Vault Guardian renewal education
Your I-94 record: what every immigrant needs to know
Most immigrants know their visa, but few check their I-94 — which is the actual document that tracks legal status. Errors on it are common and cause huge problems later.
Most immigrants know their visa, but few check their I-94 — which is the actual document that tracks legal status. Errors on it are common and cause huge problems later.
Visa vs. I-94: what's the difference?
Your visa stamp in your passport is permission to arrive at a U.S. port of entry. It can expire while you're legally in the U.S. — that's normal.
Your I-94 record, issued at entry, tells you until when you can legally stay. Overstaying your I-94 — even by one day — triggers immigration consequences.
How to get your I-94
Go to cbp.gov/i94, select 'Get Most Recent I-94', and enter your passport info. Download and save the PDF after every U.S. entry.
The record includes: entry date, class of admission (H-1B, F-1, etc.), and admit-until date.
Common errors to check
Wrong class of admission (e.g., listed as B-2 tourist when you entered on H-1B). Wrong admit-until date. Name spelling mismatches.
Fix errors at a CBP Deferred Inspection Site within 30 days of entry — the longer you wait, the harder it gets.
'D/S' vs. specific dates
F-1, J-1, and some other categories show 'D/S' (Duration of Status) instead of a date — meaning you can stay as long as you maintain status through your school or program.
H-1B, L-1, O-1, TN show a specific admit-until date. This is the controlling deadline, not the visa expiration.
Download and store every I-94 after every trip. VaultGuardian's document timeline makes it easy to prove continuous status years later — critical for green card and citizenship cases.
Download Vault Guardian to track renewals at 90, 60, and 30 days.