The Form I-94 presented by a refugee must have an admission stamp that shows the:

• •

  legend “Admitted as a refugee/dependent pursuant to Section 207 of the Immigration & Nationality Act. If you DEPART the United States, you will need PRIOR PERMISSION to return;”

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  port of entry (POE), date of inspection, and inspection officer's identification; and

• •

  words “EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZED.”

In addition, Form I-94 issued to a refugee:

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  does not show a class of admission (or alien classification code);

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  generally, does not show a period of admission. In some cases, the stamp may show “indefinite” or a specific period;

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  may show a handwritten departure number when Customs and Border Protection (CBP) electronically assigns the alien an I-94 number in its system. In these situations, the handwritten departure number supersedes the preprinted number. The preprinted number may or may not be crossed out;

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  generally, shows a typed or handwritten alien registration number (A# or ARN) on the front or back of the I-94, in addition to the I-94 admission number.

An alien granted refugee status as a result of applying as “following to join” the principal refugee will generally have the tear-off I-94 portion of Form I-797A (Notice of Action). This type of I-94 shows the legend “Admitted as a refugee pursuant to section 207 of the Act. If you depart the U.S., you will need prior permission to return.” The tear-off I-94, like the regular I-94, does not show an alien class of admission (or alien classification code).

See Details:

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  Administrative Confidential Memorandum (ACM) for an exhibit of the most recent DHS refugee stamps.

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  RM 10211.135 Evidence of Non-Immigrant Status for an Social Security Number (SSN) Card.

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  RM 10211.140 Entering Non-Immigrant Evidence into the Enumeration System.

The CBP I-94 website printout of the refugee shows the:

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  Admission (I-94) Record Number;

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  Most Recent Date of Entry

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  Class of Admission of RE

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  Admit Until Date (MM/DD/YYYY);

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  Last/Surname;

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  First (Given) Name:

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  Birth Date (MM/DD/YYYY);

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  Passport Number; and

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  Country of Issuance.

In addition, the refugee must present a DoS transportation boarding letter with a refugee admission stamp. Only one refugee admission stamp is required on the DoS transportation boarding letter. Only one transportation boarding letter will be given to the family of refugees. The DoS transportation boarding letter issued to the refugee family has:

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  Top of the first page states it is “VALID FOR ONE YEAR”;

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  Middle of DoS transportation boarding letter states that DHS/USCIS has approved the application to apply for admission to the U.S. of the below-named alien(s) under section 207(c)(1);

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  Pictures of each individual admitted as a refugee;

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  Underneath each picture is the:

  1. 1. 

     Family Name (Last Name), Given Name (First name and middle name, if any);

  2. 2. 

     A (or ARN) number;

  3. 3. 

     Gender: Male or Female with description of family member such as: Principal Applicant, Wife, Daughter, and/or Son;

  4. 4. 

     DOB (Date of Birth);

  5. 5. 

     COB (Country of Birth)/NAT (Nationality);

The refugee stamp on the DoS transportation boarding letter shows the:

• •

  legend “Admitted as a refugee/dependent pursuant to Section 207 of the Immigration & Nationality Act. If you DEPART the United States, you will need PRIOR PERMISSION to return”;

• •

  port of entry (POE), date of inspection, and inspection officer's identification; and

• •

  words “EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZED.”

An exhibit of the I-94 website printout and DoS transportation boarding letter with the refugee admission stamp is not currently in the ACM. For an exhibit see RM 10211.137 Description of Evidence of Non-Immigrant Status and Admission Stamps.

To enter the I-94 website printout and DoS transportation boarding letter with the refugee admission stamp in the Social Security Number Application Process (SSNAP), select “I-94 w/NO Foreign Passport” on the “Proof of Legal Alien Status” screen. For specific SSNAP instructions, see RM 10211.140B.

 

A refugee applying for an SSN card may submit an I-766 as evidence of authority to work. If a refugee submits an I-766 but does not submit an I-94 establishing refugee status per RM 10211.185B.1., in this section, accept it as evidence that he or she is a refugee when the I-766 shows “A3,” “A03” or “A-3” under Category. When an I-766 shows these codes, be sure to select the appropriate entry in the drop-down list on the “Proof of Alien Status” screen in Social Security Number Application Process (SSNAP).

As evidence of employment authorization, a refugee who is “following to join” may also have an I-766 in addition to the tear-off Form I-94 portion of Form I-797A. Accept the I-766 with Category A3 as evidence of refugee status when it meets the criteria in RM 10211.185B.2.

NOTE: See the ACM for an example of Form I-766.