U.S. does away with paper I-94 form for visitors

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection is doing away that small white paper that a lot of visitors are familiar with: the I-94 white paper form that's attached along with foreigner's passport/visa, in an effort to make it easier for visitors to come to US.

From the notice from CBP today

Form I-94 provides international visitors evidence they have been lawfully admitted to the U.S. which is necessary to verify alien registration, immigration status, and employment authorization. The automation means that affected visitors will no longer need to fill out a paper form when arriving to the U.S. by air or sea, improving procedures and reducing costs. The change will go into effect 30 days after the rule is published in the Federal Register.

CBP said that records of admission will now be generated using traveler information already transmitted digitally/online and hence this move to eliminate paperwork. Besides speeding up the entry process, CBP will save an estimated $15.5 million a year

More information here.