Not submit the I-94 record? 30 Chinese students are terminated

Summary: SEVIS records of 30 Chinese students, who are attending the University of Buffalo (UB), had been terminated in October 2021 because these students had not submitted the I-94 record.

It was shocking for me to hear that around 30 Chinese students’ records in SEVIS were terminated due to the failure to submit the I-94 record. According to multiple sources, students are meeting with International Student Services staff to meet the requirement and apply for reinstatement. Some students, however, are looking for flights as they have to leave the country within 15 days or so.

Setting aside why I was shocked by UB’s decision, in this article, I would like to deliver how to retrieve the I-94 record for international students. While I was writing more than hundreds of blog posts related to immigration regulations and updates for international students, I haven’t written about the I-94 record just because it is super easy and straightforward.

However, this incident made me realize that not many students are aware of what this document is about as well as the process to obtain the I-94 arrival/departure record. Therefore, if you are a current or prospective F-1 or J-1 student visa holder, please read this article thoroughly to not get into this tragic incident.

All other important and well-explained visa regulations, updates and news can be found on the F-1 visa page.

Contents

• What is the I-94 arrival/departure record?
• How to retrieve the I-94 record?

What is the I-94 arrival/departure record?

The I-94 arrival/departure record is important because it tells you several things that will impact your stay and study in the United States.

1. Admission (I-94) Record Number
2. Class of Admission
3. Admit Until Date

Admission (I-94) Record Number

Admission Record Number is a unique number that is assigned to each international student. Students are asked to provide this number when they apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT) or STEM OPT extension. You would also need this number or I-94 record itself when you apply for Social Security Number (SSN).

Related blog post 1: 7 Require documents for OPT Application
Related blog post 2: STEM OPT eligibility, process, required documents

Class of Admission

Class of Admission field is also important to double-check that you are admitted in the right visa category. For example, if you entered the U.S. with an F-1 student visa, the I-94 form should say F1. Likewise, if you are an exchange student, thus, crossed the border with a J-1 visa, the I-94 form should say J1.

If the form indicates the wrong visa type like B1 or B2 which are for tourists or short-time visitors, you should reach out to your International Student Advisor to fix the issue. Then, they can contact the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and/or the deferred inspection site and straighten things out.

Related blog post 1: All about F1 immigration status; entry date, Form I-515A
Related blog post 2: 2020 Student visa reentry required documents

Admit Until Date

The most important part of the I-94 form is this section. Students who entered the U.S. successfully will be noted ‘D/S’ here. This allows that the student can remain in the U.S. for ‘Duration of Status.’ In other words, international students can stay legally in the U.S. until the program’s end date that is written in Form I-20 plus given grace period.

Related blog post 1: Proposal to eliminate F and J visa duration of status & decrease the grace period
Related blog post 2: How eliminating D/S will impact current students

One of the most misconceptions that international students have is that they can stay in the U.S. until the visa expiration date which is not true. Like I have explained in many of my articles here, student visa holders can stay and study legally in the United States until the program’s end date, plus the grace period. To learn more about the grace period for F-1, J-1, OPT, and STEM OPT students, click the related blog posts below.

Related blog post 1: My F-1 visa grace period ends soon, what are my options?
Related blog post 2: Must know J-1 visa grace period for exchange students

However, students who left the U.S. should renew their student visas to re-enter the country.

How to retrieve the I-94 record?

OK, that’s enough to understand what the I-94 record is about. Then, how can international students obtain the I-94 record?

The first step is to search “I-94 form” or “I-94 record” or “I-94 online” on any of your preferred web browsers. In most cases, it will direct you to this webpage: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home

From there, click “GET MOST RECENT I-94” and “I ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE.”

Now you should enter your information including first name, last name, birth date, passport number and passport country of issuance. When you are done with filling out, click “Next.” Please note that you may fail to retrieve the I-94 record if your name on your F-1 visa and passport is different. Also, if you have either only last name or first name like students from Myanmar (Burma), you may have a hard time finding your I-94 form although you successfully crossed the border.

In this scenario, you can reach out to your advisor. If you would like to try it by yourself, you can try a different combination of your names until you get the right one. To help you understand better, I will give you an example.

Here’s what the passport would look like when the student doesn’t have either first name or last name:

• Name: SEVIS SAVVY PAGE

The same student’s visa page, however, might say differently:

• Last Name: PAGE
• First Name: SEVIS SAVVY

In 2022, I was told by the Deferred Inspection Site to try the following:

• If the student doesn’t have “first name,” try:
  • Last Name: SEVIS SAVVY PAGE
  • First Name: FNU
• On the other hand, if the student doesn’t have “last name,” try:
  • Last Nmae: LNU
  • First Name: SEVIS SAVVY PAGE

In 2021, the following combination worked to retrieve the I-94 record:

• Last Name: SEVIS SAVVY PAGE
• First Name: SEVIS SAVVY

In 2020, the following combination worked:

• Last Name: SEVIS SAVVY PAGE
• First Name: SEVIS

As you can see here the combination of the names to find the right I-94 record can be different each year. I know this is such a pain but I haven’t found any better way than just trying. Until you find the magic to obtain the I-94 form you are encouraged to try different combinations.

Anyway, if you successfully opened the I-94 form, you can click “Print” to save the document into a PDF file.

This blog had a look at what is the I-94 record and how to retrieve a pdf file of the I-94 arrival/departure form. Hope this helps international students to find the record easier when they are asked to submit the document at the beginning of the semester.

All important F-1 visa regulations can be found on the F-1 visa information page. For J-1 visa students, go to the J-1 visa information page.