TN 21 (04-13)

A. Evidence for lawfully admitted non-immigrants

Each alien lawfully admitted as a non-immigrant should have an unexpired immigration document and an unexpired foreign passport as evidence of his or her status. The data shown on the immigration document and foreign passport should agree. Compare pictures appearing on visas and passports against the applicant for in-person interviews. In some cases, the alien may have a current immigration document, but may not have a foreign passport (e.g., asylees, refugees, parolees, victims of severe forms of trafficking, or certain Canadian citizens). In these situations, accept the unexpired immigration document alone. In other situations, the alien may only have an unexpired foreign passport with an admission stamp.

See also:

• RM 10211.140 Entering Information from Form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record) into the Enumeration System

• RM 10215.115 Procedures for Providing Written Notice to an SSN Applicant

B. Evaluating evidence of lawfully admitted non-immigrant status

Review the evidence in accordance with RM 10210.210, Reviewing Age, Identity, Citizenship and Lawful Alien Status Evidence for an SSN Card and RM 10210.560, Reviewing a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Document Submitted for SSN.

Check both sides of documents issued to non-immigrants for alien registration numbers (“A” number), expiration dates, or extensions.

1. Expired documents or documents expiring within 14 days

Do not process the SSN application when a non-immigrant submits an expired Department of Homeland Security (DHS) document or one that will expire within 14 days, since we cannot assign an SSN. Refer the applicant to DHS and provide written notice per RM 10215.115, Procedures for Providing Written Notice to an SSN Applicant.

See Also

• RM 10205.020 When an SSN Application May Not Be Processed

• RM 10205.090 Form SS-5 Received and Additional Documentation is Needed

• RM 10213.300 Procedure when a Person's Evidence or Lawful Alien Status Expires within 14 Days of Filing for an SSN

2. Unacceptable documents

The alien must submit the appropriate immigration document. A letter from United States (U.S.) immigration authorities, receipt, copy of an application form, or any immigration document not listed in this subchapter is not acceptable evidence of alien status. If an alien submits one of these documents in lieu of the appropriate immigration document, do not process the SSN application.

NOTE: For instructions on processing applications for lawfully admitted aliens without U.S. immigration documentation, see RM 10211.075 Evidence for an SSN Card for an Alien Lawfully in the U.S. Without Immigration Documents.

C. Description of versions of Form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record)

For exhibits of the various versions of the I-94, refer to the Administrative Confidential Memorandum (ACM). You may encounter the following described versions.

1. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) I-94 website printout

Effective April 2013, CBP expanded the definition of the Form I-94 to include:

• A U.S. admission stamp in an unexpired foreign passport; or

• a CBP I-94 printout.

Effective with the date of this CBP ruling, CBP no longer issues the white card stock I-94 version to air and sea travelers at U.S. ports of entry, except for certain travelers per RM 10211.135C.2. in this section. The CBP inspection officer places an admission stamp on the passport and provides the traveler with an I-94 Automation Tearsheet that instructs travelers to request an I-94 printout from (CBP’s website (www.cbp.gov/I94 )) if an employer, local, state, or federal agency requests I-94 admission information.

The I-94 printout shows the alien’s I-94 number, which assists with the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program verification. To request the I-94 printout, the alien must enter information into CBP’s I-94 website from his or her visa or biographic page of the passport.

A CBP I-94 printout is evidence of nonimmigrant status when presented in conjunction with an admission stamp in the unexpired foreign passport. If the applicant only has an admission stamp in the unexpired foreign passport, see RM 10211.135D.

The I-94 printout shows the:

• Admission (I-94) Record Number

• Admit Until Date (MM/DD/YYYY) also known as the expiration date- this is the date the current status expires.

  NOTE: The I-94 printout may show OMB No. 1651-0111 along with an expiration date. Ignore this OMB expiration date as this date has no effect on any of the information contained in the I-94 printout.

• Family Name- this is the surname or last name as it appears in the visa or biographic page of passport.

• First (Given) Name- this is the first or given name as it appears in the visa or biographic page of passport.

• Birth Date (MM/DD/YYYY)

• Passport Number- this is the number as it appears in the passport biographic page, and may contain numbers or letters.

• Passport Country of Issuance- this is the country of citizenship as it appears in the passport.

• Date of Entry- also known as the issue date, this is the date the alien entered the U.S. This date may vary by 24 hours from the admission stamp date located in the passport.

• Class of Admission- the class of admission appears on the admission stamp in the passport.

