I-94 Errors and How to Correct Them: CBP Process for F-1, H-1B, and Other Visa Holders

A wrong class of admission or admission date on your I-94 can quietly undermine your visa status — here is exactly how to fix it before it causes real damage.

You landed in the US, cleared Customs and Border Protection, and moved on with your life. Weeks later — maybe when you're filling out an H-1B petition, renewing your OPT EAD, or checking your status for the first time — you pull up your I-94 at the CBP website and notice something is wrong. Maybe it says "B-2" when you entered on an F-1 visa. Maybe the authorized-until date is off by months. Maybe your name is misspelled in the admission record.

This kind of error is more common than most people realize, and the consequences of leaving it uncorrected range from minor inconvenience to serious immigration jeopardy. The good news is that CBP has a straightforward administrative process for fixing these mistakes, and in most cases you can resolve it in a single visit to a local office. Here is exactly what you need to know.

Why the I-94 matters so much

The Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, is the authoritative document that establishes your period of authorized stay in the United States. CBP generates it electronically when you enter the country, and you can retrieve it at any time from i94.cbp.dhs.gov.

The I-94 controls three things that affect every visa holder's life:

• Class of admission — the visa category under which you were admitted (F-1, H-1B, L-1, O-1, B-2, and so on)
• Authorized period of stay — either a specific date or "D/S" (Duration of Status), which F-1 and J-1 holders typically receive
• Admission number — the 11-digit identifier tied to your entry

USCIS, employers, and DSOs all check the I-94 when processing petitions and benefits. If the class of admission does not match your visa or petition, it can trigger an RFE (Request for Evidence) on an H-1B filing, cause a STEM OPT extension to stall, or — in the worst case — create a gap in status that is difficult to explain later.

Common I-94 errors and how they happen

CBP officers enter data manually at ports of entry. Electronic systems pull information from passport chips and prior records, but human transcription is still involved. Common errors include:

The error rate is low but nonzero. International students and H-1B holders who travel frequently and re-enter multiple times per year are most likely to encounter a discrepancy at some point.

Step one — verify your current I-94 immediately after every entry

Make it a habit: within 48 to 72 hours after every US entry, visit i94.cbp.dhs.gov, log in with your passport details, and verify:

1. Class of admission matches your visa stamp (e.g., F-1 should say F-1, not F-2 or B-2)
2. Authorized-until date is correct (or shows D/S if you are on F-1 or J-1)
3. Your name and date of birth are spelled correctly

Print or save a PDF of the correct I-94 as soon as your next entry populates. This becomes your baseline document for any future petition. If something looks wrong, act immediately — it is far easier to fix within days of entry than months later.

The three ways to correct an I-94 error

Option 1 — CBP Deferred Inspection Site (fastest for most errors)

The Deferred Inspection Site network is CBP's primary mechanism for post-entry corrections. These offices are located at or near major airports and ports of entry, and their explicit job is to handle I-94 discrepancies, entry record issues, and related administrative corrections.

What to bring to a Deferred Inspection Site:

1. Your current passport (and previous passport if the entry happened under a prior one)
2. The visa stamp under which you entered the US
3. Printout of the erroneous I-94 from the CBP portal
4. Supporting documents that prove the correct information:
   • For F-1 holders: valid I-20 from your DSO, SEVIS registration confirmation
   • For H-1B holders: the approved I-797 Notice of Action and the LCA
   • For J-1 holders: DS-2019 signed by the responsible officer
   • For O-1 holders: approval notice from USCIS
5. Any prior I-94 printouts showing correct admissions

The officer will review your entry record in CBP's system, compare it against your documents, and issue a corrected I-94 — either immediately or within a short follow-up period. There is no fee for this correction.

To find the nearest Deferred Inspection Site, search "CBP Deferred Inspection Site" followed by your city on the CBP.gov website, or call the CBP InfoCenter at 1-877-227-5511.

Option 2 — mail or electronic request to CBP

If you cannot easily travel to a Deferred Inspection Site — for instance, you are in a city without one, or the discrepancy is minor — CBP also accepts written correction requests.

You will submit:

• A signed written request explaining the error in detail
• Copies of all supporting documents listed above
• A copy of the erroneous I-94 printout

Mail to the CBP port of entry where you originally arrived, or use the CBP InfoCenter online at cbp.gov. Processing time for mail-in requests is typically two to six weeks. This is slower than an in-person visit, but works well for minor corrections like name typos when your class of admission and dates are correct.

