H-1B temporary workers and their H-4 dependents should be aware of their status expiration date at all times in order to ensure that they are in the US in legal status. The status expiration date is the last date that an H-1B worker or H-4 dependent can be in the US in lawful status. It is important to check this date regularly in order to ensure maintenance of lawful status.
Your status expiration date is indicated on your most recent I-94 departure record. You will receive a new I-94 when one of the following takes place:
Whichever is the most recent action (a change of status from within the US or re-entry to the US following international travel) will be your most recent I-94, and therefore your current status expiration date.
You status expiration is usually the same date as your Petition Expiration Date (PED), which is the date your H-1B approval as requested by Tufts University expires. For example, Tufts may request three years of H-1B employment for you, and the request is approved. Your PED will generally be three years into the future.
In certain cases, however, both USCIS and/or CBP can issue a I-94 with a shorter expiration date than requested. This can be due to a number of factors, but the most common are the following:
Your status expiration date is the date your eligibility to stay in the US in H-1B status (or H-4 status) expires. This is not the same as your visa expiration date, which refers to the date your entry visa in your passport expires. The visa expiration date is the last day you can use the visa to request permission to enter the US after a temporary trip abroad, and your visa may expire while you are in the US without affecting your status expiration. The visa expiration date can be the same date as your PED, but it may be shorter depending on US government visa reciprocity agreements with your home country, among other factors.
H-1B workers and H-4 dependents should check the status expiration date on their I-94 records regularly, and especially after returning to the US following international travel. This is to ensure that you know when your status expires and you can take appropriate action to extend your status, if necessary.