I-94 Number is changed while re entry after COS stamping done

[hello999]

Hi, 

First of all thank you very much to this forum owners and all members. 

i have a question related to I-94 number change. I came to USA on F1 visa in 2009, I-94 paper form was issued and stapled in passport page. I never traveled outside usa on F1 visa. In 2013 my H1B visa status started. In 2014 i went to Canada for H1B stamping and came back to USA in 3 days after H1B visa stamping is done.    I gave my previous paper I-94 card to Airlines person at boarding while departing from usa airport. (my port of entry was in Canada airport itself while returning from canada to usa but i never retrieved my online I-94 record for this arrival, i did not know about we can get i-94 record from online that time).  After 5 months of this H1B stamping then i traveled to India  for 1 month and came back to usa, i retrieved my online I-94 for this arrival and also emailed to employer. After that i extended my h1b visa 2 times till now with same latest I-94 number that i got from cbp site and this same number is there at the bottom of H1B Approved I-797A document with extended expiry dates, have not traveled outside usa from then to till now   

I checked my First  I-94 paper card Number (when i came on F1 visa in 2009), current I-94 number. Both numbers are different. So i am wondering why I-94 numbers are different. when my change of starus is changed from F1 to H1B i got same old I-94 number at the bottom of H1B I-797 approved doc. I guess my I-94 number is changed while i came back from H1B stamping (canada) or on my second trip from india. I don’t have previous online i-94 (canada to usa after stamping). 

Sorry for long description. I just want to give clear information on my question. 

[hello999]

Do cbp people assign I-94 number in online same as old paper I-94 number after they changed it from paper based to online from May 2013. Or did they start assigning new I-94 series number for online I-94s?  

If we come with wife first time, do they assign new i-94 number at port of entry since marital status is changed and have new dependent? I am trying to find out why my i-94 number is changed at port of entry and not same number as my old paper based I-94 number. 

[hello999]

Never mind on my question. I checked with my friends and I-94 number can be changed at port of entry cbp when we travel. I thought cbp maintains only one I-94 number same as uscis I-94 number. But they are not.  Which ever is the latest (cbp site i-94 travel or H1B extensions within usa) it will supersede previous i-94 number.

 

Question:  Through FOIA, how many years back Old online I-94 can be requested? Can we request old online i-94 which was more than 5 years back?  In passport i have arrival stamp with date but i did not retrieve one i-94 from online that time. I wish cbp should have kept at least 3 old  previous I-94s in online. They are only keeping latest I-94 in online. 

[shekar11#]

On 5/15/2018 at 8:15 PM, vikky789 said:

Never mind on my question. I checked with my friends and I-94 number can be changed at port of entry cbp when we travel. I thought cbp maintains only one I-94 number same as uscis I-94 number. But they are not.  Which ever is the latest (cbp site i-94 travel or H1B extensions within usa) it will supersede previous i-94 number.

 

Question:  Through FOIA, how many years back Old online I-94 can be requested? Can we request old online i-94 which was more than 5 years back?  In passport i have arrival stamp with date but i did not retrieve one i-94 from online that time. I wish cbp should have kept at least 3 old  previous I-94s in online. They are only keeping latest I-94 in online. 

You only need the latest one. No one needs previous I-94's.