Glossary

VISA glossary

168 definitions · page 1 of 3.

Adjust Status: 1) To change from a nonimmigrant visa status or other status 2) To adjust the status of a permanent resident (green card holder)
Admission: Entry to the United States, authorized by a U.S. immigration inspector, part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). When you come from abroad and first arrive in the U.S, the visa allows you to travel to the port-of entry and request permission to…
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) for at least two years. These rules do not apply to orphans adopted by American Citizens. The adoption…
Advance Parole: Permission to return to the United States after travel abroad granted by DHS prior to leaving the U.S. The following categories of people may need advance parole: people on a K-1 visa, asylum applicants, parolees, people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS)…
Advisory Opinion: An opinion regarding a point of law from the Office of Visa Services in the Department of State, Washington, D.C. This opinion would be in answer to a question from an embassy or consulate about interpretation of immigration law, or in response to a request…
Affidavit of Support: A document promising that the person who completes it will support an applicant financially in the United States. Family and certain employment immigration cases require the I-864 Affidavit of Support, which is legally binding. All other cases use the I-134…
Affiliated: Associated or controlled by the same owner or authority.
Alien: A foreign national who is not an American citizen
AOS: Abbreviation for Affidavit of Support.
Applicant: Person who wants something for him/herself and makes a request for it (asks for it). The request is usually in writing.
Apply for a Visa: Make a request for a visa
Appointment Package: The letter and documents that tell an applicant of the date of the immigrant visa interview. It includes forms that the applicant must complete before the interview and instructions for how to get everything ready for the interview.
Approval Notice: A Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) immigration form, (Notice of Action, Form I-797) that says that BCIS has approved a petition.
Arrival-Departure Card: Also known as Form I-94, Arrival-Departure Record. The Department of Homeland Security U.S immigration inspector at port-of-entry gives foreign visitors (all non-U.S citzens) an Arrival-Departure Record, (a small white card) when they enter the United…
Asylee: A person who cannot return to his home country because of a well-founded fear of persecution. An application for asylum is made in the United States to the DHS.
Beneficiary: An applicant for a visa as named in a petition from the Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS).
Bona fide: Genuine, sincere, in good faith.
Cancelled Without Prejudice: A stamp an 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). It does not affect the validity of other visas in the passport. It does not mean that the passport holder will not get…
Case Number: The National Visa Center (NVC) gives each immigrant petition a case number. This number has three letters followed by ten digits (numbers). The three letters are an abbreviation for the overseas embassy or consulate that will process the immigrant visa case…
Certificate of Citizenship: A document issued by the Department of Homeland Security as proof that the person is a U.S. citizen by birth (when born abroad) or derivation (not from naturalization). The Child Citizenship Act of 2001 gives American citizenship automatically to certain…
Certificate of Naturalization: A document issued by the Department of Homeland Security as proof that the person has become a U.S. citizen (naturalized) after immigration to the United States.
Change Status: To go from one nonimmigrant visa status to another nonimmigrant visa status while a person is in the U.S. Requests for change of status must be made by the visa holder to the Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services…
Charge Chargeable: There are numerical limits on the number of immigrant visas that can be granted to aliens form any one foreign country. This limit is the same for all countries. The limit is based on place of birth, not citizenship. Where the immigrant is "charged", means…
Charge/Chargeable: There are numerical limits on the number of immigrant visas that can be granted to aliens form any one foreign country. This limit is the same for all countries. The limit is based on place of birth, not citizenship. Where the immigrant is "charged", means…
Child: Unmarried child under the age of 21 years. A child may be natural born, step or adopted. If the child is a stepchild, the marriage between the parent and the American citizen must have occurred when the child was under the age of 18. If the child is adopted…
Cohabit: To live together without a legal marriage ceremony.
Common-law marriage: An agreement between a man and woman to enter into marriage without a civil or religious ceremony. It may not be recognized as a marriage for immigration purposes.
Conditional residence visa: Suppose 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 spouse gets residence on a conditional basis. After two years you and your spouse must apply…
Current noncurrent: There are numerical limits on the number of immigrant visas that can be granted to aliens form any one foreign country. The limit is based on place of birth, not citizenship. Because of the numerical limits, this means there is a waiting time before the…
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. The cut-off date is the priority date of the first applicant who could not get a visa interview for a given month…
