A foreign national who enters into the United States, must record his arrival and departure in the United States and he will be allowed to get into the United States only after close scrutiny. Hence all the temporary travelers are required to fill out the CBP Form I-94, before entering into the United States.
Form I-94 – Arrival-Departure Record
While foreign nationals travel to the United States on temporary visas, they must complete Form I-94 and must submit it to the CBP officer and after immigration inspection, the CBP officer will stamp the form and return the departure portion of Form I-94, to you. You will be allowed to enter into the country only after the CBP officer stamps your arrival record. The date on which you must leave the United States will be printed on this form and you will have to keep the departure portion of Form I-94 with you and return it while you leave the United States. If you misplace your departure record, you must file an application for replacement and to replace your departure record, you should file Form I-102, Application to Replace Arrival/Departure Record.
This Form I-94, is maintained by CBP and the USCIS, to track the arrival and departure of foreign nationals. You need to remember that the departure date on Form I-94 and the date on your visa stamp are both different. The departure record is more important and if your departure date is not recorded, you will get into trouble while visiting the United States again. Your existing visas may be canceled or you may not be issued a visa next time, if you fail to return your departure record. Hence, it is mandatory to keep Form I-94 safe. You may not be required to submit your departure record to travel to Mexico or Canada.
Form I-102, Application to Replace Arrival / Departure Record
Non-immigrants who lose their departure records while in America, may file Form I-102, to obtain new documents. A new departure record may be issued within 5 months from the date of your application. Form I-102 consists of five parts and you will have to fill out all the five parts of this application.
This form is self explanatory and you need to write your name and other personal information about yourself in the first part. You will have to state the reason for filing Form I-102, in the next part. If you are filing some other petitions along with Form I-102, you need to enter details about the other petitions in Part 3. After completing the form, you need to sign the form and check it again for accuracy.
Who is eligible to File Form I-102?
You may file Form I-102, if you need to replace your lost Form I-94 or Form I-94W. File this form if you need to extend your stay or if you look forward to change your status. You can file this form if you need to replace Form I-95.
If there are errors on your Form I-94 or Form I-95, you need to file Form I-102, at a local USCIS office, to correct the errors on your form.
Supporting Documents that must Accompany Form I-102
You need to submit a copy of your lost document(if you have one) along with Form I-102 and a copy of your passport page that contains the USCIS stamp. You must also attach a copy of your passport page that contains details about you. If you had reported the loss of your documents, you need to attach a copy of the police report, along with your application. You need to pay $330, as filing fee while filing Form I-102. After reviewing your form, USCIS will grant you a new document, if you are eligible.