What Is an I-94? Your Arrival/Departure Record Explained for F-1, OPT and H-1B Holders

Your visa stamp gets you to the border, but your I-94 decides how long you can stay. Here is how to read every field, and why F-1 records still say D/S.

What is an I-94? It is your Arrival/Departure Record: the electronic record US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) creates each time it admits you as a nonimmigrant. It shows your class of admission (F1, H1B, H4 and so on) and your admit-until date, and that date, not your visa stamp, sets how long you may stay in the United States.

Status line, as of 2026-11-01: F-1 students are still admitted for "D/S" (duration of status). The DHS rule that would replace D/S with fixed end dates (91 FR 44976) is blocked: a federal court postponed and enjoined it nationwide on 2026-09-14, summary judgment is being briefed, and DHS's appeal is pending.

What is an I-94? The short answer

An I-94 is the Department of Homeland Security record of your lawful admission to the United States. CBP creates it electronically when you arrive by air, sea or land, and it lists your admission number, class of admission, date of entry and admit-until date. It is evidence of your status and authorized stay; the visa stamp is only an entry document.

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program put it plainly in its Broadcast Message 1904-02 (2019-04-11): "The Form I-94 is evidence of a nonimmigrant's term of admission and used to document legal status in the United States, including length of stay and departure."

That is why the I-94 shows up everywhere once you are here. Employers may see it with your passport when completing Form I-9, USCIS asks for your I-94 number on extension and change-of-status forms, and the Social Security Administration and state DMVs ask to see it.

What does an I-94 look like? Every field, explained

Today your I-94 is usually a one-page printout you download from CBP's official I-94 website by choosing "Get Most Recent I-94." CBP's own I-94 information page (modified 2026-07-22) says you can also use the CBP Link mobile app.

I-94 fields and what to check, as of 2026-11 (your own record governs)

The two fields that decide the most are the class and the admit-until date. Our guide to I-94 class of admission codes decodes F1, J1, H1B, H4, L1, TN, WT and B2, and our explainer on the admit-until date versus D/S reads that field across every status.

Is the I-94 the same as a visa?

No. The visa is a stamp a US consulate places in your passport so you can travel to a port of entry and ask to be admitted in a category. The I-94 is CBP's record of what happened at that port: which class you were admitted in and until when.

People search for an "I-94 visa," but there is no such thing: the State Department issues visas, while CBP (and sometimes USCIS) issues I-94s. Your visa can expire while you stay in valid status for years, as our post on an expired visa stamp versus valid status explains; it matters again only when you next need to enter.

Which document controls your stay: the I-94, the visa, the I-797, the I-20 or the EAD?

The I-94 controls how long you may stay. Each of the other documents controls something narrower, and most status mistakes come from reading the wrong date off the wrong document.

Which document controls what, as of 2026-11

USCIS describes the I-797A on its Form I-797 types page as "Issued to an applicant as a replacement Form I-94." Our walkthrough of the I-797A versus I-797B approval notice shows where that tear-off record sits and when it stops being your current I-94.

On F-1: D/S, the I-20 and the 60-day grace period

An F-1 record that says D/S has no calendar end date. You may stay while you maintain status, measured by the program end date on your I-20, any authorized OPT, and the 60-day grace period that follows. A 2016 Study in the States post from SEVP told students: "If your Form I-94 does not list Duration of Status or D/S, contact your designated school official (DSO) immediately." The page now warns that it "may be outdated", but the D/S system it describes still applies while the new rule is blocked.

On OPT and STEM OPT

Your I-94 does not change when OPT begins. The class stays F1 and the admit-until date stays D/S; the EAD sets your work dates. Cap-gap does not change the I-94 either: for a timely cap-subject change-of-status petition, it extends F-1 status and OPT work to April 1 of the fiscal year requested (or the petition start date, if earlier), as USCIS explains on its cap-gap page. Cap-exempt petitions get no cap-gap.

On H-1B

An H-1B I-94 carries a calendar date. Under 8 CFR 214.1(l)(1), CBP can admit H-1B workers for up to 10 days before the petition validity begins and 10 days after it ends, but you may work only during the petition validity itself. CBP can also issue an I-94 that ends earlier than the petition; a common reason is a passport that expires first. Our guide to an I-94 shorter than the I-797 covers that decision in detail.

