Updated August 2026
The 2026 Guide to Checking Your I-94: How to Read Your Admit Until Date on H-1B, L-1/L-2, F-1, B1/B2 and H-4 — Plus the ICE Airport Enforcement Alert
The Short Version
The visa sticker in your passport only decides whether you may knock on the door. What actually decides how long you may stay is a single line on the I-94 record U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issues at entry: the Admit Until Date. A valid visa with an expired I-94 is, as a matter of law, an overstay.
Two developments in 2026 have made this old rule far more dangerous. First, ICE and TSA now share passenger data, and ICE has begun stopping, questioning and detaining people with expired I-94s at airports — including on domestic flights. Second, the final rule ending “duration of status” (D/S) for F, J and I nonimmigrants takes effect on September 15, 2026, so the familiar “D/S” on a student’s I-94 will be replaced by a fixed date.
This guide covers three things: how to look your record up, how to read it, and what to do when something is wrong.
Visa Validity Is Not Authorized Stay: Three Dates, Kept Straight
Most people collapse three very different dates into one, and by the time the mistake surfaces it is usually months old.
| Document | What its date controls | Issued by |
|---|---|---|
| Visa stamp | The window during which you may apply for admission at a U.S. port of entry. It grants no right to stay. | U.S. Department of State (consulate) |
| Form I-797 approval notice | The status and work authorization period USCIS approved. It governs the employer relationship, but it is not what the officer at the border grants you. | USCIS |
| The Admit Until Date on your I-94 | The last day you are lawfully present. Overstay and unlawful presence are both counted from this date. | CBP (at entry) / USCIS (when status is granted inside the U.S.) |
Looking It Up Officially: Four Steps, Two Minutes, No Account, No Fee
CBP’s lookup system is now branded the I-94/I-95 Website. The interface has changed; the logic has not.
- Have the right passport ready. Use the passport you actually entered on. If you have renewed since, keep the old passport details on hand.
- Go to the official site. Visit i94.cbp.dhs.gov, select “Get most recent I-94/I-95”, then click “I ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE” on the notice screen.
- Enter your details. Last (family) name, first (given) name, date of birth (MM/DD/YYYY), passport number, and passport country of issuance. Every character must match your passport biographic page exactly — do not add or drop middle names or hyphens.
- Save it. Print or save as PDF immediately. Name the file by entry date and keep an archive; you will need it when changing jobs, filing an extension, or completing Form I-9.
Two other useful tools on the same site
- View Travel History: retrieves up to 10 years of arrivals and departures. Invaluable for green card filings, naturalization, and any form asking for days spent abroad. CBP states plainly that this is an assistance tool, not an official record for legal purposes — for formal use, rely on the I-94 itself or a FOIA request.
- View Compliance: available only for certain Visa Waiver Program admission classes. If you hold H-1B, L-1 or F-1 status and get no result, that is expected — not a red flag.
The Four Fields That Matter on Your I-94
| Field | What it means and what to verify |
|---|---|
| Most Recent I-94 Number | The system-generated record number. You will need it for Form I-9, a driver’s license, and a Social Security number application. |
| Class of Admission | Your admission category. Confirm it matches the status you actually hold — an H-1B recorded as B2, for example, is an error that must be corrected. |
| Admit Until Date | The last day of your lawful stay. “D/S” means your stay is measured by continued maintenance of status rather than a fixed date. |
| Admission (Entry) Date | The date of this entry. Compare it against your passport admission stamp and flag any mismatch. |
H-1B: The Trap Is a Passport That Expires Before the Approval Notice
Normally an H-1B holder’s Admit Until Date matches the end date on the I-797 approval notice (in some cases plus ten days). But whenever your passport expires before the I-797 end date, the officer must cut the I-94 back to what the passport can cover.
Take an example: the I-797 runs to September 2028, but the passport expires in June 2027. The I-94 issued on that entry will likely end in June 2027 or earlier — for nationals of some countries, six months earlier still. You notice nothing, while your work authorization has quietly shrunk. Practitioners call this the “stealth I-94” problem.