Denomination Sect: A religious group or community.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS): The mission of the DHS – The many men and women who daily protect our borders and secure our country are committed to the safety of our homeland. DHS is now responsible for immigration and naturalization.
Department of Labor: A cabinet level unit/ministry of United States Government that has responsibility for labor issues. It has responsibility for deciding whether certain foreign workers can work in the United States.
Derivative Status: Getting a status (visa) through another applicant. For example the spouse and children of an applicant for a family fourth preference immigrant visa (F4) can also get visas in the same category. They have derivative status. Not all visa categories permit…
Diversity Country: A country that has low rates of immigration to the United States. Natives of a diversity country can enter in the diversity visa program. A low rate of immigration is fewer than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the past five years.
Diversity Visa Program: The Department of State has an annual lottery for immigration to the United States. Up to 55,000 immigrants can enter the United States each year.
Documentarily Qualified: Refers to an immigrant visa applicant who has: 1) returned Form DS 2001 (from the Instruction Package) to visa-issuing post (or in some cases, to the National Visa Center), OR 2) informed post in another way that he/she has all the documents for his/her…
DOL: See Department of Labor .
Domicile: Place where a person has his or her principal residence. The person must intend to keep that residence for the foreseeable future. The sponsor of an immigrant must have domicile in the United States before the visa can be issued. This generally means that…
Duration of Status: In certain visa categories such as diplomats, students and exchange visitors, the alien may be admitted into the U.S. for as long as the person is still doing the activity for which the visa was issued, rather than being admitted until a specific departure…
DV: See Diversity Visa .
Entry in the U.S.: See Admission glossary definition.
Exchange Visitor: A foreign citizen coming to the United States to participate in a particular program in education, training or research. The Department of State approves the programs. The applicant enters the United States on a J visa.
Facility: A site that is built or established to perform a specific function or serve a particular need. For example, the Department of State built the Kentucky Consular Center to manage the diversity visa program.
Family First Preference: A category of family immigration (F1) for unmarried sons and daughters of American citizens, and their children.
Family Fourth Preference: A category of family immigration (F4) for brothers and sisters of American citizens and their spouses and children. The American citizen must be 21 years of age or older before he/she can file the petition. Before 1992 this was known as fifth preference (P-5).
Family Second Preference: A category of family immigration (F2) for spouses, children and unmarried sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents.
Family Third Preference: A category of family immigration (F3) for married sons and daughters of American citizens and their spouses and children. Before 1992 this was known as fourth preference (P-4).
Federal 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 family does not live in poverty. Consular officers use these figures in immigrant visa cases to…
Fiance(e): A person who plans or is contracted to marry another person. The foreign fiance(e) of an American citizen may enter the United States on a K-1 visa to marry the American citizen.
First Preference: A category of family immigration (F1) for unmarried sons and daughters of American citizens and their children.
Fiscal Year: The budget year for the United States Government. It begins on October 1 and ends on September 30 of the following year.
Following to Join: A type of derivative visa status when the family member gets a visa after the principal applicant.
Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM): Foreign Affairs Manual Chapter 41 relates to nonimmigrant visas. Chapter 42 covers immigrant visas.
Fourth Preference: A category of family immigration (F4) for brothers and sisters of American citizens and their spouses and children. The American citizen must be 21 years of age or older before he/she can file a petition. Before 1992 this was known as fifth preference (P-5).
Full and Final Adoption: A legal adoption in which the child receives all the rights of a natural born, legitimate child.
Green Card: A Green Card, in immigration law, is the card identifier that actually allows a person to enter the United States legally and to seek employment or remain in the country, depending on the details and restrictions mentioned on the Green Card itself.
Green card: A wallet-sized card showing that the person is a lawful permanent resident (immigrant) in the United States. It is also known as a permanent resident card (PRC), an alien registration receipt card and I-551. It was formerly green in color.
Homeless: Persons from countries that do not have an American Embassy or Consulate where they can apply for immigrant visas are “homeless.” For example, the United States Government does not have an embassy in Iran. Residents of Iran are “homeless” for visa purposes.
Household income: Means the income used to determine whether a sponsor meets the minimum income requirements under Section 213A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) for some immigrant visa cases.