J-1 Visa until August 2010, but I-94 expired in February 2010

E

_Eef

New Member
Hi everyone,

I went to the DMV two days ago to apply for a Californian DL, but they told me that my I-94 was expired. I thought they were joking, because I have a J-1 visa that's valid until August 2010 and my DS-2019 form states the same. When I came home and googled this, I found out that apparently the date on my I-94 overrules everything else!!
So now I've been illegal since February 2010?!

I came to the States in August 2009 and I went on a vacation to New Zealand in December/January 2010. So when I came back, I got a new I-94 form and this one has a stamp on it that says February 3rd, 2010.

I read online that you have to apply for a new I-94 form at least 60 days before it expires. Has anyone experienced/heard of something like this before?!
And what do I do know?!

I reported this at the organization I'm travelling with, but I'd like to know myself what to expect..

Thank you very much in advance!!
 
What visa class does it say on the I-94?

For your J1, it should says "J1 D/S". If it says "B1" or "B2", then you have entered the country as a tourist.
The "D/S" means that the I-94 is valid to whatever the DS-2019 says.
 
By the way, with J1, you do not have to surrender your I-94 when you are on a short trip outside of the US. You can reuse it when re-entering rather than getting a new one.
 
It says it's a J-1 class. I looked for the 'D/S', but it's not on the stamp or on the I-94 form anywhere..

I'll remember the tip about not having to get a new I-94, thank you.
 
How many dates do you see on the I-94?
The red one in the middle of the stamp indicates the date that the stamp was made.
If applicable, the date below it indicates the expiration.
 
pk_net said:
By the way, with J1, you do not have to surrender your I-94 when you are on a short trip outside of the US. You can reuse it when re-entering rather than getting a new one.
Click to expand...

Are you sure about this? Where can I find more information about this? And how do you define a "short trip"?
 
ankzap said:
Are you sure about this? Where can I find more information about this? And how do you define a "short trip"?
Click to expand...

Yes, I am sure about it. I have gone to Canada multiple times, and each trip lasted around 4-5 days. I could re-enter with the same I-94 (both through an airport and on land). In fact, they didn't really ask as many questions once they saw the stamped I-94.

I think that the length of the trip doesn't really matter if your J1 remains valid. Although, they might get suspicious if you are gone for months.
 
pk_net said:
Yes, I am sure about it. I have gone to Canada multiple times, and each trip lasted around 4-5 days. I could re-enter with the same I-94 (both through an airport and on land). In fact, they didn't really ask as many questions once they saw the stamped I-94.

I think that the length of the trip doesn't really matter if your J1 remains valid. Although, they might get suspicious if you are gone for months.
Click to expand...

Okay, I did a little more reading about this. Looks like this is valid ONLY for Canada, Mexico, and a few other neighboring countries. From what I have read, this WILL NOT work if you travel to Europe or Asia for example, and could get you into big trouble!
 
ankzap said:
Okay, I did a little more reading about this. Looks like this is valid ONLY for Canada, Mexico, and a few other neighboring countries. From what I have read, this WILL NOT work if you travel to Europe or Asia for example, and could get you into big trouble!
Click to expand...

Ah, I see. That makes sense. I thought I have heard of that somewhere too.
 
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