U.S. scraps Form I-94 for foreign visitors
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it is doing away with another piece of paper to streamline the admission process for arriving foreign visitors.The plan, effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, will eliminate the need for certain foreign visitors arriving by air or sea to fill out the Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record.
The form is usually filled out en route, but CBP said it requests information from passengers that can now be accessed electronically, eliminating the need for the paper version. The form is usually required of those traveling on a visa. (Visitors from Visa Waiver Program countries are not required to use it.)
Because the form is sometimes used by visitors as evidence that they have been lawfully admitted to the U.S., CBP is setting up a website where visitors can obtain a paper record if necessary to verify alien registration, immigration status and employment authorization.
"The process will facilitate security and travel while saving CBP an estimated $15.5 million a year," CBP Deputy Commissioner David Aguilar said in a statement.
-Travel Weekly
