Visa — page 2 of 2

Visa terms

101. Lottery See diversity visa program.
102. Machine Readable Passport (MRP) (MRP) A passport which has biographic information entered on the data page according to international specifications.
103. Machine Readable Visa (MRV) (MRV) A visa that contains biometric information about the passport holder. A visa that immigration officers read with special machines when the applicants…
104. Maintain Status To follow the requirements of the visa status and comply with any limitations on duration of stay.
105. Means-tested Public Benefits Assistance from a government unit. Benefits include food stamps, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and…
106. Missionary Work Work performed for a religious organization to spread the faith (religion) and advance the principles and doctrines of the religion.
107. National Interest Waiver This is for physicians and doctors who work in an area without adequate health care workers or who work in Veterans Affairs' facilities.
108. National Visa Center (NVC) (NVC) A Department of State facility located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It supports the worldwide immigrant visa operations of the Bureau of Consular Affairs…
109. Native A Java keyword that is used in method declarations to specify that the method is not implemented in the same Java source file, but rather in another…
110. Naturalization Process by which a person acquires nationality after birth and becomes entitled to privileges of citizenship in a country other than that in which such…
111. Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV) (NIV) A U.S. visa allows the bearer, a foreign citizen, to apply to enter the United States temporarily for a specific purpose.
112. Notarization 1. A method of changing a key-enciphering key so as to confirm the identities of the originator and the ultimate recipient. [After X9.8] 2.
113. Notice of Action (Form I-797) A DHS, USCIS immigration form that says that USCIS has received a petition you submitted, taken action, approved a petition or denied a petition.
114. NSEERS Effective April 28, 2011, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) no longer requires registration of foreign citizens entering and exiting the United…
115. Numerical Limitations Total immigration into the U.S. is limited to 675,000 persons each year. This figure is divided into 3 different categories of immigrants…
116. Orphan A child who has no parents because of death, disappearance, desertion or abandonment of the parents.
117. Orphan Petition Form I-600.
118. Out of Status A U.S. visa allows the bearer to apply for entry to the United States in a certain classification for a specific purpose, such as student (F), visitor…
119. Overstay An “overstay” occurs when a visitor stays longer than permitted as shown on his/her electric admission stamp or paper Form I-94 Arrival/Departure…
120. Panel Physician U.S. Embassies and Consulates which issue immigrant visas have selected certain doctors to do the medical examinations for immigrant visa applicants.
121. Permanent Resident (correctly called Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) See Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR).
122. Petitioner The person filing a certain type of action in a court of original jurisdiction. Also, the person who appeals the judgment of a lower court. See respondent.
123. Physical Presence The place where a person is actually, physically located.
124. Police Certificate These certificates record criminal activity on the part of an applicant. They are required of visa applicants for all countries where an applicant has…
125. Polygamy Having more than one husband or wife at the same time. Polygamy is illegal under U.S. law.
126. Port-of-Entry Place (often an airport) where a person requests admission to the U.S. by the DHS, CBP officer. Learn more on the CBP website.
127. Post After; later.
128. Poverty Guidelines The Department of Health and Human Services publishes a list every year giving the lowest income acceptable for a family of a particular size so that the…
129. Preference Immigration A system for determining which and when people can immigrate to the U.S. within the limits of immigration set by Congress.
130. Principal Applicant The person named in the petition. For example, a U.S. citizen may file a petition for his married daughter to immigrate to the United States.
131. Principal applicant (PA) (PA) The person with the primary relationship to the petitioner, who the petitioner files to bring to the U.S.
132. Priority Date The filing date of the first patent application disclosing an invention, which filing date has occurred no more than 12 months before the filing date of a…
133. Proof of Status This term refers to the legal status of the petitioner in the United States. A petitioner must be a U.S.
134. Public Charge Refers to becoming dependent upon the government for the expenses of living (food, shelter, clothing, etc.). Following U.S.
135. Qualifying date The date which the Visa Office of the Department of State uses to determine when to send the Instruction Package to an immigrant visa applicant.
136. Rank Order Number The number that Kentucky Consular Center gives to the entries of DV Program (lottery) as the computer selects them.