NOTE: For SAVE verification reasons, it is important to accept the I-94 printout and enter the I-94 number in the Enumeration system (SSNAP) if presented along with the admission stamp in the unexpired foreign passport per RM 10211.140.

See also

• I-94 Printout exhibit in RM 10211.137A

• Admission Stamp in unexpired foreign passport description in RM 10211.135D in this section

• Admission stamp in unexpired foreign passport exhibit, RM 10211.137I

2. White card stock version I-94

Prior to April 2013, aircraft and vessel carriers provided this version of the I-94 to passengers seeking admission into the U.S. Effective April 2013, generally only travelers arriving to the U.S. via land ports of entry will be issued this version of the I-94 upon seeking admission into the U.S. These I-94s contain an edition date of 04/15/86 or later. The non-immigrant completes the I-94 and presents it to the CBP officer at an authorized U.S. port of entry. The CBP officer stamps the I-94 along with the unexpired foreign passport and gives final approval for admission into the U.S. in a specific non-immigrant status for an authorized period.

In addition, as of April 2013, CBP will only issue and stamp and endorse the white card stock I-94 for certain aliens entering the U.S. by air or land processed through secondary inspection such as asylees and parolees.

This version of the I-94:

• shows a preprinted admission number as the departure number on the Departure Record (the part the alien retains);

• may show a handwritten departure number when CBP electronically assigns the alien an I-94 number in the CBP system. CBP generally handwrites the electronically generated I-94 number on I-94s issued to non-immigrants without a foreign passport (e.g., asylees and parolees). When the CBP officer handwrites an electronic I-94 number, the handwritten departure number supersedes the preprinted number. The preprinted number may or may not be crossed-out;

• has the admission stamp in the upper right corner;

• may be in the predominant language of the carrier's base of operation, if printed by the transportation carrier (e.g., Japan Air Lines prints I-94s in Japanese and Lufthansa prints I-94s in German). 

NOTE: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) also issues this version of the I-94 to certain asylees upon granting asylum. The I-94 may be typed or handwritten. See RM 10211.207 Evidence of Asylee Status When Form I-94 (Arrival and Departure Record) is Submitted.

See exhibits:

• White card stock I-94, RM 10211.137B

• I-94 with parole stamp, RM 10211.137C

• I-94 with refugee stamp, RM 10211.137D

• I-94 with asylum stamp, RM 10211.137E

3. CBP I-94A

CBP issues the I-94A at land border ports of entry. The I-94A is computer generated.

See an exhibit of an I-94A in RM 10211.137F.

4. Tear-off I-94 portion of I-797A (Notice of Action)

USCIS may extend a period of admission or change a non-immigrant status after CBP issues an I-94. The I-797A approval notice serves as proof of the approval for an extension or change of status. The lower portion of the form, also known as the tear-off computer generated I-94, replaces the original I-94.

NOTE: The tear-off I-94 portion of the I-797A does not need to be accompanied by the approval notice form for the I-94 to be valid or acceptable.

The tear-off I-94:

• is printed on the same type of security paper as naturalization certificates;

• does not have an admission stamp;

• has a receipt number starting with three letters (EAC, WAC, LIN, or SRC) followed by a series of numbers;

• has an admission number (I-94 number) on the left hand side;

• shows the alien class of admission;

• displays the validity period.

See an exhibit of a tear-off I-94 portion of I-797A in RM 10211.137G.

5. Global Entry (GE) I-94

Global Entry (GE) is a CBP program that allows participants to enter the U.S. by using automated kiosks located at select airports.

As part of the GE program, participants bypass traditional CBP processing that occurs at the port of entry and use self-service GE kiosks. Participants insert their passport or lawful permanent resident card into a document reader, provide digital fingerprints for comparison with fingerprints on file, answer customs declaration questions on the kiosk’s touch-screen, and then present a transaction receipt to CBP officers before leaving the inspection area.

The transaction receipt is a GE I-94. It serves as evidence of nonimmigrant status when presented in conjunction with an unexpired foreign passport.

The GE I-94 generated at select airports may vary. The GE I-94 may show the:

• Departure Number (i.e., I-94 admission number),

• Family Name and First (Given) Name,

• Country of Citizenship,

• Class of Admission (COA),

• “GE Kiosk,”

• Admit Until Date, also known as the expiration date, appears under “GE Kiosk,” and

• Birth Date (Day/Month/Year).

