| Adjustment of Status | The process in which someone who holds non-immigrant status applies to change to immigrant or lawful permanent status without having to leave the United States. |
| Advance Parole | A document that permits an alien with a pending change of status or permanent residence application to travel outside the United States. (If an alien has a pending permanent residence application, but is in valid H-1B status, he/she does not require advance parole to travel.) |
| Consular Processing | Process of applying for an immigrant visa at a U.S. Consulate in a foreign country. |
| Green Card | The physical document issued by USCIS to permanent residents of the United States as evidence of their status. |
| Home Residence Requirement | Unique requirement associated with the J-1 visa that requires some holders to return to their home country for two years after completing their stay in the United States before they are eligible to return. |
| I-94 | The admission/departure record stapled into an alien’s passport. The I-94 includes a listing all of the basic information about the individual, including his or her immigration status and approved length of stay. |
| Immigrant | A foreign national who has obtained permission to reside permanently in the United States. |
| Immigration Status | Conferred by a Department of Homeland Security representative upon an alien’s entry into the United States, and evidenced by a Form I-94. |
| Labor Certification | The first step in most employer-sponsored permanent residence applications. It is filed with the United States Department of Labor to demonstrate that an employer adequately tested the domestic labor market through competitive recruitment for a particular position. |
| Labor Condition Application | Form that states that the employer will pay an H-1B worker the higher of the “prevailing wage” for the particular occupation in that geographic area, or the wage paid by the employer to U.S. workers performing the same job. |
| Non-Immigrant | A foreign national who has obtained permission to enter the United States for a temporary period of time, for a specified purpose. |
| Program Electronic Review Management (PERM) | The Department of Labor’s current process for labor certification. |
| Prevailing Wage | The wage paid to similarly situated U.S. workers. An employer must certify that it will pay at least this wage to the foreign worker, in applications for H-1B and labor certification. |
| United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) (formerly known as the Immigration and Naturalization Service or “INS”) | Arm of the Department of Homeland Security that reviews immigration filings from individuals and organizations within the United States, assesses whether the requested visa status is appropriate for a particular individual, and makes the final determination to grant or deny the request. |
| Visa | A printed label physically placed in the holder’s passport, which includes a photograph, identifies the person’s status, and the duration of the status. A valid visa is required for non-immigrants to enter the United States. |