Option 3 — Form I-102 (replacement I-94 from USCIS)

If CBP cannot locate your entry record, or if your I-94 is missing entirely (as can happen with certain land border crossings or system failures), you can file Form I-102, Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival/Departure Record, with USCIS. The filing fee is approximately $540 as of 2026 — check the USCIS fee schedule for the current amount at uscis.gov/fee-schedule.

Form I-102 is the right tool when:

• There is no I-94 on record at all (lost entry record)
• CBP cannot correct the discrepancy through administrative means
• Your entry was through a land border and the electronic record is missing

For most airport-entry errors, the Deferred Inspection Site is faster and free, so try that route first.

Specific scenarios by visa category

F-1 students — "D/S" versus a date

F-1 and J-1 holders should see "D/S" (Duration of Status) in the authorized-until field, not a specific date. Duration of Status means you are authorized to stay as long as you maintain a valid F-1 program and comply with SEVIS requirements.

If your I-94 shows a specific date instead of D/S, that creates a technical overstay problem even if you are fully compliant with your F-1 program — because if that date passes, CBP's system may record you as having overstayed. Read more about the implications of overstaying in our guide on I-94 overstay consequences for F-1 students.

Fix this immediately: go to a Deferred Inspection Site with your I-20 and SEVIS confirmation, and ask the officer to correct "D/S" to the authorized-until field.

H-1B holders — class of admission errors and cap-gap timing

For H-1B holders, the class of admission should read H-1B. If it says H-4, B-1, or anything else, it creates a mismatch with your petition that USCIS will flag during any subsequent filing — an extension, an amendment for a worksite change, or an I-140 for green card sponsorship.

H-1B holders who entered during the cap-gap period (the period between October 1 and H-1B activation when F-1 students' status is bridged) should have been admitted in F-1 with H-1B pending, then had their record updated at activation. If your I-94 still shows F-1 class of admission after your H-1B became effective, you need to correct this. See our explainer on H-1B cap-gap extension rules for how that transition works.

Travel during cap-gap adds another layer of complexity — see H-1B cap-gap travel risks in 2026 for a full breakdown of what happens to your I-94 when you re-enter during that window.

OPT and STEM OPT holders

OPT EAD holders are admitted in F-1 status, so the class of admission should still read F-1. The OPT authorization is on the EAD card, not the I-94. If your I-94 says anything other than F-1 while you are on post-completion OPT or the 24-month STEM OPT extension, contact your DSO and visit a Deferred Inspection Site.

Note that the 90-day unemployment limit during OPT counts from actual calendar days — a status correction does not reset that clock, but an error on your I-94 can complicate how USCIS evaluates your OPT period if you later file for H-1B cap change of status.

J-1 visa holders

J-1 holders should see "D/S" and class of admission J-1. J-1 holders in the Conrad 30 waiver pathway (common for IMG physicians) or academic researchers on J-1 working toward an H-1B or O-1 transition must have clean I-94 records, since the J-1 two-year home residence requirement and any waiver history will be scrutinized during later petitions. Fix any I-94 discrepancy before that transition begins.

Step-by-step timeline for a typical Deferred Inspection correction

Here is a realistic sequence for an F-1 student whose I-94 shows the wrong class of admission after re-entering the US:

1. Day 1 — Discover the error. Pull your I-94 from i94.cbp.dhs.gov. Print it. Note the specific discrepancy.
2. Day 1 — Notify your DSO. Email your International Student Office with the erroneous I-94 attached. Your DSO can provide a letter confirming your valid F-1 status and SEVIS record.
3. Day 2 — Locate the nearest Deferred Inspection Site. Use CBP.gov to find the office. Call ahead to confirm walk-in hours — some offices require appointments.
4. Day 2 or 3 — Gather your documents. Passport, visa stamp, I-20 (all pages), SEVIS confirmation, DSO letter, printout of erroneous I-94.
5. Day 3 or 4 — Visit the Deferred Inspection Site. Present your documents to the officer. Explain the discrepancy clearly and calmly. Show them the correct entry in your passport.
6. Same day or within 72 hours — Correction issued. The officer updates CBP's system. You receive a corrected I-94 printout or are told when to retrieve the updated record online.
7. Within 48 hours of correction — Verify the correction. Log back into the CBP I-94 portal and confirm the corrected record shows correctly. Print a new copy for your files.
8. Day 7-10 — Inform your DSO and employer. Provide the corrected I-94 to anyone who received the erroneous version.

