Travel Alert: Passport Validity Date May Affect Duration of Authorized Stay (I-94) Upon Entry into the U.S.

The summer has traditionally been a busy traveling season and as the summer start to approach and many of our clients and readers start making international travel plans, we see an increased flow of inquiries and consultations regarding travel and passport expiration dates.  Most often the question is, What should be the duration of the passport for purposes of (re)entering the U.S. after travel abroad?

At Least Six Months Passport Validity Required

As an initial matter, the Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) requires that passports be valid for six months beyond the date the traveler will exit the U.S., however, the U.S. has signed agreements with a number of countries to waive this requirement.  When such an agreement is in place, the passport must be valid for the entire period of the visitor’s intended stay, but the additional six month validity period is not required.   Please read our article on the Six-Month Club for more information.

Passport Expiration Date Before Petition Expiration Date

The question then arises for travelers who are in the U.S. pursuant to a petition with a certain expiration date, such as H-1B, L-1, etc.  For example, H-1B petitions are normally issued with a validity of three (3) years and when an H-1B worker travels to the U.S., he or she would expect that upon entering the U.S., the CBP agent would provide a Form I-94 with expiration date equal to the H-1B expiration date plus ten (10) days.  However, if the passport has an expiration date which is before the H-1B petition expiration date, CBP, by regulation, should issue a Form I-94 card with expiration date equal to the passport expiration.

Note: CBP no longer issues paper I-94 cards upon entry into the U.S. Effective May 2013, the only evidence of status would be the passport stamp and status expiration date endorsement on the actual passport. The I-94 card is electronic and can still be printed by going to https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/. In fact, we encourage our clients and readers to always try to print (on paper or save electronic copy for your records) their Form I-94 information any time they enter the U.S.

However, CBP is inconsistent in the application in this rule and they often disregard the earlier passport expiration date.  This, unfortunately, creates confusion among many travelers who seem to get arbitrary Form I-94 expiration dates during different travels.

My I-94 Expiration Date Is The Same as My Passport Expiration and Earlier than My Petition Expiration — What Should I Do?

As discussed above, where the passport expiration date is before the petition (Form I-797) expiration date, CBP should issue Form I-94 (and endorse the passport) with expiration of status date equal to the passport expiration.  As a result, the foreign national is allowed to remain in the U.S. for a period which is shorter than the period they (and their employer) expected.   In such cases, it is important to understand the options for obtaining a Form I-94 with expiration date equal to the petition expiration.

Option 1 – Form I-94 “Correction” by CBP.  Normally, CBP allows travelers who have been issued erroneous Form I-94 cards to visit a CBP office (normally at international airports) and, after obtaining a new passport, to request that they be issued a corrected I-94 card.    This approach has worked for some of our clients in the past.  However, some CBP offices refuse to issue such corrections because, technically, the  initially issued Form I-94 had the proper expiration date.

Option 2 – Application for Extension of Status.  Alternatively, an application to extend status may be filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) to request that a new Form I-94 card be issued to match the Form I-797 petition expiration date.  This option must be pursued before the Form I-94 expiration date or the extension of status application may be denied.

Note that USCIS does not require that a passport has a validity for the entire period of requested extension of stay — all USCIS needs is a passport valid at the time of filing of the application to extend status.  8 C.F.R. § 214.1(a)(3). The passport does not have to be valid for the entire period of time requested in the extension of status application as the regulations only require that the individual “agree[s] to maintain the validity of his or her passport.”

Option 3 – Leave the U.S. and Reenter with a Renewed Passport.  Finally, the foreign national may leave the U.S. and after obtaining a new passport, travel back to the U.S.   If a U.S. visa has been issued on the passport that has expired, the foreign national should carry both the new passport and the expired passport containing the valid visa. There is no need to re-apply for a new visa unless the visa term has itself expired.

The best option would certainly depend on each individual case’s circumstances, especially whether or not the I-94 status validity date has already expired, and we certainly recommend careful analysis and review before selecting one of these options.

Consequences of Overstaying Form I-94 Expiration

It is very important to understand that any corrections of Form I-94 card, extensions of status applications or travel abroad be attempted before the Form I-94 expiration date, as issued and determined by CBP.  Overstay of the Form I-94 expiration date starts the period of unlawful presence which has severe consequences.

First, overstaying the end date of the authorized stay, as provided by the CBP officer at a port-of-entry and noted on the Form I-94 card would automatically void or cancel the visa stamp.   In addition, filing for an extension of status after I-94 expiration has a significant chance of denial.    We have been able to obtain successful “nunc pro tunc” (with retroactive date) status approvals, but not every situation may allow this kind of filing and successful approval.   Finally, overstaying the I-94 expiration by more than 180 days may trigger the 3-year ban of entering the U.S. (overstaying by more than one year may result in a 10-year ban).

Travel Preparations — Ensure Passport Has Sufficient Validity

We urge our readers and clients, especially those who plan to enter the U.S. on the basis of a USCIS-approved petition, to ensure that their passport has validity greater than the expiration date of their petition approval notice.    Also, we always recommend that when a traveler arrives into the U.S. and during border control, to verify his or her passport stamp (and later, their online Form I-94 card) expiration date, as noted by the CBP officer, and to address any questions or concern at that time with the CBP officer.    Addressing issued at a later time is usually complicated (and often, costly).

Conclusion

The status validity date stamp and endorsement in the passport is extremely important and it should be checked upon every entry into the U.S. and, ideally, while at the CBP agent station.   If you feel that you have not been issued status validity (and Form I-94) with a correct date, ask the CBP agent or ask to speak with a supervisor.  Foreign nationals should not assume that because they are entering on a visa and pursuant to a I-797 petition approval which has a certain expiration date, that the authorized period of stay in the U.S. on their passport/Form I-94 would be the same.

Our office has been able to successfully help many foreign nationals, in a variety of visa types, in either having their I-94 cards corrected or extended.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any help.   Also, please feel free to subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to obtain developments on this and related topics.