The short answer
For a visitor admitted to the United States in B-1, B-2 or combined B-1/B-2 status, the important end date is the Admit Until Date on the I-94 admission record. It is not necessarily the expiration date printed on the visa. U.S. Customs and Border Protection sets the authorized period of admission when you enter, and that period can differ from one visit to the next. Check the electronic record after every arrival rather than carrying a date forward from an earlier trip.
==A visa can still be valid for travel while the permission granted for one particular stay is running out.==
Two documents, two different jobs
A visitor visa lets its holder travel to a U.S. port of entry and request admission for the purpose shown by the visa class. Admission is a separate decision. The record of that decision is Form I-94.
CBP's official I-94 expiration fact sheet distinguishes the dates on the electronic record. The form's own expiration date is only an administrative date for the form. The Most Recent Date of Entry records when the traveller arrived. The Admit Until Date is when that traveller's immigration status expires in the United States.
That is why a visa with years left on it does not grant a stay lasting years. It may support another request for admission during its validity, but each arrival produces its own admission decision and its own record. Conversely, a visa may expire while someone is already inside the country without changing an unexpired I-94 date for that admission. The two documents answer different questions.
Check the electronic I-94 after every arrival
Air, sea and land admission records are generally electronic. CBP says visitors can retrieve the latest record from the official I-94 website, where the "Get Most Recent I-94" function produces a printable copy.
Check four fields against the passport and the admission you expected:
- name and passport details
- Most Recent Date of Entry
- Class of Admission, such as B-1, B-2 or B-1/B-2
- Admit Until Date
Save the result while the trip is current. If a record cannot be found or appears wrong, do not infer the correct date from the visa sticker. CBP publishes separate instructions for retrieval problems and corrections; resolve the discrepancy with the responsible authority.
CBP's Traveler Compliance Check guidance also explains that its countdown is based primarily on the authorized period designated by the officer on arrival. It cautions that the online indicator is an aid rather than a legally binding determination and may not reflect a later extension or status change by USCIS. Keep any later USCIS notice with the arrival record instead of expecting every system to update at once.
A side trip does not create a private reset rule
A quick trip to Canada or Mexico should not be treated as an automatic way to obtain a fresh period. In its guidance for people travelling on a B-1 or B-2 visa, CBP says a visitor may return from a trip of up to 30 days only within the timeframe indicated on the I-94 received at the original entry. Its B-1/B-2 Canada and Mexico guidance uses a six-month admission as an example and tells the traveller to depart by that existing end date unless an extension was requested.
The practical point is narrower than any itinerary hack: read the record you actually received. A border crossing is not a promise of a new date, and admission decisions belong to CBP.
ESTA has a separate 90-day limit
Visa Waiver Program travel is a different route. CBP's official ESTA guidance says an ESTA authorization is generally valid for multiple trips for two years, or until the passport expires, but the Visa Waiver Program permits a stay of 90 days or less. ESTA validity is therefore another example of travel-document validity not equalling the length of one admission.
Do not transfer rules between ESTA and B-1/B-2 travel. A traveller should identify the class under which CBP admitted them and follow the corresponding record and conditions.
An extension is a request, not extra time assumed
If plans genuinely change, USCIS has a formal Extend Your Stay process. Its guidance says a nonimmigrant generally must file before the authorized stay expires and meet the eligibility conditions. Approval is not automatic. Visa Waiver Program visitors are generally not eligible for this ordinary extension route.
Do not wait for the visa's expiration date, a flight-booking reminder or a remembered six-month anniversary. The operative input is the current admission record, together with any later USCIS decision.
Keep the dates as one continuous record
For each U.S. visit, retain the arrival date, class of admission, Admit Until Date and actual departure date. Then keep the same fields for the next visit. A clean sequence makes it easier to answer future visa forms and to spot a missing or inconsistent movement while evidence is still available. If the official history is incomplete, use a careful process to reconstruct your travel history rather than filling the gap from memory.
This is also where Countly fits quietly: it keeps an automatic, private record of days in each country and border crossings on your phone. It does not replace the I-94 or an official decision. It gives you a contemporaneous timeline to compare with those records before a small date mismatch becomes a larger problem.
Sources checked 19 August 2026: U.S. Customs and Border Protection guidance on I-94 expiration dates, electronic I-94 records, traveller compliance, B-1/B-2 travel to Canada or Mexico, and ESTA; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services guidance on extending a stay. All official sources are linked above.
Important: This article is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not legal, tax, accounting, immigration, financial, investment, or other professional advice. Laws, rules, and individual circumstances may change. Verify the current requirements with the relevant official authority and consult a qualified professional before making decisions. Reading this article does not create a professional-client relationship.
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