A Glossary of Immigration Terms

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Tasoff’s 1st Rule of Immigration Law: Immigration Law is neither logical nor fair. It just is.

“Greencard” – A slang term referring to the alien registration card (currently form I-551) issued to lawful permanent residents of the U. S. Once upon a time (1950’s) a predecessor card was sort of a green color – They are now white with red and blue highlighting, with the aliens picture, fingerprint and coded identification information …. in security embossed plastic. Nowadays some aliens refer to it as a “white card” or the “3rd card.”

“Alien” – A person who is not a national or citizen of the United States.

“U. S. Citizen” – U. S. citizenship is usually acquired by birth in the territory of the U. S. under the 14th Amendment of the U. S. Constitution, or by naturalization, a procedure established under the INA by which lawful permanent residents and a special few military types can become U. S. citizens.

“Immigrant” – Usually a reference to an alien who is either a lawful permanent resident of the U. S. or someone who intends to reside permanently in the U. S.

“Nonimmigrant” – An alien who is coming to the U. S. on a temporary basis to pursue a specific activity allowed under the terms of the visa issued to him or her. Examples include tourists, business people (“business” is well defined in regulations and does not include employment in the U. S.), intra-company transferees, students, etc.

“Visa” – A stamp issued by a U. S. Consulate abroad that entitles an alien to come to the U. S. to pursue a specific purpose allowed under the law. Immigrant visas are for those coming to live permanently in the U. S., nonimmigrant visas are issued to aliens coming in one of the nonimmigrant classifications and who can show they will leave the U. S. when their authorized stay is over.

“Lawful Permanent Resident” – An alien who is allowed to remain permanently in the U. S.. They are eligible to become U. S. citizens after 5 years, or only 3 years if they have been a spouse of a U. S. Citizen for 3 years. They can also be deported for any number of reasons (criminal convictions, fraud, etc. and can lose their status if they remain outside the U. S. more than 1 year continuously.

“Conditional Permanent Resident Status” – The status which is accorded the spouse and children under 8 years old at the time of the marriage, to a U. S. citizen or a permanent resident where the marriage is less than two years in duration when the immigrant visa or adjustment of status application is granted. Conditional status must be removed by either timely filing a joint petition or a waiver application.