Please make photocopies of your immigration documents and keep them in a safe place, separate from the originals. Photocopy the following documents:

• passport pages that have your picture and personal information, as well as official information
• passport page with the appropriate visa stamp on it
• both sides of your Form I-94
• both sides of your I-797 approval notice

Passport

Your passport is your own government's permit for you to leave and re-enter your own country. You should keep your passport valid at all times. Consult your own consulate or embassy in the U.S. to renew your passport. The consulate officials will tell you what forms and fees, if any, are required. You can link to Washington, D.C. embassies to obtain contact information for your country's nearest consulate. U.S. regulations require that your passport be valid for at least 6 months beyond your anticipated stay in the U.S.

Visa

The visa stamp placed in your passport by the U.S. consul is needed to enter the United States but has no bearing on how long you can remain. It also indicates the classification status you will have upon admission to the United States (e.g., H1B). It is necessary to renew your visa if the visa has expired and you are planning on traveling outside the U.S. and returning to the U.S. You must visit a U.S. consulate outside the U.S. to obtain a valid visa stamp. For instructions on setting up an appointment and documentation requirements for applying for the H-1B visa stamp, visit the particular web site of the U.S. consulate you plan to visit when applying for the H-1B visa at List of U.S. Consular Offices worldwide.

Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record

The I-94 shows that you have been admitted to the U.S. The I-94 is usually stapled onto the U.S. visa page of your passport. It contains an eleven-digit identifying number (called your departure number) that the USCIS uses to keep track of your arrival in and departure from the United States. The USCIS sometimes refers to the "departure" number as the "admission" number. There will be a date written in the upper right-hand corner of your I-94. You must either leave the U.S. by that date or apply to extend your stay at least six months in advance of that date. If you have changed to H1B status within the United States, you will have received a new I-94 personal record card (attached to the bottom of the form I-797 approval notice) that supersedes your previous I-94 card obtained upon entry in your prior status.

Form I-797 approval notice

The Form I-797 approval notice indicates that USCIS has approved the H1B petition and has either changed the beneficiary's status to H1B (in which case a new I-94 card is issued, attached to the bottom of the Form I-797A) or indicated the consulate to which they have sent notice of the petition's approval (Form I-797B). The form will state the validity period of the H1B petition.