The worker grace period is capped by your validity period too. In effect today: if H-1B employment ends, you have up to 60 consecutive days or until the authorized validity period ends, whichever is shorter, once per validity period (8 CFR 214.1(l)(2)). DHS has proposed eliminating it (RIN 1615-AD22, 91 FR 57807); comments close 2026-11-10, and it stays a proposal until DHS publishes a final rule. It covers workers such as H-1B, L-1, O-1 and TN holders, not the F-1 grace period, and the 10-day window it would leave runs from the petition's end date, not from a layoff (our explainer on the proposal).

Why F-1 records still say D/S in November 2026

Common misconception: "Since September 15, 2026, new F-1 students get a fixed admit-until date on their I-94, and the grace period is now 30 days."

Correction, as of 2026-11-01: The D/S final rule (91 FR 44976) did not take effect. Judge Saylor of the US District Court in Massachusetts postponed it and enjoined DHS nationwide on 2026-09-14 (Presidents' Alliance v. United States, docket). USCIS's Form I-539 page (updated 10/07/2026) says DHS "is preliminarily enjoined from taking any further action to implement the final rule" and "USCIS will proceed under the previous regulatory provisions." D/S, the 60-day F-1 grace period and the no-I-539 status quo all still apply.

What happens next is on the calendar. Cross-motions for summary judgment were filed 2026-10-30 and replies are due 2026-11-02; a ruling can come any time after that. DHS's opening brief in its First Circuit appeal, No. 26-2112, is due 2026-11-09. Check the dockets for the outcome after those dates; our D/S appeal tracker follows each step.

Why do so many people believe the rule is live? Several official pages still read that way: FederalRegister.gov's metadata (effective date 2026-09-15), eCFR's fixed-period text of 8 CFR 214.2(f) with no note, ICE's SEVIS "What's New" page and SEVP Broadcast 2607-02. None of these proves the rule took effect, and DHS has published no Federal Register notice of the postponement (as of 2026-11-01). If a new F-1 entry shows a calendar date instead of D/S, raise it with your DSO right away.

Do I get a new I-94 every time I enter the US?

Yes. Each admission creates a new record with its own admission number, entry date and admit-until date, and the most recent one governs. USCIS also creates a new I-94 when it approves an extension or change of status, printed on the I-797A.

So download a fresh copy after every arrival; older records move into your travel history on the same website. Short trips to Canada, Mexico or adjacent islands work differently when they fall under automatic visa revalidation, because readmission there relies on the I-94 and status documents you already hold. Check how that applies to you with your DSO or attorney before you go.

Do I still get a paper I-94?

Usually not. A 2013 interim rule let CBP issue the I-94 electronically at air and sea ports, and CBP's 2022 notice, Streamlining I-94 Issuance at the Land Border, says CBP "is no longer issuing paper forms to nonimmigrants upon arrival" at land ports either; paper is available only in limited cases or on request where feasible.

The fee depends on how you arrive. At air and sea ports you do not apply for an I-94, and CBP says it assesses no fee there. If you drive or walk in from Canada or Mexico and need one, it costs $30 (CBP's $6 land-border fee plus the $24 HR-1 I-94 fee); CBP's FY2027 inflation notice (91 FR 62534, in effect since 2026-10-16) left the total at $30. You can apply in advance on the I-94 website or in the CBP Link app; our land-border I-94 guide covers the process.

The paper I-94 you are most likely to hold is the one at the bottom of a USCIS I-797A. An electronic CBP record can be reprinted from the I-94 website; otherwise USCIS points to Form I-102 for a new or replacement I-94. If CBP made the error, though, USCIS says not to file an I-102: you "will need to go to the nearest CBP port of entry or deferred inspection office to have the information corrected."

Worked example: one person, four I-94s

Here is a hypothetical path from F-1 to H-1B, with dates chosen to show how the record changes. Your own documents will differ.

Example timeline (hypothetical; rules as of 2026-11)

Two lessons sit in that last row. First, the I-797A's I-94 stopped mattering the moment this person re-entered; reading 2029-09-30 off the approval notice could have led them to overstay. Second, with a passport valid beyond 2029, the same entry could have produced an I-94 running as late as 2029-10-10, the petition end plus up to 10 days under 8 CFR 214.1(l)(1). What to do about a gap like this is a question for the employer's immigration attorney, well before the I-94 date arrives.

