Sp- Immigration Terminology

Question 1

What is an Accompanying visa?

Answer 1

A type of visa in which family members travel with the principal applicant, within six months of issuance of an immigrant visa to the principal applicant.

Translation: Acompañante, de acompañante.

Question 2

What does it mean to Adjust Status?

Answer 2

1) To change from a nonimmigrant visa status or other status 2) To adjust the status of a permanent resident (green card holder).

Translation: Regularización de la situación migratoria.

Question 3

What is Administrative processing?

Answer 3

Some visa applications require further administrative processing, which takes additional time after the visa applicant’s interview by a Consular Officer. Applicants are advised of this requirement when they apply.

Translation: Trámite administrativo.

Question 4

What is Admission in the context of U.S. immigration?

Answer 4

Entry into the U.S. is authorized by a DHS, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer. The visa allows you to travel to the port-of-entry and request permission to enter the U.S. If allowed to enter, the duration of stay and immigration classification is recorded on Form I-94 or Form I-94W.

Translation: Admisión, ingreso.

Question 5

What is an Adopted Child?

Answer 5

An unmarried child under age 21, who was adopted while under the age of sixteen, and who has been in legal custody and lived with the adopting parent(s) for at least two years. These rules do not apply to orphans adopted by American Citizens. The adoption decree must give the child all the rights of a natural born child.

Translation: Hijo/a adoptado/a.

Question 6

What is Advance Parole?

Answer 6

Permission to return to the U.S. after travel abroad granted by DHS prior to leaving the U.S. The following categories of people may need advance parole: people on a K-1 visa, asylum applicants, parolees, people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and some people trying to adjust status, while in the U.S. If these people do not apply for advance parole before they leave the U.S., they may be unable to return.

Translation: Permiso de ingreso expedido por adelantado.

Question 7

What is an Advisory Opinion?

Answer 7

An opinion regarding a point of law from the Office of Visa Services in the Department of State, Washington, D.C. This opinion would be in answer to a question from an embassy or consulate about interpretation of immigration law or in response to a request of review of the legal correctness of a visa refusal of an applicant or his/her representative.

Translation: Opinión pericial.

Question 8

What is an Affidavit of Support?

Answer 8

A document promising that the person who completes it will support an applicant financially in the U.S. Family and certain employment immigration cases require the I-864 Affidavit of Support, which is legally binding. All other cases use the I-134 Affidavit of Support.

Translation: Declaración de prestación de fianza migratoria.

Question 9

What is a Beneficiary?

Answer 9

An applicant for a visa as named in a petition from the DHS, USCIS.

Translation: Beneficiado.

Question 10

What are Biometrics?

Answer 10

Biologically unique information used to identify individuals, such as fingerprints, facial recognition, and iris scans.

Translation: Biometría, datos biométricos.

Question 11

What does Cancelled Without Prejudice mean?

Answer 11

A stamp an embassy or consulate puts on a visa when there is a mistake or it is a duplicate visa. It does not affect the validity of other visas in the passport.

Translation: Anulada con reserva de ley.

Question 12

What is a Case Number?

Answer 12

A number given by the National Visa Center (NVC) to each immigrant petition, consisting of three letters followed by ten digits, indicating the processing embassy and creation date.

Translation: Número de causa.

Question 13

What is a Certificate of Naturalization?

Answer 13

A document issued by the DHS as proof that the person has become a U.S. citizen (naturalized) after immigration to the U.S.

Translation: Certificado de naturalización.

Question 14

What does Change Status mean?

Answer 14

Changing from one nonimmigrant visa status to another nonimmigrant visa status while a person is in the U.S. is permitted for some types of visas, if approved by USCIS. Requests for change of status must be made by the visa holder to the DHS, USCIS. USCIS determines whether the request is approved or denied.

Translation: Cambio de situación migratoria.

Question 15

What does Charge/Chargeable refer to?

Answer 15

There are numerical limits on the number of immigrant visas that can be granted to aliens from any one foreign country. This limit is based on place of birth, not citizenship. An immigrant is ‘charged’ to their country of birth, meaning they are counted towards that country’s numerical limit.

Example: An immigrant born in Ethiopia is ‘charged’ to Ethiopia, even if they have a passport from Yemen.

Question 16

Can an immigrant claim another country for chargeability?

Answer 16

Yes, an immigrant can sometimes claim another country for the sake of immigration if it helps them reach the ‘cut-off date’ faster.

Example: A person born in India can be ‘charged’ to Sudan if the cut-off date for Sudan is more favorable.

Question 17

What is the translation for Charge/Chargeable?

Answer 17

Dedución a la cuota de visas disponibles.

Question 18

What does ‘cohabit’ mean?

Answer 18

To live together without a legal marriage ceremony.

Translation: Cohabitar.

Question 19

What is common-law marriage?

Answer 19

An agreement between a man and woman to enter into marriage without a civil or religious ceremony. It may not be recognized as a marriage for immigration purposes.

Translation: Concubinato, amasiato.

Question 20

What is a conditional residence (CR) visa?

