Immigration Glossary
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Term  |
Definition |
Type |
| EVUS | Electronic Visa Update System | Acronym |
| DS-2019 | Certificate of eligibility for J exchange visitor status, issued through SEVIS by an exchange visitor program designated by the Department of State. | Form |
| DS-7002 | Training/Internship Placement Plan (T/ |
Form |
| TRO | Temporary Restraining Order | Acronym |
| I-20 | Certificate of eligibility for F or M student status, issued through SEVIS by a school designated by the Department of Homeland Security. | Form |
| SEVIS | Student and Exchange Visitor Information System | Acronym: Federal |
| Executive Order | Executive actions, also called presidential actions, are actions that are taken by the President of the United States, usually through the following vehicles: Executive Orders; Presidential Proclamations; and Presidential Memoranda. | Concept |
| Prevailing Wage | The "prevailing wage" rate is generally defined as the average wage rate paid to similarly employed workers in a specific occupation in the area of intended employment. An employer must pay at least the prevailing wage rate as a condition of sponsoring an alien worker in the H-1B, H-1B1, H-2, or E-3 nonimmigrant categories, and as a condition of filing a permanent labor certification application through PERM. | Concept |
| Prevailing Wage Determination (PWD) | A determination of the prevailing wage for nonimmigrant and permanent labor certification purposes. | Concept |
| NPWC | The Department of Labor's National Prevailing Wage Center (NPWC) renders Prevailing Wage Determinations (PWD) used in the H-1B, H-1B1, H-2, E-3, and PERM processes. | Acronym: Federal |
| I-129 | Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker; Employers use this form to petition for an alien to come to the United States temporarily to perform services or labor, or to receive training, such as H-1B nonimmigrant workers. | Form |
| I-20 | Certificate of eligibility for F or M student status, issued through SEVIS by a school designated by the Department of Homeland Security. This form is required to obtain a visa to enter the United States. | Form |
| I-766 | Employment Authorization Document; issued by USCIS as evidence that the holder is authorized to work in the United States. | Form |
| 212(e) | Home country physical presence requirement and waivers | Form |
| Actual Wage | The wage rate paid by the employer to all other individuals with experience and qualifications similar to those of the H-1B nonimmigrant, for the specific employment in question." The "actual wage" for LCA purposes is not an average of the wage rates an employer pays to all workers employed in the occupation, but rather a listing of wages paid, usually tending to form a wage range. | Concept |
| ACWIA | American Competitiveness & Workforce Improvement Act | Acronym: Federal |
| Adjudication | The process and determination on a request for an immigration benefit, rendered by an administrative agency. | Concept |
| ARO | Alternate Responsible Officer; A person recognized and authorized by the DOS to support the Responsible Officer to advise and assist J-1 exchange visitors in areas of federal laws and regulations, and to administer federal forms that are related to the status/activities of J-1 exchange visitors. | Acronym: Federal |
| BALCA | Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals | Acronym: Federal |
| CBP | U.S. Customs & Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security | Acronym: Federal |
| CIS (USCIS) | U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a bureau within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security | Acronym: Federal |
| Continuing Student | A student who has already made initial entry to the United States, been registered in SEVIS, and who has begun a course of study. | Concept |
| COS | Change of Status, referring to change from one nonimmigrant status to another | Acronym: Federal |
| CPT | Curricular Practical Training | Acronym: Federal |
| CTCEU | Counterterrorism & Criminal Exploitation Unit | Acronym: Federal |
| D/S | Duration of Status | Acronym: Federal |
| DHS | U.S. Department of Homeland Security | Acronym: Federal |
| DOE | U.S. Department of Education | Acronym: Federal |
| DOL | U.S. Department of Labor | Acronym: Federal |
| DOS | U.S. Department or State | Acronym: Federal |
| DS-160 | Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application Form; A new online form issued by the DOS to streamline and combine several of the current DOS application forms (DS-156, DS-157, DS-158) into one form that can be submitted electronically. | Form |
| DS-3036 | Exchange Visitor Program Application. | Form |
| DS-3037 | DOS form used by program sponsors to update information on their exchange visitor program. | Form |
| DSO | Designated School Official; The person designated by a SEVP approved school to support the Principal Designated School Official and maintain SEVIS records. | Acronym: Federal |
| EAD | Employment Authorization Document; also known as Form I-766 | Form |
| ECA | Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State | Acronym: Federal |
