If your attached I-94 shows a current U-1 grant, you already have a physical I-94 and may use it with separate identity evidence for work without waiting for your EAD.
“I received my I-797A for a U-1 Visa with the I-94 attached, but the Utah DMV is asking for a 'physical copy' of the I-94 and an unexpired home country passport to renew my driver's license. My employer is also asking for a physical I-94 to let me work, even though my EAD is pending. How do I get a physical I-94, and do I need my EAD to work?”
Summary
You already have the paper I-94 if it is still attached to your I-797A. The difficult part is Utah’s document review, not a need to wait for your EAD before you have permission to work.
Your work paperwork and Utah license renewal are separate decisions, with different options depending on which documents you actually have.
If you still have the original I-797A with its U-1 , bring that paper approval and attachment to both offices. USCIS says it includes an I-94 with an in-country U-1 approval and describes Form I-797A as a replacement Form I-94; a separate CBP printout is not required to create the USCIS-issued document. (USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 3, Pt. C, Ch. 7; USCIS, Form I-797 Types and Functions.)
Present your current U-1 I-94 as and an acceptable identity document, such as a qualifying unexpired state driver’s license or ID. USCIS explicitly names U-1 holders among people who may present an I-94 as List C; your EAD need not arrive first. If your EAD does arrive, the photo EAD is a separate option. (USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 10, Pt. A, Ch. 2; USCIS M-274, §§ 13.1–13.3.)
If you have an unexpired passport, submit it with evidence of your most recent U.S. admittance and your U-1 approval/I-94 for review. If you lack an unexpired passport, Utah Admin. Code R708-41-4(1)(l) lists a foreign birth certificate, with a certified translation if needed, as an identity option; subsection (m) allows alternate documents approved by DHS or the division director or designee. Submit your U-1 approval/I-94 separately as federal status evidence. Utah’s narrower checklist may prompt further review, so neither route guarantees issuance. (Utah Admin. Code R708-41-4(1)(k)–(m), R708-41-5(2)–(3); Utah DLD, Required Documents for Non-U.S. Citizens.)
Only if the USCIS-issued attachment is lost, request a replacement on Form I-102 from USCIS. The CBP online I-94 retrieval instruction concerns an electronic admission record issued at an air or sea port, not a new copy of your USCIS approval attachment. (USCIS, Form I-102; USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 11, Pt. F, Ch. 2.)
You do **not** have to wait for the card before being authorized to work or before using the U-1 I-94-plus-identity Form I-9 route. An EAD can, however, serve as a single document for work and is expressly listed on Utah’s identity checklist if it arrives. (8 CFR 214.14(c)(7); USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 10, Pt. A, Ch. 2; Utah DLD, Required Documents for Non-U.S. Citizens.)
These routes assume the attached I-94 records a current grant of U-1 status, rather than only a pending U-visa petition.
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Watch out for
Next steps
Use the document you already received first, replace it only if it is lost, and handle work and licensing as separate applications.
First
Locate the U-1 I-94 attached to your I-797A
Keep the original USCIS notice and attached paper I-94 together and take them to the employer and Utah DLD. USCIS says an in-country U-1 approval includes an I-94; the CBP electronic-record website is not how you obtain an additional USCIS approval attachment. (USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 3, Pt. C, Ch. 7; USCIS, Form I-797 Types and Functions; Form I-102.)
Requirements
Only if lost
File Form I-102 only if the USCIS I-94 is missing
Mail Form I-102 to USCIS Attn: NFB, P.O. Box 21281, Phoenix, AZ 85036-1281 by USPS, or USCIS Attn: NFB (Box 21281), 2108 E. Elliot Rd., Tempe, AZ 85284-1806 by courier. The October 1, 2026 schedule lists $560 plus a separate $24 I-94 fee ($584 total); if your passport is unavailable, explain why and include other identity evidence. Do not file or pay simply to obtain another copy while your attached original exists. (USCIS, Form I-102 and Instructions; Form G-1055; Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-102.)
Requirements
For your employer
Present the I-94 with an identity document for Form I-9
Offer the U-1 I-94 as work evidence and your qualifying state license or ID as identity evidence. USCIS specifically authorizes this U-1 combination; an employer may not insist on an EAD instead of acceptable documents. If your photo EAD arrives, it can be offered alone as . A receipt for a pending *first* EAD does not replace this documentation. (USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 10, Pt. A, Ch. 2; USCIS M-274, §§ 4, 4.4 and 13.)
Requirements
Up to six months before expiration
Submit your limited-term renewal documents to Utah DLD
Start at https://dldapply.ps.utah.gov/?appt=limited-term&immigration=auto and submit the immigration and identity documents before the office appointment. If the passport/valid-visa checklist does not fit, identify Utah Admin. Code R708-41-4(1)(k)–(m) in the submission and request review of your birth certificate or another director-approved identity document; include the I-797A/I-94 for status verification through . The state rule permits these routes, but approval of your particular record is not automatic. (Utah DLD, Limited-Term Web Portal and Required Documents; Utah Admin. Code R708-41-4 and -5.)
Requirements
After DLD’s verification message
Complete the renewal at the Driver License Division
After the portal sends appointment instructions, attend the Utah Driver License Division appointment, present the documents and complete the eye test. A limited-term renewal cannot be finished online; Utah lists the fee as $32, or $27 at age 65 or older. (Utah DLD, Limited-Term Web Portal; Limited-Term Renewal.)
Requirements
Legal sources
This answer draws on USCIS regulations and policy, USCIS Form I-9 and I-102 instructions, Utah’s Driver License Division, and Utah Administrative Code R708-41.
USCIS, Form I-797: Types and Functions
USCIS identifies the I-797A as the notice carrying replacement I-94 documentation.
