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Nonimmigrants and lawful permanent residents must make sure to do these two things. The penalty for not doing so can be severe, under long-standing laws.

  • Carry their immigration registration document - Nonimmigrants and lawful permanent residents must carry their "evidence of registration" document at all times. Usually, this is Form I-94 or an EAD card for nonimmigrants, or Form I-551 (green card) for lawful permanent residents.
  • Report address changes within 10 days - All noncitizens living in the United States must report any change of address within 10 days of the address change.

As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intensifies its immigration compliance efforts (for example, see the January 25, 2025 executive order Protecting The United States From Foreign Terrorists And Other National Security And Public Safety Threats), advisers should review these two important requirements and other basics of maintaining immigration status with their students and scholars. This NAFSA advisory provides some helpful background.

General registration and document-carry requirements

To begin, "registration" does not refer to a new "special registration" or "NSEERS" requirement. The registration process for most nonimmigrants occurs automatically in procedures that we are very familiar with: an initial registration takes place when a noncitizen submits an application for a visa at a U.S. consular office; the required registration is completed when the noncitizen is admitted to the United States and is issued Form I-94. Registrations are updated when a noncitizen applies for an extension of stay or a change of nonimmigrant status. Every "alien" (the legal term for someone who is not a U.S. citizen or national) in the United States must "carry with him and have in his personal possession" evidence of having been "registered" in the U.S. immigration system. This is not a new requirement... it has been in place for decades. See:

Evidence of registration

DHS regulations at 8 CFR 264.1(b) list the following documents as acceptable evidence of registration:

  • I-94, Arrival-Departure Record - Aliens admitted as nonimmigrants; aliens paroled into the United States under section 212(d)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act; aliens whose claimed entry prior to July 1, 1924 cannot be verified, but who have satisfactorily established residence in the United States since prior to July 1, 1924; and aliens granted permission to depart voluntarily without the institution of removal proceedings.
    • Carrying a printout of an electronic Form I-94 can satisfy this requirement (8 CFR 1.4(f))
    • A pending application to replace a lost, stolen, or damaged Form I-94 "is temporary evidence of registration" under 8 CFR 264.6(c).
  • I-95, Crewmen's Landing Permit - Crewmen arriving by vessel or aircraft.
  • I-184, Alien Crewman Landing Permit and Identification Card - Crewmen arriving by vessel.
  • I-185, Nonresident Alien Canadian Border Crossing Card - Citizens of Canada or British subjects residing in Canada.
  • I-186, Nonresident Alien Mexican Border Crossing Card - Citizens of Mexico residing in Mexico.
  • I-221, Order to Show Cause and Notice of Hearing - Aliens against whom deportation proceedings are being instituted.
  • I-221S, Order to Show Cause, Notice of Hearing, and Warrant for Arrest of Alien - Aliens against whom deportation proceedings are being instituted.
  • I-551, Permanent Resident Card - Lawful permanent resident of the United States.
  • I-766, Employment Authorization Document.
  • A valid, unexpired nonimmigrant DHS admission or parole stamp in a foreign passport.

Requirement to carry the immigration registration document

Section 264(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act requires "every alien" 18 years of age and over to "carry with him and have in his personal possession" their "evidence of registration document" (such as Form I-94, a valid EAD card, or green card) "at all times," including when traveling domestically or just going about daily life. INA 264(e) also establishes rather severe penalties for not carrying the registration document:

"Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him pursuant to subsection (d). Any alien who fails to comply with the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall upon conviction for each offense be fined not to exceed $100 or be imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both."

Advisers should counsel nonimmigrants, lawful permanent residents, and other aliens they advise, regarding this requirement.

Automated electronic I-94 system and personal possession of registration document

8 CFR 1.4 provides that,

(d) The term "original I-94" includes, but is not limited to, any printout or electronic transmission of information from DHS systems containing the electronic record of admission or arrival/departure.

and

(f) The term "possession" with respect to a Form I–94 includes, but is not limited to, obtaining a copy or printout of the record of an electronic evidence of admission or arrival/departure from the appropriate CBP systems.

Advisers should counsel individuals admitted under the automated electronic I-94 system that they can visit https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/home and print out a record of their electronic Form I-94 to comply with the INA 264 requirement.