CBP does not place an admission stamp on the GE I-94 or on the participant’s passport.

See an exhibit of a GE I-94 in RM 10211.137H.

6. Green card stock version I-94W (Non-immigrant Visa Waiver Arrival/Departure Form)

Airline commercial carriers who entered into a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) Agreement widely used the green card stock I-94W (Non-immigrant Visa Waiver Arrival/Departure Form) from May 1991 through April 2010 for its passengers. In May 2010, CBP transitioned to an automated process for VWP travelers, in turn phasing-out the I-94W in air and sea environments. While CBP still issues the I-94W at land ports or during a system outage, the majority of VWP travelers admitted to the U.S. will not have an I-94W.

For information on evidence used in lieu of the I-94W, see RM 10211.135C and RM 10211.135D, in this section.

The I-94W:

• is generally a pale green color (some may be a darker mint green);

• shows the alien's admission number as the departure number on the Departure Record (the part the alien retains);

• has the admission stamp in the upper right corner;

• may be printed in the predominant language of the carrier's base of operation, if printed by the transportation carrier (e.g., Lufthansa prints I-94Ws in German and Japan Air Lines prints I-94Ws in Japanese).

CBP admits an alien with an I-94W as a visitor for pleasure (WT) or business (WB) for up to 90 days.

Aliens using an I-94W must be a citizen of one of the following 36 participating countries:

NOTE: DHS periodically designates additional countries as visa waiver countries. If the applicant is not a citizen of one of the listed countries, contact Regional Office (RO) staff for further information. For guidance, RO staff should contact enumeration evidence staff in the Office of Data Exchange, Enumeration, and Medicare Policy (ODEEMP).

D. Description of admission stamp on I-94 or in the foreign passport

The admission stamp may appear on the I-94 or unexpired foreign passport. Beginning April 2013, CBP will only place the admission stamp in the unexpired foreign passport and provide the traveler with an I-94 Automation Tearsheet that instructs travelers to request an I-94 printout from CBP’s website (www.cbp.gov/I94 ) if an employer, local, state, or federal agency requests I-94 admission information.

(NOTE: This website will not be live until the end of April 2013). If the applicant does not have the I-94 printout at the time of the SSN application, an admission stamp in the unexpired foreign passport is sufficient evidence of nonimmigrant status. If the applicant submits the I-94 printout in addition to the unexpired foreign passport with the admission stamp, see RM 10211.135C.1.

IMPORTANT: If the unexpired foreign passport contains multiple admission stamps, use the most recent U.S. admission stamp to process the SSN application. For additional information, see RM 10211.510, Actions Required When an Alien’s Status Changes.

The admission stamp displays:

• information about the DHS, CBP field office having jurisdiction over the port of entry;

• information about the alien’s port of entry and date of admission;

• a four-digit stamp identification number; and

• the alien's class of admission and validity date (e.g., the date admitted until) endorsed in ink by the admitting officer.

The unexpired foreign passport displays the following pertinent information:

• Last Name - this is the Family Name or Surname as it appears in the visa. If there is no visa, this is the Family Name or Surname shown on the biographic page of passport.

• First Name- this is the Given Name or First Name as it appears in the visa. If there is no visa, this is the Given Name or First Name shown on the biographic page of passport.

• Birth Date

• Passport Number- this is the number as it appears in the passport biographic page, and may contain numbers or letters.

• Passport Country of Issuance- this is the country of citizenship as it appears in the passport.

EXCEPTION: Admission stamps for refugees, parolees, and asylees display different information. See admission stamp exhibits in RM 10211.137.

See Details:

• RM 10211.185 Evidence of Refugee Status for an SSN Card

• RM 10211.195 Evidence of Parolee Status When Alien Submits Form I-94 or Unexpired Foreign Passport

• RM 10211.205 Evidence of Asylee Status for an SSN Card

NOTE: An admission stamp in the unexpired foreign passport and an unexpired foreign passport are two separate documents. See Policy for Number of Documents Required for an SSN Card in RM 10210.020C.3.

E. Policy on evidence for lawfully admitted non-immigrants without an I-94

Consider an alien who does not have an I-94 or admission stamp in an unexpired foreign passport lawfully admitted if he or she submits one of the following documents.

NOTE: Aliens presenting any of these documents do not have employment authorization.

F. References

• RM 10211.420 Employment Authorization for Non-immigrants

• RM 10211.600 Requests for an SSN from an Alien without Work Authorization