| ESTA | DHS' Electronic System for Travel Authorization | Acronym: Federal |
| ETA | Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor | Acronym: Federal |
| EV | Exchange Visitor; A foreign national granted a J-1 visa status by the USCIS. | Acronym: Federal |
| Exchange Visitor Program | An exchange program administered by the U.S. Deparment of State (DOS); the DOS designates and partners with government agencies, academic institutions, educational and cultural organizations, and corporations as sponsors to develop and engage in collaborative public-private partnerships to increase mutual understanding, build human potential, and develop talented future leaders. | Concept |
| Exchange Visitor Program Sponsor | The designated sponsor of a Department of State approved exchange visitor program. | Concept |
| Extension of Stay | An individual must apply with the USCIS before their authorized stay, denoted on their Form I-94, expires, if they wish to stay longer in the United States beyond their D/S. | Concept |
| F-1 | Foreign students pursuing a full course of study in a college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic high school, private elementary school, other academic institution, or accredited language training program in the United States that has been approved by SEVP to enroll foreign students. | Visa Classification |
| F-2 | An F-2 nonimmigrant is a foreign national who is the spouse or qualifying child (under the age of 21) of an F-1 nonimmigrant. | Visa Classification |
| F-3 | A visa classification assigned to "border commuters" who reside in their country of origin while attending a school in the United States. These are granted to citizens of Mexico or Canada only. | Visa Classification |
| FIPSE | Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (Department of Education) | Acronym: Federal |
| FRU | SEVP's Field Representative Unit | Acronym: Federal |
| Grace Period | A period of time given to some categories of nonimmigrants following completion of their nonimmigrant purpose, to make arrangements to depart or otherwise maintain their status. | Concept |
| I-17 | Petition for Approval of School for Attendance by F or M Nonimmigrant Students. Approved schools must keep their Form I-17 up to date through SEVIS. | Form |
| I-515A | Temporary Entry Form; This form is issued to international students/exchange visitors/dependents by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer at a port of entry (POE) when the officer is not satisfied with the documentation that a student/scholar/dependent provides. Temporary entry is only valid for 30 days, and the student/exchange visitor/dependent must submit the lacking documentation to SEVP within that time period to avoid becoming an "overstay." | Form |
| I-765 | The USCIS Application for Employment Authorization is used when applying for Optional Practical Training upon completion of a program of study. | Form |
| I-797 | Notice of Action; Issued by the USCIS when an application or petition is approved. | Form |
| I-9 | Employment Eligibility Verification form | Form |
| I-901 | Form used to pay the SEVIS fee | Form |
| I-94 | Record of an alien's admission through a U.S. port of entry and departure from a U.S. port of departure. Varieties include an electronic Form I-94 and various types of printed Forms I-94, depending on where, when, and how an individual was admitted to the United States. Forms I-94 will identify the individual's name, date of birth, country of citizenship, immigration class of admission, and an "admitted until" date. | Form |
| ICE | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a bureau within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security | Acronym: Federal |
| IEP | Intensive English Program | Acronym |
| Immigrant | A person who intends to live permanently in the U.S. | Concept |
| INS | Legacy Immigration and Naturalization Service; now merged into U.S. Department of Homeland Security | Acronym: Federal |
| In-Status | An individual is considered in valid status ("in status") if they are in complying with all terms and conditions of their visa classification. | Concept |
| IOC | Initial Operating Capability; in reference to the limited functionality of SEVIS II during its initial phase of release. During IOC, SEVIS I will be migrated to SEVIS II and customer accounts will be created. | Acronym: SEVIS |
| IRS | The Internal Revenue Service | Acronym: Federal |
| ITIN | Individual Taxpayer Identification Number; a nine-digit number issued by IRS for purposes of tax processing. The IRS issues ITINs to individuals who are required to have a U.S. taxpayer identification number, but who are ineligible to obtain a Social Security Number (SSN) from the Social Security Administration (SSA). | Acronym: Federal |
| J-1 | Foreign national who has been selected by a sponsor, designated by the United States Department of State, to participate in an exchange visitor program and who is seeking to enter or has entered the United States temporarily as an exchange visitor on a J-1 visa. This term of exchange visitor does not include the visitor's immediate family. | Visa Classification |
