Glossary of Immigration Terms
It is important to familiarize yourself with the following immigration terms and abbreviations. These are common immigration terms used at USCIS offices, United States Embassies and Consulates. You will also find these terms in immigration forms and other legal documents, for this reason it is
vital to understand the meaning of these terms.
Our Glossary of Immigration Terms is organized in alphabetical order and divided into sections due to it's extensive size. Use the menu below to locate the term you are looking for.
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Immediate Relatives
Immediate relatives are spouses of U.S. citizens, unmarried citizens’ children
under the age 21, and parents of citizens 21 years of age or older. Immediate
relatives are excused from the numerical limitations imposed on immigration to
the United States
Immigrant
See Permanent Resident Alien.
Immigration Act of 1990
Public Law 101-649 that increased the numerical limitations on legal immigration
to the United States, amended the reasons for exclusion and deportation, allowed
provisional protected status to foreigners of some countries, amended and
established new nonimmigrant entrance classes, amended and extended the Visa
Waiver Pilot Program, and amended naturalization authority and requirements.
Immigration Judge
A lawyer selected by the Attorney General to perform as an administrative judge
within the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Immigration Judges are also
in charge of removal proceedings. INA Section 240, 8 USC Section 1229a.
Immigration and Nationality Act
The Act regulates the immigration, temporary admission, naturalization, and
removal of aliens besides other U.S. immigration laws, treaties, and
conventions.
Immigration Marriage Fraud Amendments of 1986
The law that discourages immigration-related marriage fraud by stipulating that
foreigners who get their immigrant status based on a marriage of less than two
years are conditional immigrants and should remove their conditional status by
applying at an U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office during the
90-day period before the second-year anniversary of getting the conditional
status. The conditional immigrant status may be ended and the foreigners
deported if they cannot demonstrate that the marriage through which the status
was obtained was and is a valid one.
Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986
The law which was passed to manage and discourage illegal immigration to the
United States by making illegal foreigners who had been continuously unlawfully
present since 1982 legal, legalizing certain agricultural workers, punishing
employers who intentionally employ undocumented workers, and increasing
enforcement at U.S. borders.
Immigration Status
An individual’s immigration status is noted on the I-94 card by an Immigration
Inspector at the U.S. port-of-entry. During the duration of a person’s stay in
the U.S., this designation is very important. A visa can for example expire if
this designation is changed while you are in the United States.
INA
See Immigration and Nationality Act.
Inadmissible
This term refers to a foreigner who wants to enter the United States, but does
not meet the entrance criteria set in the INA. The foreigner may be then removed
or permitted to remove his or her application for admission in some cases.
Industrial Trainee
See Temporary Worker.
INS
Abbreviation of "Immigration and Naturalization Service". The INS changed
its official name on March 1, 2003 to USCIS (United States Citizenship and
Immigration Services). INS was an extension of the U.S. Justice Department with
responsibility for the admission and control of aliens.
Intending Immigrant
The terms used to describe any beneficiary of an immigrant visa petition filed
under INA Section 204. An intending immigration is any individual who will
accompany or follow-to-join the principal beneficiary.
International Representative
A nonimmigrant foreigner who enters the United States temporarily as a principal
or other accredited representative of a foreign government to an international
organization, an international organization officer or employee, and the
foreigner’s spouse and unmarried children.
Intracompany Transferee
A foreigner who is engaged for at least one continuous year out of the last
three by an international company and who requests to come into the United
States temporarily to continue his/her work for the same employer as a manager,
executive, or specialized worker, and the foreigner’s spouse and unmarried
children.
IRCA
See Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.
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