This is not a CBP mistake, so the fix is different
Shortening an I-94 to passport validity is the officer applying the rule correctly. Asking a deferred inspection office to “restore the I-797 date” generally will not work. Two paths do:
- Renew the passport, then depart and re-enter. On readmission, CBP issues an I-94 covering the full I-797 period. This is the cleanest route.
- Have your employer file an extension. If travel is impractical, the employer can file Form I-129 asking that the period of stay be restored to the originally approved dates. File before the current I-94 expires.
L-1: The Cap Counts Days Used, Not Years Elapsed
L-1 I-94s behave differently from H-1B ones in several ways, and intracompany transferees pay for the difference more often than anyone.
- What the first entry grants: a new-office L-1 is typically approved for one year initially; an ordinary individual L-1 for up to three years; and an entry on a blanket petition using Form I-129S is likewise generally up to three years.
- The cumulative cap: seven years for L-1A, five years for L-1B. Once you reach it, you must reside and be physically present outside the United States for one year before qualifying again for L or H status.
- The extra step for blanket L: the period of stay is decided by the CBP officer at the port of entry, which is not the same as the validity of the company’s blanket approval. Check your own I-94 after every entry.
Full days abroad can be recaptured — and the evidence is on the same website
The L-1 cap (like the H-1B cap) counts time actually spent in the United States. Full days spent outside the country do not count against it and may be recaptured in a later extension. For someone who travels for business or goes home each year, that can add up to six months or more.
Recapture requires independent documentary evidence of departures and returns. The View Travel History report described above (up to 10 years) is the most commonly used piece, usually submitted together with passport admission stamps and flight itineraries. Only full 24-hour days abroad qualify; the day you leave and the day you return do not count.
L-2 Spouses: One Extra Letter on the I-94 Changes Everything
This is the most overlooked and most valuable detail on the whole document. Since late January 2022, the I-94 CBP issues to an L (or E) spouse carries the class of admission L-2S. The S marks spousal status — and with it, employment authorization incident to status.
| What your I-94 says | How it works for Form I-9 |
|---|---|
| L-2S (spouses admitted after late January 2022) | The unexpired I-94 is on its own acceptable evidence of employment authorization as a List C #7 document. No EAD required. |
| L-2 (no S — issued earlier) | The I-94 alone is not enough; present it together with the Form I-797A approval notice. The combination is what qualifies as a List C #7 document. |
| L-2 children | No S, and no work authorization incident to status. |
Many L-2 spouses are still paying for, and waiting months on, an EAD they do not need — usually because nobody ever opened their I-94. The reverse also happens: if your record should show the S and does not, that is a class-of-admission error you can take to a deferred inspection office.
One more point carried over from the H-4 discussion below: the same “date drift” problem applies to L-2. When a dependent returns to the U.S. alone, CBP issues the I-94 based on that person’s own passport validity, which can easily expire before the principal’s. And because L-2 work authorization is incident to status, it stops the moment the I-94 does.
The Most Frequent L-2 Failure: The Principal Gets Extended, the Family Quietly Expires
This is the most common and most costly mistake in practice, and nearly every company that sponsors L-1s has seen it. The cause is how the work is divided: the employer engages counsel to file the principal’s Form I-129 extension, while the L-2 spouse and children need a separate filing — Form I-539. It can be mailed together with the I-129 or filed on its own, but it does not happen automatically. The two cases are adjudicated separately and come back separately.
The three most expensive assumptions
- “The L-1 was approved, so the L-2 follows.” It does not. An L-2’s lawful stay is set solely by the L-2’s own I-94, regardless of the principal’s new I-797. The principal can hold an approval running to 2029 while the family’s I-94 expired last year.
- “She has work authorization, so the status must be fine.” Exactly backwards. L-2S work authorization is incident to status: the day the I-94 expires, the authorization stops. No other date on any card saves it.
