Visa

Visa terms

1. Accompanying A type of visa in which family members travel with the principal applicant, (in immigrant visa cases, within six months of issuance of an immigrant visa…
2. Adjust Status 1) to change from a nonimmigrant visa status or other status; or, 2) to adjust the status of a permanent resident (green card holder).
3. Adjustment of Status An alien in the United States with a non-immigrant visa may adjust status to become a Legal Permanent Resident by filing a Form I-864.
4. Administrative processing Some visa applications require further administrative processing, which takes additional time after the visa applicant’s interview by a consular officer.
5. Admission Entry into the United States is authorized by a Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer.
6. Adopted Child An unmarried child under age 21, who was adopted while under the age of sixteen, and who has been in legal custody and lived with the adopting parent(s)…
7. Advance Parole Permission to return to the United States after travel abroad. Advance parole must be granted by DHS prior to leaving the United States.
8. Advisory Opinion An opinion regarding a point of law from the Office of Visa Services in the Department of State, Washington, D.C.
9. Advisory Opinion (“J” Visa) Waiver of Foreign Residence Requirement, INA 212(e) A J-1 visa holder's DS 2019 or IAP 66 form will have a statement in the bottom left hand corner of the form, as follows: “Bearer (is or is not) subject…
10. Affidavit of Support (AOS) (AOS) A document promising that the person who completes it will support an applicant financially in the United States.
11. Affidavit of Support (AoS; I-864) This form is absolutely essential to a complete application, and is filled out by the petitioner and, in some cases, joint sponsors.
12. Affiliated Associated or controlled by the same owner or authority.
13. Age Out A child must be unmarried and under the age of 21, as defined in U.S. immigration law.
14. Agent Agent means any individual, other than a broker-dealer, who represents a broker-dealer or issuer in effecting or attempting to effect purchases or sales…
15. Alien A foreign-born person who has not qualified as a citizen of the country.
16. Allotment An area of land where one or more livestock operators graze their livestock. Allotments generally consist of BLM lands but may also include other…
17. AOS OBSOLETE. Airborne Optical Sensor.
18. Applicant (Visa) A foreign citizen who is applying for a nonimmigrant or immigrant U.S. visa. The visa applicant may also be referred as a beneficiary for petition based…
19. Applying for a Visa for CSPA purposes, applying for a visa generally means that the applicant submitted the completed DS-230 (Part I).
20. Appointment Package The letter and documents that tell an applicant of the date of the immigrant visa interview.
21. Approval Date The date when the petition was approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS, formerly INS, BCIS).
22. Approval Notice Notice of Action, Form I-797, issued by DHS, USCIS that says that USCIS has approved a petition, or request for extension of stay or change of status.
23. Arrival/Departure Card Also known as Form I-94, Arrival-Departure Record. Effective May 25, 2013, a new electronic I-94 process was fully implemented at air and sea…
24. Assets What a firm or individual owns.
25. Asylee A person who cannot return to his home country because of a well-founded fear of persecution.
26. Attorney of Record The principal attorney in a lawsuit who signs all formal documents relating to the suit. In pro se cases, the party signs such documents.
27. Beneficiary A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract.
28. Biometrics (BY-oh-MEH-triks) The science of collecting and analyzing biologic or health data using statistical methods.
29. Cancelled Without Prejudice A stamp a U.S. Embassy or Consulate puts on a visa when there is a mistake in the visa or the visa is a duplicate visa (two of the same kind).
30. Case Number The National Visa Center (NVC) gives each immigrant petition a case number. This number has three letters followed by ten digits (numbers).
31. Certificate of Citizenship A document issued by DHS as proof that the person is a U.S. citizen by birth (when born abroad) or derivation (not from naturalization).
32. Certificate of Naturalization A document issued by DHS as proof that the person has become a U.S. citizen (naturalized) after immigration to the United States.
33. Change Status Changing from one nonimmigrant visa status to another nonimmigrant visa status while a person is in the United Staets is permitted for some nonimmigrant…
34. Charge/Chargeable There are numerical limits on the number of immigrant visas that can be granted to aliens from any one foreign country.
35. Child Offspring of parentage; progeny, "issue."
36. Code of Federal Regulations The Code of Federal Regulations contains useful information on the laws regulating U.S. visa policy.
37. Cohabit To live together without a legal marriage ceremony.
38. Common-law marriage An agreement between a man and woman to enter into marriage without a civil or religious ceremony.
39. Conditional Residence (CR) Visa (CR) If you have been married for less than two years when your husband or wife (spouse) gets lawful permanent resident status (gets a green card), then your…
40. Current/non-current There are numerical limits on the number of immigrant visas that can be granted to aliens from any one foreign country.
41. Cut-off Date The date that determines whether a preference immigrant visa applicant can be scheduled for an immigrant visa interview in any given month.
42. Denomination/Sect A religious group or community.
43. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (DHS) DHS is comprised of three main organizations responsible for immigration policies, procedures, implementation and enforcement of U.S. laws, and more.
44. Department of Labor (DOL) (DOL) A cabinet level unit/ministry of the U.S. government that has responsibility for labor issues.
45. Dependent children Children are considered dependent if they are both under the age of 21 and unmarried by the date of immigration.
46. Derivative Derivatives are financial products, such as futures contracts, options, and mortgage-backed securities.
47. Derivative Status Getting a status (visa) through another applicant, as provided under immigration law for certain visa categories.
48. Diversity Visa Visas based on a lottery system rather than a previously filed petition. Applicants enter themselves only once annually.