| J-2 | The accompanying spouse and minor children of an exchange visitor (J-1) who are accompanying or following to join the exchange visitor and who are seeking to enter or have entered the United States temporarily on a J-2 visa. For clarifications, a minor is a unmarried person under the age of 21 years old. | Visa Classification |
| M-1 | Foreign nationals pursuing a full course of study at a Service-approved vocational school or other recognized nonacademic institution (other than in language training programs) in the United States. | Visa Classification |
| M-2 | A foreign national who is the spouse or qualifying child (under the age of 21) of an M-1 nonimmigrant. | Visa Classification |
| M-3 | Border commuter students in vocational training programs or other nonacademic institutions (the 8 CFR provisions for commuter students are under development) | Visa Classification |
| MRP | Machine Readable Passport | Acronym: Federal |
| MRV | Machine Readable Visa | Acronym: Federal |
| Nonimmigrant | A person with permanent residence outside the U.S. but who wishes to be in the U.S. on a temporary basis – for example, for tourism, business, temporary work, study, or medical treatment. | Concept |
| NSEP | National Security Education Program | Acronym: Federal |
| O*NET | Job classification system administered by U.S. Department of Labor | Acronym: Federal |
| OBIM | Office of Biometric Identity Management (formerly US-VISIT) | Acronym: Federal |
| OES | Occupational Employment Statistics (wage data) | Acronym: Federal |
| OMB | Office of Management and Budget | Acronym: Federal |
| OPT | Optional Practical Training | Acronym: Federal |
| OSAC | Overseas Security Advisory Council | Acronym: Federal |
| Passport | An official document issued by a government, certifying the holder's identity and citizenship and entitling them to travel under its protection to and from foreign countries. | Concept |
| PDSO | Primary Designated School Official; Primary person who serves as liaison between U.S immigration office and international students on behalf of an educational institution. | Acronym: Federal |
| PERM | PERM (the Program Electronic Review Management system) is an attestation-based system for the filing and processing of labor certification applications filed by U.S. employers. | Acronym: Federal |
| POE | Port-of-Entry; | Acronym: Federal |
| PWD | Prevailing Wage Determination | Acronym: Federal |
| REAL ID | An Act of Congress that allows the DHS to establish minimum standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards. | Concept |
| RFE | Request for Evidence; a letter the USCIS (formerly INS) uses to request additional information on a pending case. | Acronym: Federal |
| RO | Responsible Officer; A person who is recognized and authorized by the DOS to be the primary individual at a school to advise and assist J-1 exchange visitors in areas of federal laws and regulation, and to administer federal forms that are related to the status/activities of J-1 exchange visitors. The RO also supervises the activities of Alternative Responsible Officers (ARO). | Acronym: Federal |
| SAVE | DHS data system used by SSA to verify nonimmigrant status | Acronym: Federal |
| SCOPS | USCIS Service Center Operations | Acronym: Federal |
| SEVIS | Student and Exchange Visitor Information System | Acronym: Federal |
| Sevis ID Number | The unique ID Number that is included, along with a barcode, on the top right-hand corner of the I-20 form; all SEVIS ID numbers start with the letter N. | Concept |
| SEVP | Student and Exchange Visitor Program | Acronym: Federal |
| SSA | Social Security Administration | Acronym: Federal |
| SSN | Social Security Number | Acronym: Federal |
| SRC | SEVP Response Center | Acronym: Federal |
| STEM | Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathmatics | Acronym: Federal and Other |
| USAID | U.S. Agency for International Development | Acronym: Federal |
| USBT | U.S.-Based Training for Overseas Educational Advisers, Educational Information and Resources Branch, U.S. Department of State | Acronym: Federal |
| USCIS | US Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly INS. A bureau under the Department of Homeland Security. | Acronym: Federal |
| USIA | Legacy U.S. Information Agency; now merged into the U.S. Department of State | Acronym: Federal |
| US-VISIT | DHS entry/exit information system; In March, 2013, the name of US-VISIT was changed to Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM) | Acronym: Federal |
| Violation of Status/Out of Status | An individual is considered "out of status" or violating their "in status" designation when they are not fulfilling of the terms and conditions of their visa classification. | Concept |
| Visa | A document placed into the passport of a foreign national by a U.S. Consulate which authorized the individual to present him/herself at a USCIS Port of entry (POE) and request admission into the United States with a specific type of immigration status (e.g. F-1, J-1, M-1). | Concept |
| VWP | Visa Waiver Program | Acronym: Federal |
| WHTI | Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative | Acronym: Federal |