- “The I-539 is filed, so she can keep working.” This is the costliest one. The rule that automatically extends work authorization for up to 240 days while a petition is pending applies to the principal in employment-based I-129 filings. It does not apply to I-539 dependents. Filing the I-539 on time generally prevents unlawful presence from accruing, but it does not let you keep working after the I-94 expires.
Four things to check whenever the principal’s extension starts
- Whether the dependents’ I-539 is prepared and will be filed before their own I-94 expires — not the principal’s.
- Whether the dependents’ passports run far enough to cover the period requested. A short passport compresses the approval the same way it compresses an I-94.
- Whether any dependent plans to travel alone. Departing while an I-539 is pending may be treated as abandoning the application — check with counsel before booking.
- If the dependent intends to work, whether the I-94 shows L-2S. Once the new I-539 is approved, pull the electronic I-94 again to confirm the new period is in effect.
The same logic applies to H-4 dependents: the principal’s H-1B extension and the family’s I-539 are two separate filings, and H-4 EAD adds a third layer — the card itself must be renewed separately, and its validity can never extend beyond the H-4 status end date.
F-1: Duration of Status Ends on September 15, 2026
On July 17, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security published a final rule (91 FR 44976) replacing “duration of status” with a fixed period of admission for F, J and I nonimmigrants, effective September 15, 2026. It is the largest change to student status rules in decades.
New F-1 admissions (on or after September 15, 2026)
- Admission for the program end date on the Form I-20, not to exceed four years, plus 30 days before the program start to arrive and 30 days after to depart.
- The post-completion departure period drops from 60 days to 30 days.
- English language training programs are capped at 24 months; public high school attendance is capped at 12 months in the aggregate.
- Students needing more time to finish a program, begin a new one, or start OPT/STEM OPT must file Form I-539 for an extension of stay with USCIS, pay the fee and provide biometrics.
Students already in the U.S. with a D/S I-94 (transition rules)
- Those present and in status on the effective date may remain through the program end date on their I-20 (or the end of OPT/STEM OPT valid on that date), not beyond November 14, 2030, without filing an extension.
- Those who timely file Form I-765 for post-completion OPT or STEM OPT on or before March 18, 2027 do not need a separate extension application.
- Anyone who departs and re-enters after the effective date will be admitted with a new fixed period, ending the D/S treatment. This is the point that affects students going home over a break most directly.
- Beneficiaries of a timely filed cap-subject H-1B petition who qualify for cap-gap do not need to file an extension.
The rule also sharply restricts changing educational level, changing majors, and transferring schools. At the graduate level and above, students generally may not transfer or change majors during the program at all. Anyone planning to adjust an academic path mid-stream needs to revisit the timeline.
B1/B2: A Ten-Year Visa Does Not Mean Ten Years of Stay
On a B1/B2 entry, officers generally grant no more than six months, and the actual number depends on the officer’s assessment of your itinerary — it may be one or two months. “Valid for 10 years” describes how long you may keep applying for admission; it says nothing about how long any single stay may last.
Parents and grandparents visiting family are the most frequent casualties: they assume a valid visa means they can simply stay, and the I-94 expired months earlier. Departing after more than 180 days of unlawful presence triggers a three-year bar on re-entry; more than one year triggers a ten-year bar.
H-4: Where Spouses’ I-94 Dates Drift Apart
An H-4 period of stay normally tracks the principal’s I-797 end date. The real risk comes from traveling separately: when a spouse or child returns to the U.S. alone, CBP issues the I-94 based on that person’s own passport validity. The family’s dates fall out of alignment, often by several months.
Worse, an H-4 EAD depends on H-4 status. Once the H-4 I-94 expires early, the dates printed on the card still look fine while the work authorization has, as a matter of law, already stopped.
2026 Enforcement Alert: ICE Is Using TSA Data to Screen for Expired I-94s at Airports
Since July 2026, U.S. immigration firms and mainstream outlets have issued repeated warnings: ICE–TSA passenger data sharing has expanded from people with final removal orders to foreign nationals whose I-94 has expired on paper, and ICE is using it to stop, question and detain travelers at airports across the country — including on domestic flights.