A valid EAD card (Form I-766) also serves as evidence of registration for this purpose, as does an admission stamp in the passport of someone admitted with an electronic I-94 (this stamp was added to the list of documents that constitute evidence of registration by a note to 8 CFR 261.1(b) in the I-94 automation rule at 78 FR 18457 (March 27, 2013), effective April 26, 2013). 

Other considerations for carrying documents

On a daily basis nonimmigrants should carry their I-94 printout, and permanent residents their green card, to comply with INA 264(e). It is also a good idea to carry any relevant status document such as Form I-20, DS-2019, Form I-797, a valid EAD card if autorized for employment, etc. In fact, the I-20 instructions inform students:

"FORM I-20. The Form I-20 (this form) is the primary document to show that you have been admitted to school in the United States and that you are authorized to apply for admission to the United States in F-1 class of admission. You must have your Form I-20 with you at all times. If you lose your Form I-20, you must request a new one from your designated school official (DSO) at the school named on your Form I-20."

In addition to carrying the above, when flying domestically and other activities all individuals must carry adequate identification under REAL ID requirements that go into effect on May 7, 2025. REAL ID will require all individuals to have a REAL ID-compliant identification document for the following federal purposes:

  1. entering federal facilities
  2. boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft
  3. entering nuclear power plants
  4. "any other purposes that the Secretary [of Homeland Security] shall determine."

 See NAFSA's page for more information on REAL ID requirements. 

Requirement to replace lost, stolen, or mutilated Forms I-94 or other registration document

8 CFR 264.1(c) requires that "[a]ny alien whose registration document is not available for any reason must immediately apply for a replacement document in the manner prescribed by USCIS."

Individuals who have an electronic Form I-94 who lose their print-out may simply access https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/home to print out a new one.

An individual who does not have an electronic I-94 must apply to USCIS on Form I-102 for a replacement if their paper Form I-94 is lost, stolen, or mutilated. Under 8 CFR 264.6(c), a pending application for a replacement I-94 is considered "temporary evidence of registration."

Replacement of other kinds of registration documents such as a green card, an EAD, etc., are requested on other forms. For example:

Requirement to report changes of address

Another requirement, related to the "registration" requirement, is that noncitizens living in the United States for 30 days or longer must report to USCIS any change of address, within 10 days of the address change. [INA 265(a) [8 USC 1305(a); 8 CFR 265.1]

USCIS has designated Form AR-11 to be used for this purpose. USCIS's Form AR-11 page states, "we strongly encourage requestors to use the self-service change of address tool available in their USCIS online account when reporting a change of address."

The USCIS page How to Change Your Address contains detailed information and links. It states: "Most people can change their address online using the USCIS self-service change-of-address tool in their USCIS Online Account under the My Account dropdown menu. If you do not have a USCIS online account, see our How to Create a USCIS Online Account page."

The law also provides for severe penalties for failing to notify USCIS about an address change. INA 266(b) states:

"Any alien or any parent or legal guardian in the United States of any alien who fails to give written notice [of an address change] to the Attorney General, as required by section 265 of this title, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined not to exceed $200 or be imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both. Irrespective of whether an alien is convicted and punished as herein provided, any alien who fails to give written notice to the Attorney General, as required by section 265, shall be taken into custody and removed in the manner provided by chapter 4 of this title, unless such alien establishes to the satisfaction of the Attorney General that such failure was reasonably excusable or was not willful."

F, M, J compliance with address reporting requirement through SEVIS

The USCIS Enterprise Change of Address (E-COA) tool allows individuals with pending applications, petitions, or requests to update their address online via their MyUSCIS account. This tool removes the need to update addresses in multiple places or submit a paper form. The tool is accessible to all USCIS account holders, regardless of how they submitted their cases. For more details, visit the USCIS page How to Change Your Address.

Remember, though, that F-1 and M-1 students must also continue to inform their DSO of any change of address (8 CFR 214.2(f)(17) and 8 CFR 214.2(m)(18) and J-1 exchange visitors must also inform their responsible officer (RO) of address changes (22 CFR 62.10(d) and 8 CFR 214.2(j)(1)(viii)) so that SEVIS can be properly updated. This also must be done within 10 days of the address change.

In addition, changing an address with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will not change an individual’s address with USCIS and USPS will not forward mail from USCIS. Individuals must update their address information with both USCIS and USPS, and with their DSO (F and M students) or their RO (J exchange visitors).