Pilot Program for eMail Corrections of Online I-94 Cards

Historically, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been available to make corrections on I-94s issued at U.S. ports of entry that contain errors. Many such requests for correction are addressed during in-person visits to CBP deferred inspection units (DIUs). Now, the Houston Field Office (HFO) for the CBP has announced a pilot program that will allow foreign nationals to submit requests online to correct electronic ‘paperless’ I-94s.

Common I-94 Mistakes

A paperless I-94 card is generated by the CBP after admitting a foreign national into the United States in a nonimmigrant status. (I-94s are also issued for certain other statuses.) Some of the errors most commonly found on I-94s include having an incorrect admitted until date, a misspelling in a person’s name or other biographical information, or an incorrect class of admission.

Pilot Limited to Texas and Oklahoma, Expires in Jan 2016

The HFO pilot program will allow for remote I-94 card corrections for travelers who were inspected and admitted at any of the following ports of entry, all of which are located in the states of Texas and Oklahoma: Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Port Arthur, Lubbock, Midland, and Amarillo, Texas, as well as Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma. This pilot program is scheduled to end on January 15, 2016.

Welcome Improvement

This I-94 pilot correction program is a positive step toward improvement in customer relations and efficiency for the CBP. This program promises to save individuals hours of travel time to airports or other DIUs when errors are discovered. The hope is that the program will be expanded across the United States and become permanent after successful testing.

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