“A” Number or Alien Number: An 8 or 9 digit number that is assigned to certain aliens when they are entered into the USCIS’ records. An “A” number is issued to all aliens applying for permanent residence.
Acquired Citizenship: Citizenship conferred at birth on children born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent(s).
Adjudication: The term describing the USCIS process of reviewing and processing applications and petitions
Admission: Admission in immigration terms is defined as the lawful entry into the U.S. after inspection and authorization by an immigration officer.
Adjustment of Status: Procedure allowing certain aliens already in the United States to apply for immigrant status. Aliens admitted to the United States in a nonimmigrant, refugee, or parolee category may have their status changed to that of lawful permanent resident if they are eligible to receive an immigrant visa and one is immediately available.
Admission Number: The particular number is found on an individual’s I-94 card, which will change every time one enters the U.S.
Advance Parole: The term used for legal permission to leave the U.S. and re-enter during the adjustment of status period.
Affidavit of Support: The affidavit of support is a sworn statement provided by an individual who will provide financial support to an alien who seeks to adjust existing status or enter the U.S. There are two Affidavits of Support: Form I-864 and Form I-134.
Agricultural Worker: An alien coming temporarily to the United States to perform agricultural labor or services.
Alien: Any person who is not a citizen or national of the U.S.
Amerasian Act: Public law that permits certain Amerasian citizens to immigrate to the U.S. An alien must have been born in Cambodia, Korea, Laos, Thailand, or Vietnam after December 31, 1950, and before October 22, 1982, and have been fathered by a U.S. citizen.
Application Support Centers (ASC): USCIS offices fingerprint applicants for immigration benefits. Some USCIS applications, such as the Application for Naturalization or the Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, require the USCIS to conduct a FBI fingerprint background check on the applicant. Most applicants that require a background check will be scheduled to appear at a specific Application Support Center (ASC).
Asylee: An alien in the United States or at a port of entry who is found to be unable or unwilling to return to his or her country of nationality or to seek the protection of that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution. Persecution or the fear of persecution must be based on the alien’s race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Asylees are eligible to adjust to lawful permanent resident status after one year of continuous presence in the United States.
B Visa: The "visitor" visa is a nonimmigrant visa for persons wishing to enter the United States temporarily for business (B-1), for pleasure or medical treatment (B-2), or combination of both (B-1/B-2) purposes.
Beneficiaries: Aliens on whose behalf a U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident, or employer have filed petitions for such aliens to receive immigration benefits from the USCIS.
Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA): The Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA” or “Board”) is the highest administrative body for interpreting and applying immigration laws. Decisions of the Board are binding on all DHS officers and immigration judges unless modified or overruled by the Attorney General or a federal court.
Bona Fide: Genuine or authentic
Border Crosser: An alien resident of the United States re-entering the country after an absence of less than six months in Canada or Mexico, or a nonresident alien entering the United States across the Canadian border for stays of no more than six months or across the Mexican border for stays of no more than 72 hours.
Business Nonimmigrant: An alien coming temporarily to the United States to engage in commercial transactions which do not involve gainful employment in the United States, i.e., engaged in international commerce on behalf of a foreign firm, not employed in the U.S. labor market, and receives no salary from U.S. sources.
Cancellation of Removal: A discretionary benefit adjusting an alien’s status from that of deportable alien to one lawfully admitted for permanent residence. Application for cancellation of removal is made during the course of a hearing before an immigration judge.
Certificate of Citizenship: Legal document that is issued to derivative citizens and those who acquired U.S. citizenship. Serves as proof that an individual has become a U.S. citizen.
Change of Status: The application process of changing status from one nonimmigrant status to another nonimmigrant status
Citizenship: Person who by place of birth, nationality of one or both parents, or by going through the naturalization process has sworn loyalty to the United States.
Civil Surgeons: A medically trained, licensed and experienced doctor practicing in the U.S. who is certified by USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service). These medical professionals receive U.S. immigration-focused training in order to provide examinations as required by the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) and USCIS.
