U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has made its Form I-94, Arrival and Departure Record, available online for travelers prior to their arrival at a land port of entry.
This document is to be completed by foreign nationals entering the United States with nonimmigrant visas. Travelers entering the United States by land may now save time by paying the $6 I-94 application fee and entering their biographical and travel information online, up to one week before entry.
The goal of advance online I-94 processing, is to expedite entry via land ports and reduce administrative duties of CBP officers, while maintaining high levels of security.
Travelers may now submit information online that would otherwise be collected in person at the land port of entry. Upon submitting the application and making payment, on the I-94 website, travelers will receive a provisional I-94 that includes biographical and travel information. To use the online submission, travelers arrive at a land port of entry, within one week, and speak to a CBP officer to finalize the I-94 issuance process, which may include biometrics. The Arrival Departure Record provides evidence of lawful admission to the United States.
The CBP automated the Form I-94 process for air and sea arrivals in May 2013, and estimates saving the U.S. government approximately $34.5 million in the first two years of its operation.
