache and future consequences.
Somewhat recently, I had someone reach out concerned about his wife's I-94. After traveling to visit her family abroad, she had re-entered the United States and never checked her I-94. She didn't think she needed to since her H-4 visa was good for another couple of years. When she entered, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent updating her I-94 limited her period of stay to the expiration of her passport. One year and a half later, her husband was reaching out to an attorney desperately concerned about his wife's status. Thankfully, a creative solution was used to fix the issue (thank you Nunc Pro Tunc) and their family is now at ease knowing their status is safe. Avoiding issues like this is simple, check your I-94 after you travel.
CBP agents update your I-94 manually each time you enter the United States. It is vital you check your I-94 to ensure no mistakes were made by the agent plugging your information into the system. You can check your I-94 by visiting CBP's website by clicking the button below:
Common mistakes made to I-94s include misspelled names, incorrect entry dates, incorrect dates of birth, or the wrong class of admission. In some instances, your I-94 may be missing completely. What should you do if an error is found in your I-94?
My recommendation is contacting CBP by email. You can also go to deferred inspection at the airport you flew into or in some instances call CBP. Often, the fastest and easiest option is email. The other nice thing about email is that you also create a record for future possible use showing you noted the error and attempted to fix it. I suggest sending your email to the Deferred Inspection Unit located at the airport of your most recent entry. You can find their contact information by clicking on the below button:
If they are not responsive, and trust me some units are much more responsive than others, then you do have the option of emailing another unit. There are certain units I email frequently that are incredibly helpful and responsive. For suggestions, you can reach out to your attorney or to our firm and we can share which Deferred Inspection Unit you should reach out to if you are having a difficult time reaching the unit at your airport of entry. When sending an email you should attach needed information such as your biographic passport page, Approval Notice, plane ticket, etc. You can say something such as the following: Hello, My name is [name], I recently came back from [country] on [date] and due to global entry the officer did not stamp the entry stamp at LA Airport and said that I can print I-94 online. I checked online and the I-94 has not updated as it does not reflect my most recent entry. Attached to this email is a copy of my biographic passport page, most recent Approval Notice, and recent plane ticket showing my date of return to the US. Please update my I-94 so that it reflects my most recent date of entry. Let me know if you require further information. Thank you,
[name]
Another issue plaguing foreign nationals is I-94s that cannot be found. If you cannot locate your I-94 record on CBP's website and a page appears saying "no I-94 record was found for this user," then you’ll need to reach out to the Deferred Inspection Unit and say something such as the following: Hello,
I am unable to locate my I-94 after my most recent entry to the United States through [city] on [date] in [status] status. Please help me locate my I-94.
I am attaching a screenshot of my attempt to locate my I-94 showing that results are "not found", a copy of my passport biographical page, my visa stamp, approval notice (or I-20, DS-2019, etc.) to assist you in this request.
Thank you, [name]
If concerned about an error in your I-94, you should contact an attorney.
*Please note, CBP does not assist with the correction of electronic travel history errors. Travel history errors should have no impact on your ability to live and work in the United States.
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