Conditional Resident: An alien who has been granted permanent resident status on a conditional basis, such as the recent spouse of a U.S. citizen. Conditional residents are required to petition for the removal of conditions before the second anniversary of the approval of his or her conditional status. These aliens must file Form I-751 with supporting documentation.
Consular Processing: The application process a beneficiary of a family-based or employment-based immigration petition undergoes in order to apply for permanent residency at a U.S. consulate overseas.
Consulate: Official U.S. government office located in a foreign country
Curricular Practical Training (CPT): This type of training is available to a full-time international student who has been in school for at least one academic year; defined as work/study, internship, or any other type of required internship.
Crewman: A foreign national serving in a capacity required for normal operations and service on board a vessel or aircraft. Crewmen are admitted for twenty-nine days, with no extensions.
Dependent: An official term used for the spouse and children of a principal applicant.
Deportable Alien: An alien in the U.S. subject to any grounds of removal specified in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This includes any alien illegally in the U.S., regardless of whether the alien entered the country by fraud or misrepresentation or entered legally, but subsequently violated the terms of his or her nonimmigrant classification or status.
Deportation: The formal removal of an alien from the United States when the alien has been found removable for violating immigration laws. Deportation is ordered by an immigration judge without any punishment being imposed or contemplated.
Derivative Citizenship: U.S. citizenship passed onto children through the naturalization of parents or to foreign-born children adopted by U.S. citizen parents.
Diversity Immigrant Visa Program: The U.S. government issues 55,000 permanent resident cards annually to eligible applicants who are selected randomly by a computer-generated drawing. The program was designed for nationals of underrepresented countries .
E Visa: This classification has two categories: 1) E-1 for treaty traders and 2) E-2 for treaty investors. An E-1 visa holder is a national of a country with which the U.S. maintains a qualifying treaty, who is coming to the U.S. to carry on substantial trade, including trade in services and technology, principally between the U.S. and the alien's country of nationality. An E-2 visa holder is a national of a country with which the U.S. maintains a qualifying treaty, who is coming to the U.S. to develop and direct the operations of an enterprise in which he or she has invested or is actively in the process of investing a substantial amount of capital.
Employment Authorization Document (EAD): Documentation that shows an alien’s eligibility to legally work in the U.S. In order to obtain this document, one must submit Form I-765 to the USCIS.
Employment Confirmation Letter: An employment letter is needed for employees who wish to be sponsored for nonimmigrant work status or permanent resident status. The letter is completed by the sponsoring employer and contains information regarding title, salary, hours worked per week, and start date of employment.
Exchange Visitor: An alien coming temporarily to the United States as a participant in an approved program for the purpose of teaching, instructing or lecturing, studying, observing, conducting research, consulting, demonstrating special skills, or receiving training. Such individuals are on a J or Q visa.
Extension of Stay: Term used to describe the application process for extending the stay period listed on Form I-94.
F-1 Visa: Visa type used by international students to enter the U.S. Form I-94 in the passport will be marked with the letters “F-1” and “D/S.” “D/S stands for Duration of Status.”
Fiancé of a U.S. Citizen: A nonimmigrant foreigner coming to the U.S. to finalize a valid marriage within ninety days after entry. Such individuals enter the U.S. on a K-3 visa.
Fiscal Year: The twelve-month period beginning October 1 and ending September 30th.
Foreign State of Chargeability: The independent country to which an immigrant entering under the preference system is accredited. Chargeability is usually determined by country of birth. Exceptions are made to prevent the separation of family members when the limitation for the country of birth has been met.
Green Card: Officially known as a Permanent Resident Card (Form I-151 or Form I-551); serves as evidence of lawful permanent resident status in the U.S. Allows a foreign national to live, work legally, travel abroad and return to the U.S.
H-1B Worker: The classification allows foreign workers who possess the necessary qualifications to enter the U.S. temporarily to perform a specialty occupation.