Common mistakes

Ignoring a minor-looking error. "It's just a typo in my name" becomes a problem when your passport, I-94, and Social Security record don't match. CBP E-Verify and USCIS records all need to align. Fix every discrepancy, no matter how small.

Waiting until you need to file a petition. H-1B petitions, STEM OPT extensions, and green card applications all require a current, accurate I-94. Discovering an error the week before your OPT expires is not the time to start the correction process.

Going to a Deferred Inspection Site without complete documents. Officers cannot correct a record they cannot verify. If you show up without your I-20, DS-2019, or approval notice, they will ask you to return with those documents. Bring everything on your first visit.

Assuming the CBP portal auto-updates after a correction. After a Deferred Inspection officer makes a change, the online portal may take 24 to 72 hours to reflect the update. Do not panic if your I-94 still shows the error immediately after the visit.

Conflating the I-94 with the visa stamp. Your visa stamp is issued by the State Department and allows you to apply for entry into the US. The I-94 is issued by CBP and authorizes your actual stay. They are separate documents and must independently be accurate. A valid visa stamp does not override an erroneous I-94.

Filing USCIS forms before correcting the I-94. If you submit an H-1B petition or OPT extension with an erroneous I-94, USCIS may issue an RFE citing the discrepancy between the I-94 class of admission and the benefit being sought. Fix the I-94 first, then file. If you have already filed, submit the corrected I-94 as a supplement immediately.

Not keeping a paper trail. After every correction, save digital copies of the erroneous I-94, the corrected I-94, and any CBP correspondence. You may need this record years later if your immigration history is scrutinized during a green card adjudication.

What to do if CBP says they cannot find your record

Occasionally, CBP's system does not have an entry record for a particular admission — most often for land border crossings, which have historically had less consistent electronic recording than air entries. If the Deferred Inspection officer cannot locate your entry:

• Ask them to check by passport number, date of entry, and port of entry name
• If you have a boarding pass or airline receipt from the flight, bring that as supplemental proof of entry
• If the record is genuinely missing, proceed to Form I-102 with USCIS as described above
• Your DSO or immigration attorney can write a letter attesting to continuous presence and SEVIS compliance during the period in question

Frequently asked questions

What should I do if my I-94 shows the wrong class of admission?

Do not ignore it. Print or screenshot the erroneous I-94 from CBP's online portal at i94.cbp.dhs.gov, then visit the nearest CBP Deferred Inspection Site with your passport, visa stamp, and entry documents. The officer will review your records and issue a corrected I-94. Acting quickly matters because employers and USCIS check the class of admission on every petition.

How long does the CBP deferred inspection I-94 correction process take?

Walk-in corrections at a Deferred Inspection Site are often resolved the same day, typically in one to three hours depending on the office's workload. If the officer needs to check with a supervisor or request records from the port of entry, resolution can take a few days and may require a follow-up visit. For mail-in or e-request corrections, allow two to six weeks.

Can I still work or maintain status while my I-94 has an error on it?

Yes, but carefully document everything. Your actual authorized status is determined by your visa stamp, the underlying petition or I-20/DS-2019, and CBP records — not by a typographical error on the I-94. However, if an employer or USCIS flags the discrepancy, work stoppages or petition delays can occur. Fix the error as soon as you find it rather than waiting for it to surface during a petition or background check.

Do I need a lawyer to correct an I-94 error?

Most straightforward typographical corrections — wrong date, transposed letters in a visa class — do not require an attorney. You can handle the visit to a CBP Deferred Inspection Site yourself. However, if the error is complex (for example, you were admitted in the wrong visa category entirely, or the error has already triggered a petition denial or status gap), consulting an immigration attorney before visiting CBP is worthwhile.

What if I already filed an H-1B petition or STEM OPT extension with the erroneous I-94?

Notify your employer's immigration attorney immediately. You can submit a corrected I-94 as supplemental evidence to USCIS while the petition is pending. If the petition was already decided based on bad admission information, speak with an attorney about your options, which may include a motion to reopen or a new filing with corrected documents.

Dealing with a status issue or trying to navigate the I-94 correction process while managing a job search on a tight timeline? Reach out to F1Jobs — we work with international candidates every day and can point you in the right direction.