I-797A table entry
Issued to an applicant as a replacement Form I-94.
USCIS Policy Manual Vol. 3 Pt. C Ch. 7
An in-country U-1 approval comes with USCIS-issued I-94 evidence.
Approval of U Nonimmigrant Status
USCIS also includes an Arrival-Departure Record (Form I-94), indicating U-1 nonimmigrant status.
8 CFR 214.14(c)(7)
A granted U-1 principal is authorized to work by status, while USCIS separately issues an EAD.
(c)(7)
An alien granted U-1 nonimmigrant status is employment authorized incident to status. USCIS automatically will issue an initial Employment Authorization Document (EAD) to such aliens who are in the United States.
USCIS Policy Manual Vol. 10 Pt. A Ch. 2
USCIS expressly permits U-1 holders to use their I-94 as Form I-9 List C work evidence.
A. Authorized to Work for Any Employer Based on Status or Circumstances
Asylees, spouses of U.S. citizens or children of such spouses (K-3 and K-4 nonimmigrants), victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons (T-1 nonimmigrants), spouses of E nonimmigrants (E-1S, E-2S, or E-3S nonimmigrants) with limited exceptions, [**[32]**]() spouses of L nonimmigrants (L-2S nonimmigrants), and victims of qualifying criminal activity (U-1 nonimmigrants) and certain qualifying family members (U-2, U-3, U-4, and U-5 nonimmigrants) may present their Arrival/Departure Record (Form I-94) [**[33]**]() as acceptable evidence of employment authorization under [List C of Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9)](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents) . [**[34]**]()
USCIS Policy Manual Vol. 10 Pt. A Ch. 2
The I-94 is work evidence but does not by itself satisfy the I-9 identity requirement.
A. Authorized to Work for Any Employer Based on Status or Circumstances
However, aliens seeking employment in the United States who present their Form I-94 to an employer as evidence of employment authorization must also present a document to show evidence of identity. [**[35]**]() The Form I-94 is not evidence of identity and for the categories of aliens listed above can be presented as evidence of employment authorization.
USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, § 4
The employer cannot insist on its preferred I-9 document when the employee offers acceptable documents.
Completing Section 2
You cannot specify which documentation an employee will present from the Form I-9 Lists of Acceptable Documents.
USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, § 13.3
A work-restricted Social Security card is not a substitute List C document.
13.3, item 1
Restricted Social Security cards are not acceptable as List C documents.
USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, § 4.4
The ordinary I-9 receipt provision concerns a replacement document, not a pending first EAD.
Acceptable Receipts
A document that shows an employee applied to replace a lost, stolen, or damaged document.
Utah DLD, Required Documents for Non-U.S. Citizens
Utah’s public-facing checklist states the stricter passport-and-valid-visa combination.
Category 1: Identity and Date of Birth
Unexpired foreign passport with a valid visa and I-94 verified through SAVE.
Utah Admin. Code R708-41-4(1)(k)
Utah’s effective administrative rule states a passport-and-admission-evidence route without expressly requiring a current visa stamp.
R708-41-4(1)(k)
(k) an unexpired foreign passport with documentary evidence of the applicant's most recent admittance into the United States verified through SAVE;
Utah Admin. Code R708-41-4(1)(l)–(m)
The rule names a foreign birth certificate and permits approved alternate identity documents.
R708-41-4(1)(l)–(m)
(l) a foreign birth certificate or unexpired foreign passport, including a certified translation if the document is not in English; or (m) alternate documents may be accepted if approved by DHS or the division director or designee.
Utah Admin. Code R708-41-4(1)(i)
The existing-license identity route is expressly limited to specified regular Utah credentials and renewals or duplicates.
R708-41-4(1)(i)
(i) a regular driver license, commercial driver license, or identification card that has been issued by the Utah Driver License Division on or after January 1, 2010, which is only acceptable for renewal or duplicate certificates and may provide evidence of both lawful presence and identity;
Utah Admin. Code R708-41-5(2)–(3)
Utah separately requires evidence of lawful entrance or federal immigration status.
R708-41-5(2)–(3)
(2) a document issued by the federal government that verifies lawful entrance into the United States verified through SAVE; (3) unexpired immigrant or nonimmigrant visa status for admission into the United States issued by the federal government;
Utah DLD, Limited-Term Web Portal
DLD requires pre-submission of documents for its limited-term process.
Limited-Term Web Portal
The "Limited-Term Web Portal" is where you need to submit your documents online **_before_** your appointment.
Utah DLD, Limited-Term Renewal
Utah permits early application but requires the actual limited-term renewal to be completed in person.
Limited-Term Renewal
You can renew your Utah limited-term driver license up to six months prior to its expiration date. Limited-term license holders are not eligible to renew online.
Utah DLD, Limited-Term Renewal
Utah states the adult limited-term renewal payment and older-adult discount.
Arrive for Your Appointment
Pay the non-refundable fee of $32.00 (65 and older $27.00.)
Form I-102
I-102 is the USCIS application if the paper I-94 is actually missing.
Form I-102
Use this form if you are a nonimmigrant and need to apply for a new or replacement Form I-94 or Form I-95, Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document.
Form I-102 Instructions
Someone without the requested passport/admission evidence can submit an explanation and alternative identity evidence with I-102.
Evidence Requirements, Lost or Stolen Form I-94
If you are unable to provide this evidence, submit a full explanation stating why you cannot give any of the above evidence, along with a copy of evidence of your identity and copies of any evidence in your possession to substantiate your claim.
Form G-1055, Fee Schedule
The October 2026 fee schedule supplies the two fees for replacing a lost I-94.
Form I-102 fee entry
$560, plus additional fee if applicable $24
These are the official rules as published or effective on the cited dates; rules and fees can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.

