The I-94 Arrival/Departure Record is a very important document. The I-94 shows your legal entry into the United States and establishes the conditions and length of stay allowed.
Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record
The I-94 documents your legal entry, or “admission”, into the United States. For most people the I-94 is obtained from the Customs and Border Protection I-94 web site (https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home) after arrival in the U.S. The I-94 documents the immigration status you status you were granted and the length of time you are allowed to stay in the U.S. These very important decisions are marked by the following notations on the I-94:
- Admission Record Number - an 11-digit number. You will need to know this number when applying for a driver’s license or social security number.
- Admit Until Date - All J-1 scholar I-94s should be marked "D/S" for "Duration of Status" This is the amount of time you are allowed to stay in the U.S. J-1 scholars will usually be allowed to stay for “duration of status” indicated by a written or stamped notation “D/S”. The immigration officer also has the choice to write or stamp a specific date for departure on the I-94 (known as “date certain”). Duration of status allows you to stay in the U.S. until your program end date on your DS-2019 and as long as you follow the rules to maintain J-1 status.
- Class of Admission – This notation shows the immigration status you will hold during your stay in the U.S., e.g. J-1, F-1 or another status. It should match the visa and status that you request.
- Name, Birth Date, Passport Number and Country, Date of Entry - Check this information to be sure it is correct.
Arrival
All persons arriving in the U.S. by air or sea may obtain their I-94 via the CBP I-94 web site (https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home) after arrival. A new I-94 must be retrieved for every arrival in the U.S. (except for some travel from Canada – see below). The international scholar adviser at ISSS will assist you with I-94 at your check-in appointment.
If you enter the U.S. via a land border crossing, you will be given a paper I-94 form and a customs declaration to fill out. Complete the forms as indicated. When you go through U.S. immigration inspection, present the I-94 along with your passport, DS-2019 and other supporting documents. The officer will review your documents, mark the I-94 and then return all of your documents to you. Officers usually staple the I-94 in your passport – leave it there! If the officer did not staple it in your passport, we recommend you staple it so it does not get separated from your passport or lost.
Departure
If you have the web-based I-94, you do not need to do anything with it when you leave the U.S. If you have the paper form I-94, you must surrender I-94. The I-94 is usually collected by an airline employee at the time you check-in or as you board the plane. At border crossings, you must be sure to hand in your I-94 to a U.S. immigration officer.
Travel to/from Canada
After your initial entry into the U.S., the I-94 is sometimes processed differently for subsequent travel to/from Canada. If you are traveling to Canada ONLY, and will return to the U.S. within 30 days, you may keep your I-94 upon leaving the U.S. and then present for your re-entry to the U.S. See Travel to Canada and Mexico and consult a scholar adviser at ISSS for travel to Canada.
I-94 – An Important Document
It is not necessary carry your documents (passport, visa, I-94, DS-2019) with you while you are in the local Portland area. Your documents are very valuable and should be kept at home in a safe and secure location. However, we recommend that you make a copy of your I-94 and carry the copy in your wallet with you at all times. This will provide you with a form of immigration identification until you can access your original documents if needed.
Your passport, visa, I-94 and DS-2019 are important documents and can be very difficult, costly and time consuming to replace if lost or stolen. Make a complete set of copies of your documents and then put the original and copied documents in two different, safe and secure locations.
If you will be in Oregon for more than six months, you may want to obtain an Oregon driver’s license or state ID card for official ID purposes, in order to avoid carrying your passport with you. For license and ID information, see “Oregon Driver’s License/State ID.”