An error on your I-94 card may seem like a small mistake, but it can have serious immigration consequences. Many people don\u2019t realize that an incorrect I-94 can cause an overstay, trigger unlawful presence bars under INA 212(a)(9)(B), or even lead to a finding of misrepresentation under INA 212(a)(6)(C)(i).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We frequently receive inquiries like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re asking yourself questions such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re not alone. The good news is that most I-94 errors can be corrected with the right legal strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of the most frequent I-94 issues we\u2019ve seen include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even when travelers do everything right, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) errors can put their immigration status at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of our clients entered the U.S. as the spouse of an L-1 visa holder. She should have been admitted in L-2 status, which would allow her to live in the US and apply for work authorization. Instead, her I-94 was mistakenly issued under B1\/B2 visitor status, which only permits short visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This error made it appear as though she had overstayed her visa <\/strong>after six months, even though she was fully eligible for L-2 status. Our legal team gathered documentation, worked directly with CBP, and successfully corrected her I-94 to reflect L-2 classification. Her record was cleared, and she remained in lawful status without leaving the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another client, a medical trainee, had a valid J-1 visa for his exchange program. At the airport, a CBP officer mistakenly admitted him under ESTA (Visa Waiver Program). ESTA is only valid for 90 days and does not allow extensions or changes of status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of the mistake, his file showed that he had overstayed ESTA, even though he was fully compliant with his J-1 program. We filed a correction request, submitted a detailed legal brief, and coordinated with both CBP and his J1 sponsor. His I-94 was updated to show J-1 status, and the overstay flag was completely removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve discovered an I-94 error, whether it\u2019s a wrong visa classification, expiration date, or entry record it\u2019s critical to act quickly. Our firm has successfully resolved I-94 correction cases for clients in situations involving all different types of visas. We know how to navigate CBP, consulates, and USCIS to protect your immigration status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Call us today at 305-515-0613 or email info@messersmithlaw.com<\/a><\/strong> to schedule a consultation. We\u2019ll review your I-94 issue, explain your options, and take action to fix the error before it creates long term immigration problems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An error on your I-94 card may seem like a small mistake, but it can have serious immigration consequences. Many people don\u2019t realize that an incorrect I-94 can cause an overstay, trigger unlawful presence bars under INA 212(a)(9)(B), or even lead to a finding of misrepresentation under INA 212(a)(6)(C)(i). We frequently receive inquiries like: If … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[335,336],"tags":[337,338],"class_list":["post-1631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-i-94","category-i-94-correction","tag-i-94","tag-i-94-correction"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.messersmithlaw.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.messersmithlaw.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.messersmithlaw.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.messersmithlaw.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.messersmithlaw.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1631"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.messersmithlaw.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1646,"href":"https:\/\/blog.messersmithlaw.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1631\/revisions\/1646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.messersmithlaw.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.messersmithlaw.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.messersmithlaw.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Successful Case 2: ESTA Entry Instead of J-1 Visa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t Let an I-94 Error Derail Your Immigration Journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n