137. Re-entry Permit A travel document that DHS issues to lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who want to stay outside of the United States for more than one year and less than…
138. Receipt Notice A DHS, USCIS Notice of Action, Form I-797, which says that DHS has received a petition.
139. Refugee A person who has a well-founded fear of persecution if he/she should return to his/her home country.
140. Retrogression (or Retrograde Motion) - Movement of a weather system in a direction opposite to that of the basic flow in which it is embedded, usually referring to a…
141. Returning Residents Lawful permanent residents who want to return to the United States after staying abroad more than one year or beyond the expiration of their re-entry…
142. Revalidation or Renewal of a Visa Nonimmigrant visa applicants who currently have a visa, and are seeking renewal or revalidation of their visa for future travel to the U.S.
143. Revocation of a Visa Cancellation of a visa. The visa is no longer good (valid) for travel to the United States.
144. SAW (1) Surface Acoustic Wave. (2) Satellite Attack Warning.
145. Schedule "A" Occupations The Department of Labor (DOL) has given DHS, authority to approve labor certifications for these occupations.
146. Second Preference A category of family immigration (F2) for spouses, children and unmarried sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents.
147. Section 213A A section of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) which establishes that sponsors have a legal duty to support immigrants they want to bring…
148. Sibling (SIB-ling) A person's brother or sister who has the same parents.
149. 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…
150. Son/daughter (married/unmarried) In immigration law, a child becomes a son or daughter when he/she turns 21 or marries. A son or daughter must have once met the definition of a child.
151. Special Agricultural Worker Farm workers in perishable products who worked for a specified period of time and were able to adjust status to lawful permanent resident according to the…
152. Special Immigrant A special category of immigrant visas (E-4) for persons who lost their citizenship by marriage; persons who lost citizenship by serving in foreign armed…
153. Sponsor An individual or business establishment that financially supports a race driver, team, race or series of races in return for advertising and marketing…
154. Sponsored Immigrant An immigrant who has had an Affidavit of Support filed for him/her.
155. Spouse Legally married husband or wife. A co-habiting partner does not qualify as a spouse for immigration purposes.
156. State Workforce Agency (SWA) (SWA) State Workforce Agency (SWA) means the State agency designated under section 4 of the Wagner-Peyser Act to cooperate with OWS in the operation of the…
157. Statutory declaration For applicants who cannot obtain a birth certificate and/or a marriage certificate, a declaration must be obtained, in English, as a valid substitute.
158. Stepchild A spouse’s child from a previous marriage or other relationship. In order for a stepchild to be able to immigrate as a “child,” the marriage…
159. Surviving Parent A child’s living parent when the child’s other parent is dead, and the living parent has not remarried.
160. Tax exempt Some investments are tax exempt, which means you don't have to pay income tax on the earnings they produce.
161. Temporary Worker A foreign worker who will work in the United States for a limited period of time. Some visas classes for temporary workers are H, L, O, P, Q and R.
162. Termination of a Case If the applicant fails to reply to the inquiry correspondence sent by the U.S. Embassy or Consulate, or the National Visa Center (NVC), termination of…
163. Third Country National Someone who is not a U.S. citizen and not a citizen of the country in which he or she is applying for a visa. Suppose you are a Kenyan visiting Mexico.
164. Third Preference A category of family immigration (F3) for married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens and their spouses and children.
165. Two-Year Home-Country Physical Presence Requirement This refers to (J) exchange visitors who are required to return to their home country for two years at the end of their exchange visitor program, under U.
166. U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) (DOL) A cabinet level unit/ministry of the U.S. government that has responsibility for labor issues.
167. Upgrade a Petition If you naturalize (become a U.S. citizen) you may ask to change the petitions you filed for family members when you were a lawful permanent resident (LPR)…
168. Visa An official endorsement on a document or passport denoting that the bearer may proceed.
169. Visa Expiration Date The visa expiration date is shown on the visa. This means the visa is valid, or can be used, from the date it is issued until the date it expires, for…
170. Visa Numbers Congress establishes the amount of immigration each year. Immigration for immediate relatives is unlimited; however, family and employment preference…
171. Visa Validity This generally means the visa is valid, or can be used, from the date it is issued until the date it expires, for travel for the same purpose for visas…
172. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) (VWP) Citizens of participating countries meeting the Visa Waiver Program requirements may be allowed to enter the United States as visitors for pleasure or…
173. Voluntary Service Program An organized project that a religious or nonprofit charitable organization does to provide help to the poor or needy or to further a religious or…
174. Waiver of Ineligibility In immigration law certain foreign nationals are ineligible for visas to enter the U.S. for medical, criminal, security or other conditions and activities.
175. Work Authorization If you are not a citizen or a lawful permanent resident, you may need to apply for an Employment Authorization Document to prove you may work in the U.S.