Immigration Law Glossary: Key Terms Explained

Navigating the U.S. immigration system requires understanding a complex vocabulary. Here are the key terms you need to know.

A

Adjustment of Status (AOS) — The process of applying for permanent resident status (green card) while remaining in the United States.

Asylum — Protection granted to foreign nationals who have suffered persecution or have a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.

B

Beneficiary — The person on whose behalf an immigration petition is filed.

Border Patrol — The federal law enforcement agency responsible for patrolling U.S. borders.

C

Conditional Permanent Residence — A two-year green card issued to spouses of U.S. citizens married less than two years.

Consular Processing — The process of applying for an immigrant visa at a U.S. consulate abroad.

D

Deportation — The formal removal of a foreign national from the United States for violating immigration law.

Diversity Visa Lottery — A program that makes up to 50,000 immigrant visas available annually to people from countries with historically low immigration rates to the U.S.

E

Employment Authorization Document (EAD) — A work permit that allows certain non-citizens to work legally in the United States.

Entry Without Inspection (EWI) — Entering the United States without going through a port of entry.

G

Green Card — Common term for a Permanent Resident Card, which allows a foreign national to live and work permanently in the United States.

I

I-94 — The Arrival/Departure Record that documents a non-citizen's authorized period of stay in the United States.

Inadmissible — A person who is not permitted to enter the United States due to certain grounds of inadmissibility.

N

Naturalization — The process by which a foreign national becomes a U.S. citizen.

Non-immigrant Visa — A visa for temporary stays in the United States (tourist, student, work).

P

Parole — Permission to enter or remain in the United States temporarily for urgent humanitarian reasons.

Petition — A formal request filed with USCIS on behalf of a foreign national.

Priority Date — The date that determines when an immigrant visa becomes available based on the person's place in line.

R

Refugee — A person outside their home country who has suffered persecution or has a well-founded fear of persecution.

Removal — The formal process of expelling a foreign national from the United States.

U

USCIS — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency that administers immigration benefits.

Undocumented — A foreign national who is in the United States without legal authorization.

V

Visa — A document that allows a foreign national to travel to a U.S. port of entry and request admission.

Visa Overstay — Remaining in the United States beyond the authorized period of admission.

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