The I-94 record is the arrival/departure record that foreign nationals receive when they enter the United States. The I-94 contains the foreign national's admission number, class of admission, admitted-until date and date of entry.
The I-94 Card is given to you by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at the U.S. border when you travel to the U.S.. You will fill out the card and the immigration officer will stamp part of it and give it back to you. For F and Js the I-94 card will have your admission number on it, and it should indicate "D/S" (Duration of Status) instead of an expiration date. This means that the institution sponsoring you can extend your program of stay, even if the visa itself has expired. The I-94 card should remain in your passport at all times.
When you leave the U.S., you should surrender the paper I-94 to the airline. or offer it at the port of exit if traveling by land or sea. When you re-enter the U.S., you will receive either a new paper I-94 or an admission stamp and electronic I-94 record.
The Admission Stamp is given to you by the CBP officer at the port of entry when you arrive in the United States. Your passport will be stamped with your date of admission, class of admission and admitted-until date ("D/S" for F-1 and J-1). Your arrival information, including your admission number, will be processed electronically by CBP.
We strongly recommend that you print and keep an electronic I-94 record after each entry.
CBP creates an electronic record for every arrival and departure. Review the following information to access and manage your electronic I-94 record. Review the data for accuracy before printing. If your I-94 record does not show your most recent entry to the U.S. or your visa status is wrong, contact your OVIS advisor immediately.
When you enter the U.S., check the admission stamp in your passport. The CBP officer at the port-of-entry should place an admission stamp in your passport with the date of your entry, and write in both the immigration classification (i.e. F-1, J-1, H-1B) and the expiration date of your temporary stay (D/S for F and J visa holders).
Once you are in the U.S. and have Internet access, print an electronic version of your I-94 record of arrival. Enter your First (Given) Name
Review the data for accuracy before printing. If your I-94 record does not show your most recent entry to the U.S. or your visa status is wrong, contact your OVIS advisor immediately.
We strongly recommend that you print and keep an electronic I-94 record after you enter the United States.