Who is being flagged
- People whose I-94 has expired while an I-485 adjustment application is pending, living and working on an EAD/AP combo card.
- H-1B, L-1, TN and O-1 workers whose I-129 or I-539 extension is pending after the prior I-94 expired — the so-called 240-day work authorization window.
- Asylum applicants with pending cases and gaps in status.
- Anyone with a prior removal order or relevant criminal history.
- L-2, H-4 and other dependents whose own I-94 has expired with an I-539 still pending, even though the principal is in perfect standing. Dependents tend to lose status earlier than principals and get warned about it least.
One point deserves emphasis: in cases reported by law firms, some of the people stopped were in fact lawfully present. The reason is straightforward — the TSA-side data generally carries only the expiration dates of the I-94, passport and visa, and cannot see that a timely extension is pending at USCIS. The record reads as expired, and the encounter proceeds accordingly. A timely filing still protects you legally; it does not spare you the questioning at the airport.
Also worth remembering: INA § 264(e) already requires foreign nationals aged 18 and over to carry their registration documents. In the current enforcement climate, that rarely-noticed provision is worth following literally.
Three Travel Rules When There Is a Gap in Your Status
- If you can avoid flying, avoid it. With an expired I-94 and an extension or green card case pending, minimize non-essential domestic flights for now. Driving, rail or intercity bus avoids the TSA checkpoint entirely.
- If you can upgrade to premium processing, do it. Where available, upgrading a pending I-129 or I-539 shortens the wait for the approval notice that restores a clean I-94 on paper. Whether you qualify, and whether the fee is worth it, is a call for your attorney.
- If you must fly, carry the full set. Original passport, printed I-94, original USCIS receipt notice or approval notice, valid EAD/combo card, and your attorney’s contact details — all on your person, none of it checked. Tell your family and counsel your itinerary in advance, and leave emergency contact details with your employer.
Your I-94 Is Wrong — Now What? First, Identify Which Kind
The remedy depends entirely on who issued the record and what is wrong with it.
| Situation | Who to approach and how |
|---|---|
| Misspelled name, wrong class of admission, plainly mis-keyed date (a CBP error at entry) | Contact a CBP Deferred Inspection Site. No departure required. Many offices accept email: a description of the error plus passport biographic page, visa page, I-797 and the current I-94. Some sites require an appointment. |
| Shortened because the passport expires early (a correct CBP action) | Deferred inspection generally will not take this. Renew the passport and depart/re-enter, or have the employer file Form I-129 to restore the approved period. |
| An error on the paper I-94 attached to the bottom of an I-797A after an in-country I-129 or I-539 approval | That record was issued by USCIS. Submit a Service Request asking for correction, or file Form I-102 for a replacement. |
| Already expired; the extension was not filed in time | See an immigration attorney immediately. In extraordinary circumstances USCIS has discretion to excuse a late-filed extension (practitioners call it a nunc pro tunc request), but this is discretion, not a right, and it turns on the reason for the delay, its length, and whether you otherwise maintained status. |
Three Rules for Keeping Your Status Clean
- Check after every entry. Whether you cleared through a kiosk or a booth, download and archive the latest I-94 within 24 hours. It takes under two minutes and it is the foundation of everything else.
- The electronic record governs. Where the passport stamp and the online I-94 disagree, CBP’s electronic record is the official source. If they do not match, verify it now rather than later.
- Audit six months ahead. Put a calendar reminder on every family member’s I-94, passport, I-797 and EAD, and start renewals half a year out. Students should additionally review any travel planned after September 15, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
My visa is valid for three more years but my I-94 expires next year. Which one controls?
The I-94. A visa sticker only allows you to seek admission during its validity; it grants no period of stay. Once the Admit Until Date passes, you are overstaying as a matter of law even with a valid visa in your passport.
My extension is pending and my I-94 has expired. Can I still take a domestic flight?