H-2B Worker: This classification allows foreign workers to enter the U.S. temporarily to perform non-agricultural services or labor on a one-time, seasonal, peak load, or intermittent basis.
Household Income: The calculation of the income used to determine whether a sponsor meets the minimum income requirements under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Immediate Relatives: Certain immigrants who, because of their close relationship to U.S. citizens, are exempt from the numerical limitations imposed on immigration to the United States. Immediate relatives are: spouses of citizens, children (under 21 years of age and unmarried) of citizens, and parents of citizens 21 years of age or older.
Immigration and Nationality Act (INA): “The Act” relates to the immigration, temporary admission, naturalization, and removal of aliens.
Inadmissible: An alien seeking admission at a port of entry who does not meet the criteria in the INA for admission. The alien may be placed in removal proceedings or, under certain circumstances, allowed to withdraw his or her application for admission.
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS): The former name of USCIS. The INS changed its official name on March 1, 2003 to “USCIS” (U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services.
Intracompany Transferee: An alien, employed for at least one continuous year out of the last three by an international company, who seeks to enter the United States temporarily in order to continue to work for the same employer, or a subsidiary or affiliate, in a capacity that is primarily managerial, executive, or involves specialized knowledge.
J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa: The purpose of this visa type is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchanges. Foreign nationals come to the United States to participate in a wide variety of educational and cultural exchange programs.
Joint Sponsor: An individual who accepts legal responsibility for supporting an immigrant with Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, along with the primary sponsor.
L Visa: An individual may be eligible for an L visa if he or she has been employed for at least one continuous year within the past three years by an overseas company who wishes to transfer him or her to a U.S-based parent, branch, affiliate, or subsidiary. The L visa has two categories: 1) L-1A for workers in positions of managerial or executive capacity and 2) L-1B for workers who possess specialized knowledge.
Labor Certification: Requirement for U.S. employers seeking to employ certain persons whose immigration to the United States is based on job skills or nonimmigrant temporary workers coming to perform services for which qualified authorized workers are unavailable in the United States. Labor certification is issued by the Secretary of Labor and contains attestations by U.S. employers as to the numbers of U.S. workers available to undertake the employment sought by an applicant, and the effect of the alien’s employment on the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers similarly employed. Determination of labor availability in the United States is made at the time of a visa application and at the location where the applicant wishes to work.
Lawful Permanent Resident: Any person who is not a citizen of the U.S. who is residing in the U.S. under legally recognized and lawfully recorded permanent residence as an immigrant. Also called “Permanent Resident Alien,” “Resident Alien Permit Holder”and “Green Card Holder.”
Legal Entry: The process that most visitors and foreign workers go through when entering the U.S. via official borders. A U.S. immigration official inspects an individual’s documents and grants him or her permission to enter the U.S.
Medical Waiver: A medical waiver permits an immigration applicant to be allowed into, or remain in the United States despite having a health condition identified as grounds of inadmissibility. Terms and conditions can be applied to a medical waiver on a case by case basis.
National: A person owing permanent allegiance to a state.
Naturalization: The conferring, by any means, of citizenship upon a person after birth.
Nonimmigrant: An alien who seeks temporary entry to the United States for a specific purpose. The alien must have a permanent residence abroad (for most classes of admission) and qualify for the nonimmigrant classification sought. The nonimmigrant classifications include: foreign government officials, visitors for business and for pleasure, aliens in transit through the United States, treaty traders and investors, students, international representatives, temporary workers and trainees, representatives of foreign information media, exchange visitors, fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens, intracompany transferees, NATO officials, religious workers, and some others. Most nonimmigrants can be accompanied or joined by spouses and unmarried minor (or dependent) children.
