The winter holidays, together with the summer vacation season, create a steady flow of inquiries and consultations from our clients regarding travel and passport expiration dates. Most often the question is, What should be the duration of the passport for purposes of entering the U.S.?
 
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.
 
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 will normally issue a Form I-94 card with expiration date equal to the passport expiration.
 
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 with expiration 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.
 
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. 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).
 
Conclusion
The Form I-94 expiration date 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 a 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 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.