Legally, a timely-filed extension still protects you. But enforcement practice since 2026 shows ICE using TSA data to stop and detain people whose I-94 has expired, including those with applications pending. Avoid non-essential domestic flights for now; if you must travel, carry your passport, printed I-94, USCIS receipt notice, EAD card and your attorney’s contact information.
CBP gave me an I-94 ending on my passport expiration date, more than a year short of my I-797. Did they make a mistake?
Usually not — an I-94 cannot extend beyond what the passport covers, so this is the rule being applied correctly. Deferred inspection offices generally will not “correct” it. The workable options are to renew the passport and depart/re-enter, or to have your employer file Form I-129 to restore the originally approved period.
My I-94 says D/S. Will it automatically change to a fixed date after September 15, 2026?
No. F-1 students present and in status on the effective date may remain through the program end date on their I-20, not beyond November 14, 2030. But if you depart and re-enter after that date, you will be readmitted with a new dated I-94 and the D/S treatment ends.
I hold a ten-year B2 visa. Can I stay a full year before going home?
No. The length of a single B1/B2 stay is set by the officer at entry, generally no more than six months, and the I-94 is what counts. To extend, file Form I-539 before it expires. Departing after more than 180 days of unlawful presence triggers a three-year bar; more than one year triggers a ten-year bar.
My spouse traveled home alone and came back. Do I need to check the I-94 again?
Yes. When a dependent enters alone, CBP issues a new I-94 based on that person’s own passport validity, which can easily expire before the principal’s. Once H-4 status lapses, H-4 EAD work authorization stops with it — so check and archive the record after every solo return.
I am an L-2 spouse. Do I still need to apply for an EAD in order to work?
Check your I-94 first. If the class of admission reads L-2S, the unexpired I-94 is itself a List C #7 document for Form I-9 and you can start work without applying for an EAD. If it is an older record issued before late January 2022 showing only L-2, present it together with the Form I-797A approval notice. Note that this does not apply to H-4 spouses, who still need an approved H-4 EAD.
I am close to the five-year or seven-year L-1 cap. Can business trips and home leave be added back?
Yes. Full days spent outside the United States do not count against the maximum period and may be recaptured in an extension, but only complete 24-hour days qualify and you must submit independent evidence of the travel. The most commonly used piece is the View Travel History report from CBP’s I-94 website, usually paired with passport admission stamps and flight itineraries.
The L-1 principal’s extension was approved. Are the L-2 spouse and children extended automatically?
No. Dependents must file their own Form I-539, either mailed with the principal’s I-129 or separately, and the two cases are adjudicated independently. An L-2’s lawful stay is determined only by the L-2’s own I-94. One point to remember: the 240-day automatic work authorization rule for I-129 filings does not apply to I-539 dependents, so an L-2 spouse’s work authorization stops the day the I-94 expires — even with a timely-filed I-539 still pending.
I-94 shortened, expired, or you are simply not sure how much time you have left?
A gap in status often leaves only a few weeks to fix. Having a licensed attorney review your I-94, I-797 and passport together costs far less trouble than seeking a waiver after the fact.
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About the sources: This article draws on CBP’s official I-94/I-95 website (i94.cbp.dhs.gov); the Department of Homeland Security final rule published in the Federal Register on July 17, 2026 (91 FR 44976, effective September 15, 2026); the DHS Study in the States official FAQ (last updated July 20, 2026); the USCIS Handbook for Employers (M-274) sections on L nonimmigrant status and USCIS Policy Manual Volume 2, Part L; and practice alerts published by several U.S. immigration law firms in July and August 2026 regarding ICE/TSA airport enforcement. Policy and enforcement practice change frequently; always confirm against the latest official releases. This article is general information only, does not constitute legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship; individual circumstances vary widely, so consult a licensed immigration attorney before acting. GOH1B is an independent Chinese-language immigration information platform and does not provide legal services; legal services referenced here are provided by Luo & Associates Law Group, P.C.