O Visa: A temporary work visa available to aliens who have "extraordinary ability" in the sciences, education, business, athletics, arts or the motion picture industry. The O-1 visa is divided into three categories: 1) the O-1A for foreign nationals who possess extraordinary ability in the sciences, education, business, or athletics; 2) the O-1B for foreign nationals with extraordinary ability in the arts or extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industries; and 3) the O-2 visa for an alien coming to the U.S. temporarily, solely as an essential and integral part of the artistic or athletic performance of an O-1 artist or athlete
P Visa: A temporary work visa available to aliens who perform in athletics or the entertainment industry. The P visa is divided into five categories:
- the P-1A visa for a foreign national coming temporarily to perform at a specific athletic competition as an individual or as part of a team participating at an internationally recognized level of performance;
- the P-1B visa for an alien entertainer, coming temporarily to perform as a member of a foreign-based entertainment group that has been recognized internationally as outstanding in the discipline for a significant period of time and who has sustained a relationship (usually for one year) with the group;
- the P-2 visa for an alien coming temporarily to perform as an artist or entertainer, individually or as part of a group, under a reciprocal exchange program between an organization in the U.S. and an organization in another country;
- the P-3 visa for an alien who is coming temporarily to perform, teach, or coach, individually or as part of a group, in the arts or entertainment fields in a program that is culturally unique; and
- P-1S, P-2S, or P-3S for essential support personnel who are highly skilled aliens coming temporarily as an essential and integral part of the competition or performance of a principal P-1, P-2, or P-3 or because they perform support services that are essential to the successful performance of the P-1, P-2, or P-3.
Parolee: A parolee is an alien, appearing to be inadmissible to the inspecting officer, allowed into the United States for urgent humanitarian reasons or when that alien’s entry is determined to be for significant public benefit. Parole does not constitute a formal admission to the United States and confers temporary status only, requiring parolees to leave when the conditions supporting their parole cease to exist. Types of parolees include:
- Deferred inspection: authorized at the port upon alien’s arrival; may be conferred by an immigration inspector when aliens appear at a port of entry with documentation, but after preliminary examination, some question remains about their admissibility which can best be answered at their point of destination.
- Advance parole: authorized at an USCIS District office in advance of alien’s arrival; may be issued to aliens residing in the United States in other than lawful permanent resident status who have an unexpected need to travel and return, and whose conditions of stay do not otherwise allow for readmission to the United States if they depart.
- Port-of-entry parole: authorized at the port upon alien’s arrival; applies to a wide variety of situations and is used at the discretion of the supervisory immigration inspector, usually to allow short periods of entry. Examples include allowing aliens who could not be issued the necessary documentation within the required time period, or who were otherwise inadmissible, to attend a funeral and permitting the entry of emergency workers, such as fire fighters, to assist with an emergency.
- Humanitarian parole: authorized at USCIS headquarters or overseas District Offices for "urgent humanitarian reasons" specified in the law. It is used in cases of medical emergency and comparable situations.
- Significant Public Benefit Parole: authorized at USCIS headquarters Office of International Affairs for "significant public benefit" specified in the law. It is generally used for aliens who enter to take part in legal proceedings when there is a benefit to the government. These requests must be submitted by a law enforcement agency.
- Overseas parole: authorized at an USCIS District or sub office while the alien is still overseas; designed to constitute long-term admission to the United States. In recent years, most of the aliens USCIS has processed through overseas parole have arrived under special legislation or international migration agreements.
Permanent Resident: Any person not a citizen of the United States who is residing in the U.S. under legally recognized and lawfully recorded permanent residence as an immigrant. Also known as "Permanent Resident Alien", "Lawful Permanent Resident," "Resident Alien Permit Holder," and "Green Card Holder."
Port of Entry: Any location in the United States or its territories that is designated as a point of entry for aliens and U.S. citizens. All district and files control offices are also considered ports, since they become locations of entry for aliens adjusting to immigrant status.
Principal Alien: The alien who applies for immigrant status and from whom another alien may derive lawful status under immigration law or regulations (usually spouses and minor unmarried children).