How to get and check your I-94 after every entry

1. Open CBP's official I-94 website or the CBP Link app. Use only the official .gov site or app.
2. Select "Get Most Recent I-94" and enter your name, birth date and passport details exactly as they appear in the passport you used to enter.
3. Compare the Class of Admission with your status: F1 for F-1, OPT and STEM OPT; H1B after an H-1B entry or approved change of status.
4. Check the Admit Until Date: D/S on an F-1 record; for H-1B, compare it with your I-797 validity and your passport's expiration date.
5. Verify your name, birth date and passport number against the passport itself.
6. Save the PDF and keep it with your I-20, EAD or I-797 and your passport; our guide to downloading your most recent I-94 covers saving and printing a copy for HR, SSA or the DMV.
7. Report a problem to the right office: your DSO for anything F-1, OPT or SEVIS; your employer's immigration attorney for H-1B or H-4; a CBP deferred inspection office or port for a CBP error. Our step-by-step guide to correcting an I-94 error covers each route.

Common mistakes

• Reading your stay off the visa stamp. The visa's expiration date says nothing about how long you may stay. The I-94 does.
• Trusting the I-797A after you travel. Your next entry creates a new I-94 that replaces the one printed on the approval notice.
• Believing F-1 students now get fixed dates. As of 2026-11-01 the D/S rule is blocked, so a new F-1 record should still say D/S. A calendar date on a new F-1 entry is a question for your DSO.
• Writing the wrong number on a form. The admission number is not your passport number, SEVIS ID or USCIS receipt number.
• Filing Form I-102 to fix a CBP mistake. USCIS says CBP errors go to a CBP port or deferred inspection office, not to an I-102.
• Leaving your documents at home on domestic trips. Boston University's international office, which reported ICE detentions at major US airports in August 2026, advises carrying your passport, visa, I-94, I-20 or DS-2019, EAD and I-797 on domestic flights (BU ISSO).

Frequently asked questions

What is an I-94 and why does it matter?

The I-94 is the Arrival/Departure Record that CBP creates when it admits you as a nonimmigrant. It shows your admission number, class of admission, date of entry and admit-until date. That admit-until date, not your visa stamp, sets how long you are allowed to stay, and employers, USCIS, SSA and the DMV all rely on it.

Is the I-94 the same as my visa?

No. The visa is a consular stamp that lets you travel to a port of entry and ask to be admitted. The I-94 is CBP's record of the admission itself and of how long you may stay. A visa can expire while you remain in valid status, and there is no such thing as an I-94 visa.

What does D/S mean on an I-94?

D/S means duration of status. An F-1 student admitted for D/S may stay as long as they maintain status, measured by the I-20 program end date, any authorized OPT, and the 60-day grace period afterward. As of 2026-11-01 F-1 students are still admitted for D/S, because the rule replacing it with fixed end dates has been blocked by a federal court since 2026-09-14.

Do I still get a paper I-94?

Usually not. CBP issues I-94s electronically at airports and seaports, and a 2022 CBP notice ended routine paper I-94s at land borders too, so you download your record from the official I-94 website or the CBP Link app. The main paper version you will still see is the I-94 printed at the bottom of a USCIS I-797A.

Which document controls my stay: the I-94, the visa or the I-797?

The I-94 controls your authorized stay. The visa only controls entry, and the I-797 shows how long your employer's petition is valid. If CBP admits you on a later trip with an I-94 that ends earlier than your I-797, for example because your passport expires sooner, the I-94 date counts, so check it after every entry.

Sources

• CBP, I-94 website and I-94 information page (modified 2026-07-22)
• SEVP, Broadcast Message 1904-02 on the I-94 numbering format (2019-04-11)
• USCIS, Form I-539 page and Form I-102 page (both updated 10/07/2026)
• USCIS, Form I-797 types and functions
• USCIS, Cap-gap extension of OPT and F-1 status
• Study in the States, Check for D/S on your Form I-94
• CourtListener, D. Mass. docket and First Circuit No. 26-2112
• Federal Register, Streamlining I-94 Issuance at the Land Border (2022-03-18), CBP's FY2027 HR-1 fee adjustments, 91 FR 62534 (2026-10-01) and proposed end of the worker grace period (2026-09-11)

How we checked this: we read the CBP, USCIS, SEVP and Federal Register pages above on 2026-11-01, and took the court dates from the two dockets as of that day.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice; your own I-94, I-20 and approval notices, and your DSO or a licensed immigration attorney, govern your situation.

The bottom line

The visa gets you to the border; the I-94 tells you how long you may stay. Pull a fresh copy after every entry and read the class and the admit-until date first.

If you are on F-1, OPT or STEM OPT and working toward a sponsored role, F1Jobs helps international candidates focus their search on employers that sponsor H-1B.