Unless otherwise exempted, each arriving foreign national who is admitted to the U.S. as a nonimmigrant is issued a Form I-94, Arrival Departure Record (commonly referred to as an “I-94 card”). 8 C.F.R. § 235.1(h) (2013). The I-94 card is significant as it governs the terms of each nonimmigrant’s admission to the U.S., specifically indicating the date, place, classification, and period of lawful nonimmigrant admission to the U.S.
At present, I-94 cards are issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the U.S. port-of-entry on a small, white, square card, which card is generally stapled in the foreign national’s passport. This I-94 card is surrendered upon departure from the U.S.
On April 30, 2013, CBP will begin phasing-out paper I-94 cards to foreign nationals arriving in the U.S. by air or sea. Please click here to continue reading this alert.