I-94 for J-1 Summer Work and Travel: How to Get, Print and Read Your Record

The I-94 is your record of when you entered the US, in what status, and until what date. Most records are electronic, so you look yours up online and print it. The arrival hub lists the other papers to sort out on arrival.

The short version

1. Get your I-94 from the CBP I-94 website or app once you are admitted.
2. Print the record and keep it.
3. Check the Admit Until Date, which is the last day of your permitted stay.
4. Print a new copy after each entry to the US.
5. Keep your I-94 dates inside the four-month program limit.

What the I-94 is

Form I-94 records the arrival and departure dates of people visiting the US. DHS issues it to aliens who are admitted to the US, as the USCIS page explains. For exchange visitors, DHS issues an I-94 indicating J-1 nonimmigrant status. Most arrival records have been created electronically on arrival since April 30, 2013.

The record lists the entry date, the port of entry, the visa status you were admitted in, and how long you were admitted for, per a university guide for its own scholars. The date that matters most is the Admit Until Date on the electronic Form I-94, the last day of your permitted stay.

For a Summer Work and Travel participant, the program lasts at most four months, and extensions are not permitted. Your I-94 dates should fit inside that window. On July 17, 2026, DHS published a final rule setting a fixed period of admission and an extension of stay procedure for J exchange visitors. As of 2026-10-20 (USCIS I-539 page), a federal court order of Sept. 14, 2026 postponed that rule’s effective date. Read the Admit Until Date on your own record rather than assuming a date.

How you get it

On entry, the CBP officer creates your electronic I-94 and, per a university guide for its own students, places an admission stamp in your passport. The fee rose from $6 to $30 on September 30, 2025, according to a USA.gov page seen on 2026-10-20. It is due when you apply online, on the CBP One app, or in person at your point of entry. The CBP page calls the app CBP Link, and the USA.gov page calls it CBP One.

Get and print your record online

Do this once you are admitted.

1. Go to the I-94 website from the CBP I-94 page, or use the CBP Link app.
2. Enter your passport number and entry information.
3. Choose Get Most Recent I-94.
4. Print the record and keep it.
5. Check every detail on it.

Print it after each entry. As soon as you are admitted or readmitted, get your copy from the CBP website. The online record is no longer viewable after you leave the US, so print before you go. A new I-94 is issued each time you re-enter.

Where is the I-94 number?

Get the number from the I-94 website or the CBP Link app. The Form I-94 number is also known as the Departure Number or Admission Record Number. Since May 2019, I-94 numbers are alphanumeric. They have 11 characters: 9 digits, a letter in the 10th position, and a digit in the 11th. Unexpired numeric I-94s stay valid until the Admit Until Date shown.

Read it and fix errors

At entry, the admission stamp in your passport shows the date of entry, the class of admission such as J-1, and the admitted until date, which may read D/S. Compare it with the online record.

Errors can hurt. Some errors, especially on visa type or the Admit Until Date, can harm your immigration status. If you see an error on your electronic I-94, it may be possible to have it corrected.

Why the Admit Until Date matters

The Admit Until Date on the electronic I-94 is the last day of permitted stay. Unexpired I-94s in the old numeric format stay valid until the Admit Until Date printed on the paper I-94 or shown on the website. CBP sends visitors email reminders about their remaining time in the US. It also notifies travelers who may have exceeded their admission period. A J-1 participant may not arrive more than 30 days before the program start date on the DS-2019.

Who asks for it

People who need to prove legal-visitor status to employers, schools or agencies can access their CBP record online. The I-94 record may be required for I-9 employment verification. At the Social Security office, SSA asks for your Form I-94 if available, along with your admission stamp. See the Social Security number page. Your sponsor’s check-in is covered on the SEVIS validation page.

If you cannot get it

If you cannot get your I-94 from the CBP website, you may file Form I-102 with USCIS. That is the Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Record.

Leaving the US

A paper I-94 must be handed to the airline or a CBP officer when you depart. Air and sea departures are recorded electronically through carrier manifest information or by CBP. For a land exit to Canada or Mexico, an electronic I-94 may not record the exit properly. A land departure is recorded if you re-enter before the expiration date stamped in your passport. Evidence of departure includes entry stamps in a passport, transportation tickets, pay stubs and other receipts. The entering the US page covers the border step.