CONFLICTING ADMISSION RECORDS
A traveler should not ignore a discrepancy between the passport admission endorsement and the electronic Form I-94. The I-94 is CBP’s admission record, and conflicting dates or classifications should be reviewed promptly to determine whether CBP made an entry error.
CBP’s automated I-94 system creates an electronic arrival record for most air and sea admissions. The record can be retrieved online and should be compared with the passport endorsement.
The expiration date printed on the visa governs the period during which the visa may generally be used to travel to a U.S. port of entry. It does not determine the authorized length of stay after admission.
If the stamp and I-94 conflict, the answer is not to substitute the visa expiration date for both.
Current CBP guidance states that Deferred Inspection Sites can correct errors made at entry involving the period of admission, classification or biographic information when appropriate.
The traveler should preserve any evidence showing what CBP intended to grant, including the visa classification, petition approval, passport stamp, I-94 record and any discussion during secondary inspection.
A discrepancy should be addressed promptly, particularly if one record shows an earlier expiration date. Waiting can create avoidable disputes about status or unauthorized stay.
If both records accurately reflect an intentional CBP decision and the traveler simply wants to stay longer, Deferred Inspection is not the proper extension process.
No. The discrepancy should be reviewed and corrected if it resulted from an entry error.
Yes, when the period of admission was incorrectly recorded at entry and CBP determines correction is appropriate.
That is not ordinarily an I-94 correction. A request for additional time is generally an extension-of-stay issue handled through USCIS if the traveler qualifies.
These government materials provide the principal I-94, admission-period and Deferred Inspection rules discussed on this page.
A prompt review can determine whether the conflict is a correctable CBP entry error or an intentional admission decision requiring a different strategy.