49. Diversity Visa (DV) Program (DV) The Department of State has an annual lottery for immigration to the United States.
50. Documentarily Qualified The applicant has submitted all documents specified by the consular officer or the National Visa Center (NVC) as sufficient to meet the formal visa…
51. Domicile Your domicile is your permanent residence, which you demonstrate by using it as your primary home, holding a driver's license using that address, and…
52. Duration of Status In certain visa categories such as diplomats, students and exchange visitors, the alien may be admitted into the United States for as long as the person…
53. Educational and Cultural Affairs The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States…
54. Employment-based Visa Category Visa cases under these categories are processed based on an approved Form I-140 visa petition.
55. ESTA Electronic System for Travel Authorization ((ESTA)) is an automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors (nationals from 37 participating…
56. Evidence of Relationship In keeping with our goal of immigration based on reuniting family and loved ones, an officer must be fully convinced that a petition is based on a…
57. Exchange Visitor A foreign citizen coming to the United States to participate in a particular program in education, training, research, or other authorized exchange…
58. Exchange Visitor Skills List The Exchange Visitor Skills List (J visas) is a list of fields of specialized knowledge and skills that are deemed necessary for the development of an…
59. Extension of Stay Extending the length of time a visa holder is authorized to stay in the United States, when approved by USCIS.
60. Family First Preference A category of family immigration (F1) for unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, and their children.
61. Family Fourth Preference A category of family immigration (F4) for brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens and their spouses and children.
62. Family Preference Categories Visa cases under these categories are processed based on an approved Form I-130 visa petition.
63. Family Second Preference A category of family immigration (F2) for spouses, children and unmarried sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents.
64. Family Third Preference A category of family immigration (F3) for married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens and their spouses and children.
65. Federal Poverty Guidelines See Poverty Guidelines. The Department of Health and Human Services publishes a list every year giving the lowest income acceptable for a family of a…
66. Fiancé(e) A person who plans or is contracted to marry another person. The foreign fiancé(e) of a U.S.
67. Filing Date or Priority Date The date the petition was received by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS, formerly INS, BCIS).
68. First Preference A category of family immigration (F1) for unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens and their children.
69. fiscal year The fiscal year is the accounting period for the federal government which begins on October 1 and ends on September 30.
70. Following to Join A type of derivative visa status when the family member gets a visa after the principal applicant.
71. Foreign Affairs Manual (9 FAM) (9 FAM) 9 FAM Chapter 41 relates to nonimmigrant visas. 9 FAM Chapter 42 covers immigrant visas. 9 FAM Chapter 40 relates to visa ineligibilities and waivers.
72. Fourth Preference A category of family immigration (F4) for brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens and their spouses and children. The U.S.
73. Full and Final Adoption A legal adoption in which the child receives all the rights of a natural born, legitimate child.
74. Green card Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551 (formerly called Alien Registration Card, also known as green card), is a wallet-sized card showing that the person is…
75. Homeless Persons from countries that do not have a U.S. Embassy or Consulate where they can apply for immigrant visas are “homeless”. For example, the U.S.
76. Household Income The income used to determine whether a sponsor meets the minimum income requirements under Section 213A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) for…
77. Household Size The number of people in a sponsor's household is used in calculating the minimum sufficient income based on the poverty guidelines, to ensure that a…
78. I-134 This is a variation on the I-864 affidavit of support. It has the same purpose, namely, to establish to the consular officer's satisfaction that the…
79. I-551 (Green Card) Permanent residence card or alien registration receipt card or "green card." See Lawful Permanent Resident.
80. Immediate Relative Spouse, widow(er) and unmarried children under the age of 21 of a U.S. citizen. A parent is an immediate relative if the U.S.
81. Immediate Relative (IR2) (IR2) A minor child of a petitioner who is an American citizen.
82. Immigrant Visa A visa for a person who plans to live indefinitely and permanently in the United States. Visit our Immigrant Visa section of this website.
83. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (INA) INA means the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, 8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.
84. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) (INS) A federal agency which regulates immigration and naturalization of aliens.
85. In Status It’s important to understand the concept of immigration status and the consequences of violating that status.
86. Ineligible/Ineligibility Immigration law says that certain conditions and actions prevent a person from entering the United States.
87. IV Interceptor Vehicle.
88. Joint Sponsor A person who accepts legal responsibility for supporting an immigrant with an I-864 Affidavit of Support along with the sponsor.
89. Jurisdiction (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same…
90. Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) A U.S. Department of State facility located in Williamsburg, Kentucky. It gives domestic (U.S.
91. Labor Certification The initial stage of the process by which certain foreign workers get permission to work in the United States.
92. Labor Condition Application (LCA) (LCA) Labor condition application (LCA), Form ETA 9035/9035E is a document that a prospective H-1B employer files with OFLC when it seeks to employ nonimmigrant…
93. Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) (LPR) A person who has immigrated legally, admitted to the United States by DHS as a permanent resident of the United States and has a Permanent Resident Card…
94. Lawful Permanent Resident Alien (LPRA) (LPRA) Lawful permanent resident.
95. Laws (immigration and visa related laws) The Code of Federal Regulations contains useful information on the laws regulating U.S. visa policy.
96. Lay Worker A person who works in a religious organization, but is not a member of the formal clergy.
97. Legal Immigration Family Equity (LIFE) Act (LIFE) This act of Congress allows foreign spouses of U.S. citizens, the children of those foreign spouses, and spouses and children of certain lawful permanent…
98. Legitimation The legal process which a natural father can use to acknowledge legally his children who were born out of wedlock (outside of marriage).
99. Local Educational Agency (LEA) (LEA) School or school district. Also called LEA. This term is used for deciding tuition charges for secondary school students in F-1 visa status.
100. Lose Status To stay in the United States longer than the period of time which DHS gave to a person when he/she entered the United States, or to fail to meet the…