Question about I-94

My friend has travelled in 2015 and after that he did not travel back to India. His i94 details retrieved from the website shows the date of 2015 and status on L1.

My question is…he did not travel again to India for stamping after that which is the reason his i94 is not showing the H1 status…correct?

Normally, the website retrieval of i94 and the approval notice has i94 details…what is the difference in that? and sometimes the i94 is not available on i797 why is that? Is it because he did not travel…if that is the reason, he should have the previous i94 on it? but just because he is now working with A company…and got the approval but no i94 on the i797…!! hope you understand my question.

The I-94 is issued by US customs department. Their system only gets updated when you exit the country and enter in. The extension of status and other changes than happen through USCIS is not reflected on your I-94 as the systems are in silos. They don’t share information with each other.

Which ever is your latest I-94 that holds good for your stay. Eg: You received your USCIS extension approval on May 1st and traveled to India and came back on May 15th. The I-94 issued on May 15th at the port of entry is the one that holds good for your stay in USA. This will be reflected online too.

Similarly, you traveled to India and came back on May 1st and received your USCIS extension approved with new I-94 attached on May 15th. The I-94 issued by USCIS on May 15th is the one that holds good for your stay in USA. But when you check online, the information will still be based on your May 1st entry and will get updated only when you exit and re-enter, as the Customs and USCIS systems don’t talk to each other as of now.