Electronic Form I-94–Automation Started by CBP

 

Due to the Automation Process started by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from 30th of April, 2013, USCIS has begun updating certain forms requesting applicants and petitioners to enter the admission number from their Form I-94 and/or their:

• Passport information, including passport number, country of issuance and expiration date; and
• Travel Document information, including Travel Document number, country of issuance and expiration date.

[Source – USCIS]

So, prior to this automation, the Form I-94 which was given to you by the airline staff to fill up and submit it to CBP at the port of entry, is not needed anymore.

You can pull your electronic Form I-94 in paper format from CBP’s website (www.cbp.gov/I94).

Entering United States on an H-1B Visa–Form I-94

 

UPDATE – Manual printed I-94 process (mentioned in this old post) has been replaced with Electronic Automated I-94, click to read more.

Just before your flight to United States is about to land, you will be presented a form, by the airline staff, as shown below:

This form is called Form I-94 and it is basically an Arrival-Departure Record of a foreigner, kept and maintained by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and used by USCIS.

You must fill out Form I-94 and present the completed form to customs officer at your respective port of entry (airport) to the United States. The customs officer will stamp the form and keep the Arrival Record portion and returned you the stamped Departure Record portion of Form I-94 (The area highlighted in blue box in above picture).

You must submit the stamped Departure Record portion of Form I-94 when leaving the United States so that your departure can be recorded properly. If you failed to submit the Departure Record portion at the time of departure, it will create a lot of difficulties for you, if you try to re-enter to United States at some point in time in future.

Before you Fly–Tips

 

Choosing your Airline Carrier:

1. Qatar Airways
2. Emirates
3. Etihad Airways
4. Gulf Air
5. Saudia
6. PIA

Unfortunately there’s no direct or non-stop flight from Pakistan to United States. So the best option available is a one-stop flight. You have plenty of options available, as shown in the list above.

It is advisable to check fares with all the carriers, because the fare plans of these carrier works in a mysterious way; it is quite possible that the carrier which you chose for your last flight and which was the cheapest fare at that time, might not be the cheapest one now; these carrier shuffle their prices; different market actors have impact on how and what fare they would settle for upcoming season.

General sentiments about different carriers are:

1. Qatar Airways – Best Quality with Cheaper rates
2. Emirates – Leader in Quality Services; Somewhat more expensive
3. PIA – Enriches your faith in God ;)

Register with Frequent Flyer before Flight Reservation:

Almost every airline carrier has their frequent flyer program, get your self registered online, before doing the flight reservation. During your flight reservation mention your frequent flyer number to earn miles/rewards, etc.. In case, you forgot to do that, you can register and claim your miles/rewards after your travel as well, but there’s a time limit to do that, so do check with your airline carrier about the time duration.

Luggage / Baggage:

Generally following luggage / baggage is allowed:

1. Two pieces, not to exceed 23 kg and a maximum dimension of 158 cm each
• Maximum Dimension = length + width + height
2. One piece, not to exceed 7 kg and 50 x 37 x 25 cm
3. Laptops and laptop bags have to fit within your hand baggage allowance

However, it is recommended to check explicitly about the allowed luggage / baggage from your chosen airline carrier.

Carrying Original Documents:

Make sure, you have at least one photocopy set of all your original documents. Keep both original and copy in separate bags/suitcases.

Purchase a Prepaid SIM Card:

If you are not already carrying a Prepaid/Postpaid SIM from Pakistan, it is recommended to purchase a prepaid SIM Card. It will be helpful when you will return back, because quite shockingly, the Jinnah International Airport Karachi do not have any public Telephone Booth Facilities.

Shoes without Laces:

If you want to keep yourself safe from the hassle of tying and un-tying the laces every now and then during security passes, I would recommend to use shoes that do not have laces.

Currency Exchange:

It is advisable to exchange your currency from Pak Rupee (PKR) to US Dollar (USD) earlier, because the Currency Exchange Dealers in Jinnah International Airport have higher currency exchange rates and you will get fewer dollars against your pak rupees as compared to what you can get elsewhere from the Karachi city.