Assemble a marriage-based green card packet yourself

  1. Pull the I-94 and confirm lawful entry
    30 min

    This step produces a printed I-94 arrival record and a written verdict on whether the foreign spouse entered lawfully — the threshold fact for adjustment of status. The part that trips people up: the I-94 shows the exact “Admit Until” date, and every day past it is time out of status, so read the date before assuming a visa still means lawful presence.

    1. Go to i94.cbp.gov, accept the terms, and select “Get Most Recent I-94”; enter the applicant’s full name, date of birth, and passport number exactly as printed in the passport.
    2. Read the result: the Class of Admission (for example B2, F1, J1), the port and date of arrival, and the “Admit Until” date — or “D/S” (duration of status) for most F, J, and M students.
    3. Print the record from the site’s print view and save a PDF copy; then open the passport to the entry stamp and confirm the stamp and the I-94 agree on date and class.
    4. Compare “Admit Until” with today’s date: a date in the past means the applicant has stayed beyond the allowed period — count and note the days.
    5. If the passport shows multiple entry stamps (re-entries reset the clock), pull “View Travel History” on the same site and use the most recent lawful admission.