Immigration Law Glossary
Plain-language definitions of terms commonly used in U.S. immigration cases. This page is for general information only and is not legal advice about your specific situation.
Adjustment of Status
The process by which a person already inside the United States applies to become a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) without having to leave the country and process through a U.S. consulate abroad.
Marriage Green Card βAdvance Parole
A travel document that allows certain applicants with a pending immigration case β such as adjustment of status or asylum β to travel outside the United States and be permitted to return, without abandoning their pending application.
Affirmative Asylum
An asylum application filed with USCIS by a person who is physically present in the United States and not currently in removal proceedings.
Asylum βConditional Residency
A form of permanent resident status, generally valid for two years, granted when a marriage on which a green card is based was less than two years old at approval. Conditions must later be removed by filing Form I-751.
Waivers βCredible Fear Interview
An interview conducted by an asylum officer, typically for individuals in expedited removal or encountered at the border, to determine whether there is a significant possibility the person could establish eligibility for asylum. Passing this interview generally allows the case to proceed to immigration court.
Asylum βDefensive Asylum
Asylum raised as a defense to removal in Immigration Court, typically when a person is already in removal proceedings rather than filing proactively with USCIS.
Asylum βEOIR (Executive Office for Immigration Review)
The Department of Justice agency that administers the U.S. immigration court system, including immigration judges and the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Removal Defense βForm I-129F
The petition filed by a U.S. citizen to request a K-1 fiancΓ©(e) visa for a foreign national they intend to marry.
Form I-130
The petition filed by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident to establish a qualifying family relationship with a relative seeking an immigrant visa or green card.
Form I-485
The application used to request adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident while inside the United States.
Form I-589
The application for asylum and for withholding of removal, filed with USCIS or, in some circumstances, in Immigration Court.
Asylum βForm I-601
The application for a waiver of certain grounds of inadmissibility, generally filed after a ground of inadmissibility has already been identified.
Waivers βForm I-601A
The application for a provisional unlawful presence waiver, filed from inside the United States before departing for a consular interview abroad.
Waivers βForm I-751
The petition to remove conditions on permanent residence, generally filed within the 90 days before a conditional green card expires.
Waivers βICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
The federal agency responsible for immigration enforcement within the United States, including certain detention and removal operations.
Inadmissibility
A legal status describing grounds β such as certain immigration violations, criminal issues, or health-related grounds β that can prevent a person from being admitted to the United States or granted a green card, absent a waiver where one is available.
Waivers βForm N-400
The application for naturalization, filed by lawful permanent residents seeking to become U.S. citizens.
Citizenship & Naturalization βNotice to Appear (NTA)
The charging document that begins removal proceedings against a person in Immigration Court.
Removal Defense βParole
A discretionary status allowing a person to be physically present in the United States for a temporary period without being formally admitted, often used for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.
Removal Proceedings
The legal process, conducted in Immigration Court, through which the U.S. government seeks to remove (deport) a noncitizen from the United States.
Removal Defense βTPS (Temporary Protected Status)
A temporary immigration status granted to eligible nationals of designated countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary conditions, allowing them to remain and generally work in the United States for a designated period.
USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services)
The federal agency within the Department of Homeland Security responsible for processing immigration benefit applications, including green cards, naturalization, asylum, and family- and employment-based petitions.
VAWA (Violence Against Women Act)
Federal law allowing certain abused spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents to self-petition for immigration status without the abuser's knowledge or participation. Available regardless of gender.
VAWA βEB-1, EB-2, NIW
Employment-based immigrant visa categories: EB-1 covers individuals of extraordinary ability, outstanding professors/researchers, and certain multinational executives; EB-2 generally covers advanced-degree professionals or those with exceptional ability, and may include a National Interest Waiver (NIW) allowing the labor certification requirement to be waived in qualifying cases.
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