Priority Date: In the immigrant visa petition application process, the priority date is the date the petition was filed. If the alien relative has a priority date on or before the date listed in the visa bulletin, then he or she is currently eligible for a visa.
Q Visa: Temporary visa for an alien coming to the U.S. to participate in an international cultural exchange program in order to share attitudes, customs, history, heritage, philosophy and/or traditions of the alien's country of nationality. Under the Q-1 visa, the alien can engage in employment and practical training as long as he or she is also sharing the attitudes, customs, history, heritage, culture and/or traditions of his or her home country.
R Visa: Temporary visa for an alien coming to the U.S. to perform services as a religious worker.
Refugee: Any person who is outside his or her country of nationality who is unable or unwilling to return to that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution. Persecution or the fear thereof must be based on the alien’s race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Individuals with no nationality must generally be outside their country of last habitual residence to qualify as a refugee. Refugees are subject to ceilings by geographic area and are eligible to adjust to lawful permanent resident status after one year of continuous presence in the United States.
Removal: The expulsion of an alien from the United States. This expulsion may be based on grounds of inadmissibility or deportability
Resident Alien: Applies to non-U.S. citizens currently residing in the United States.
Service Centers: Offices established to handle the filing, data entry, and adjudication of certain applications for immigration services and benefits. The applications are mailed to USCIS Service Centers. Service Centers are not staffed to receive walk-in applications or questions.
Sponsor: There are many ways to sponsor an alien. The term "sponsor," in the immigration sense, often means to bring to the United States or "petition for". Another meaning of the term "sponsor" is a person who completes Form I-864, Affidavit of Support..
Student: As a nonimmigrant class of admission, an alien coming temporarily to the United States to pursue a full course of study in an approved program in either an academic (college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic high school, elementary school, other institution, or language training program) or a vocational or other recognized nonacademic institution.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS): Temporary immigration status granted to eligible nationals of designated countries (or parts thereof). Congress established a procedure by which the Attorney General may provide TPS to aliens in the United States who are temporarily unable to safely return to their home country because of ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.
Temporary Worker: An alien coming to the U.S. to work for a temporary period of time. Examples: H visa holders, O visa holders, P visa holders, Q visa holders, and R visa holders.
Treaty Trader or Investor: An alien who is entitled to enter the U.S. under and in pursuance of the provisions of a treaty of commerce and navigation between the United States and the foreign country of which he or she is a national, and the spouse and children of any such alien if accompanying or following to join him or her. The alien must be entering the U.S. solely to carry on substantial trade, principally between the United States and the foreign state of which he is a national; or has invested in a bona fide enterprise that is more than marginal in which he or she is actively in the process of or has investing a substantial amount of capital. Aliens in this capacity are E visa holders.
USCIS: U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (formerly “INS”) is a branch of the Department of Homeland Security which is responsible for handling immigration matters. The stated priorities of the USCIS are to promote national security, to eliminate immigration case backlogs, and to improve customer services.
U Visa: Nonimmigrant visa for victims of crime. The individual must have suffered substantial physical or mental abuse as a result of having been a victim of a qualifying criminal activity; he or she has information concerning the criminal activity; he or she has been helpful, is being helpful, or is likely to be helpful in the investigation or prosecution of the crime; and the criminal activity must have violated the laws of the U.S or occurred in the U.S. Alien victims of crime must file Form I-918, Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status.
Visa: A U.S. visa is an official authorization appended to a passport, permitting entry into and travel within the country; may be immigrant or nonimmigrant.
Visa Waiver Program: Allows citizens of certain selected countries, traveling temporarily to the United States under the nonimmigrant admission classes of visitors for pleasure and visitors for business, to enter the United States without obtaining nonimmigrant visas.
Voluntary Departure: The departure of an alien from the United States without an order of removal. The departure may or may not have been preceded by a hearing before an immigration judge. An alien allowed to voluntarily depart concedes removability but does not have a bar to seeking admission at a port-of-entry at any time.
