June 2026
USCIS treats a wrong name on an as a clerical error and corrects it through one form, the same form that fixes a misspelled name or a flipped date of birth, so your F-1 status itself is not in question. What differs is who pays. USCIS corrects its own clerks' mistakes for free, but when the wrong information came from the form you filed, it asks you to file the correction and pay the fee. So try the free route first: call USCIS and ask them to fix the notice as their own misprint. If they agree the misprint was theirs, they reissue the notice at no cost. If they decide the wrong name came from your form, they point you to Form I-102.
USCIS does run a free online request for a typo, but it covers one document, the work permit card, and only when a USCIS clerk made the mistake. Your name sits on an , and the I-94 is not on that list. If USCIS issued the I-94 with a wrong name, it sends everyone to a paper form instead.
There is a second reason the free route is closed. USCIS fixes a document at no cost when its own clerk caused the error. When the wrong information came from what the applicant wrote on the form, USCIS treats the correction as the applicant's to file, with the fee. The name was entered on your form, so USCIS will treat this as your correction to make. You can still ask them to call it their own misprint, but expect them to say it came from your form.
Premium processing only buys a faster decision on the original application. It does not give you a way to email the service center for a corrected notice, and a closed, approved case has no such channel either. There is no quiet email that reissues the notice.
You are not the first person whose paperwork came back with the name wrong. Here are three who got past it: one got USCIS to reissue the document with the right name, one got the California DMV's own staff to clear it, and one got USCIS to confirm their documents when the DMV was stuck. Ask us and we will put you in touch with any of them.
u/meowchie_r/USCISMar 9, 2026
u/dodododohr/immigrationJul 3, 2022
u/Internal_Pace2376r/h1bJul 22, 2024
Three moves can fix this, and they cost different amounts. Start with the free call. The paid form is the reliable fix if the free routes do not land.
Start here
Call USCIS and ask them to correct the notice as their own mistake.
Call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283, open Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm Eastern. Explain that the approval notice prints your name in a different order than your passport, and ask them to fix it as a USCIS error. You can file the same request online at uscis.gov/e-request. If USCIS agrees the misprint was theirs, they reissue the notice at no cost. If they decide the name came from your form, they will tell you to file , and you move to the next step.
Have ready
Ask the California DMV to take your case past the front counter.
The DMV refused your license because the names do not match. Other people in California have gotten a name mismatch cleared by asking the DMV to take it past the front counter, to whoever checks legal presence and names. Ask whether they can move ahead on your passport and your I-20, the enrollment form from your school, while you correct the notice. They may still say no, because the notice itself is wrong rather than just out of date, but asking costs nothing.
File Form I-102 to correct the I-94 on your approval notice.
Form I-102 is the form USCIS uses to correct an I-94 it issued. Choose the option to correct inaccurate information, and send it with the approval notice, a copy of a government photo ID that shows your correct name, and a signed note saying the name is in the wrong order and what it should be. It is a paper filing, so do not expect it to be quick. Check the current Form I-102 time at uscis.gov/processingtimes before you send it.
What to send
The rules behind the answer, in USCIS's and California's own words.
USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 11, Part F, Ch. 2: Proves USCIS corrects an I-94 it issued, and that you pay the fee when the error came from information you provided.
Vol. 11, Part F, Ch. 2
If USCIS made the error on Form I-94, Form I-94W, or Form I-95 through no fault of the applicant, the applicant is not required to submit the fee when filing Form I-102. However, if the error is based on information that the applicant provided or failed to provide to USCIS or the U.S. Department of State, the applicant must submit the filing fee when filing Form I-102. Examples of incorrect information may include: Misspelled name; Incorrect or inverted dates of birth; Incorrect class of admission code; Incorrect expiration dates; and Missing or incorrect duration of stay.
USCIS, Immigration Documents and How to Correct, Update, or Replace Them: Proves a USCIS-issued I-94 is corrected with Form I-102, and lists exactly what to send.
If USCIS otherwise issued your Form I-94, submit the following to USCIS: Form I-102; Applicable fees (see Forms and Fee information above); The Arrival/Departure Record containing the error; A copy of a government-issued ID verifying your legal name and date of birth; A statement explaining the change requested.
USCIS, Form I-102 (fees, with G-1055 Fee Schedule): Proves the $24 I-94 fee cannot be waived; with the $560 filing fee the total is $584.
The fee required by Public Law 119-21 for Form I-102 may not be waived. We will reject any Form I-102 without the proper fee required by Public Law 119-21 if it is postmarked on or after May 29, 2026.
USCIS, I-94 Quick Reference Guide for Local, State and Federal Agencies: Proves an agency like the DMV should read your I-797A as your I-94, which is why a wrong name on it blocks the license.
Form I-797A Issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services USCIS issues this document to an applicant as a replacement Form I-94 (an arrival and departure record). This typically means that USCIS approved an applicant's change of status so they can legally continue to remain in the United States.
California DMV, REAL ID for Non-U.S. Citizens: Proves California accepts your passport, visa, and I-94 as status proof, and requires the name to match across them.
Unexpired foreign passport with valid U.S. Visa and approved I-94 form … Note If the name of your identity document is different from your current name, you must bring a document with the new name.
This is general information, not legal advice, and rules and fees change. Check the current pages on uscis.gov and dmv.ca.gov, or talk to an immigration attorney about your own case.
We research the hard parts of settling in the US and write articles you will not find anywhere else. Subscribe to get each new article by email.
SettleKit is not a law firm and this is not legal advice. We research the public rules and show you the sources so you can act with confidence, but your own case may differ. For advice on your situation, talk to a licensed immigration attorney.
