Visitor visa - Date of obtaining visa v/s actual departure date

[querier]

Hi,

My in-laws had their visitor visa approved in August for a validity
period of 6 months (till Feb 2001). They are yet to arrive here in
the US. If they plan on departing in December, will they be allowed
to stay for 6 months from December or will they have to depart by
February itself? i.e., will the time duration mentioned in I-94 take
precedence over the passport visa duration?

Thanks for any clarification.

js.

 

[Sridhar A]

No Title

They can enter anytime before Feb 2001. As you said, I-94 is the one that determines how long they can stay. Depending on the INS officer at port of entry, usually it will be 3 to 6 months from the date they entered.