Answer 20

If you have been married for less than two years when your spouse gets lawful permanent resident status, then your spouse gets residence on a conditional basis. After two years, you and your spouse must apply together to the DHS to remove the condition to the residence.

Translation: Visado de residencia condicionada, visa de residencia condicionada.

Question 21

What is a consulate?

Answer 21

Work place of a diplomat whose job is to look after the interest of its citizens in a foreign country. This is also where visas are processed.

Translation: Consulado.

Question 22

What is the translation of ‘cut-off date’ in Spanish?

The date that determines whether a preference immigrant visa applicant can be scheduled for an immigrant visa interview in any given month. The cut-off date is the priority date of the first applicant who could not get a visa interview for a given month. Applicants with a priority date earlier than the cut-off date can be scheduled. However, if your priority date is on or later than the cut-off date, you will need to wait
longer, until your priority date is reached (becomes current).

Answer 22

Fecha límite (para la prioridad del visado).

Question 23

Department of Homeland Security (DHS):

DHS is comprised of three main organizations responsible for immigration policies, procedures, implementation and enforcement of U.S. laws, and more. These DHS organizations include United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Together they provide the basic governmental framework for regulating the flow of visitors, workers and immigrants to the U.S. USCIS is responsible for the approval of all immigrant and nonimmigrant petitions, the authorization of permission to work in the U.S., the issuance of extensions of stay, change or adjustment of an applicant’s status while the applicant is in the U.S., and more. CBP is responsible for admission of all travelers seeking entry into the U.S., and determining the length of authorized stay, if the traveler is admitted. Once in the
U.S. the traveler falls under the jurisdiction of DHS.

Answer 23

Translation: Instituto Nacional de Migración (México)

Secretaría de Seguridad Nacional
Ministério de Seguridad Nacional
Departamento de Seguridad Nacional
Secretaria de Protección a la Patria.

Question 24

What is the DOL ( U.S. Department of Labor)?

Answer 24

A cabinet level unit/ministry of U.S. Government that has responsibility for labor issues and deciding whether certain foreign workers can work in the U.S.

Translation: Secretaría de Trabajo y Previsión Social.

Question 25

What does **Derivative Status** refers to? Getting a status (visa) through another applicant, as provided under immigration law for certain visa categories. For example, the spouse and children of an exchange visitor (J Visa holder), would be granted derivative status as a J-2 Visa holder.

Answer 25

Situación migratoria regular derivada de un dependiente.

Question 26

What is the Diversity Visa Program?

Answer 26

The Department of State has an annual lottery for immigration to the U.S., allowing up to 55,000 immigrants from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S. ## Footnote Translation: Programa de Diversidad de Visados.

Question 27

What does Documentarily Qualified mean?

Answer 27

The applicant has obtained all documents specified by the consular officer as sufficient to meet the formal visa application requirements. ## Footnote Translation: **Acreditado documentalmente.**

Question 28

Domicile: Place where a person has his or her principal residence. The person must intend to keep that residence for the foreseeable future. The sponsor of an immigrant must have domicile in the U.S. before the visa can be issued. This generally means that the sponsor must be living in the U.S. In certain circumstances, however one can be considered to have a domicile while living temporarily overseas.

Answer 28

Domicilio

Question 29

What’s Duration of Status?

Answer 29

**Vigencia de la situación migratoria regular.** In certain visa categories such as diplomats, students and exchange visitors, the alien may be admitted into the U.S. for as long as the person is still doing the activity for which the visa was issued, rather than being admitted until a specific departure date. This is called admission for "duration of status". For students, the time during which a student is in a full course of study plus any authorized practical training, and following that, authorized time to depart the country, is duration of status. The length of time depends upon the course of study. For an undergraduate degree this is commonly four years (eight semesters). Normally the immigration officer gives a student permission to stay in the U.S. for "duration of status". Duration of Status (or D/S) is recorded on Form I-94, Arrival-Departure Record. The DHS U.S. immigration inspector at port-of-entry gives foreign visitors (all non-U.S. citizens) an Arrival-Departure Record, (a small white card) when they enter the U.S. Recorded on this card is the visa classification and the authorized period of stay in the U.S. This is either recorded as a date or the entry or D/S, meaning duration of status. The I-94 is a very important card to make sure you keep, because it shows the length of time you are permitted and authorized by the DHS to stay in the U.S.

Question 30

What is an Exchange Visitor?

Answer 30

A foreign citizen coming to the U.S. to participate in a particular program in education, training, research, or other authorized exchange visitor program. ## Footnote Translation: Visitante de intercambio.

Question 31

What is Family First Preference?

Answer 31

A category of family immigration (F1) for unmarried sons and daughters of American citizens, and their children. ## Footnote Translation: Primera preferencia para un familiar.

Question 32

What is Family Second Preference?

Answer 32

A category of family immigration (F2) for spouses, children and unmarried sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents. ## Footnote Translation: Segunda preferencia para un familiar.

Question 33

What is Family Third Preference?

Answer 33

A category of family immigration (F3) for married sons and daughters of American citizens and their spouses and children. Before 1992 this was known as fourth preference (P-4). ## Footnote Translation: Tercera preferencia para un familiar.

Question 34

What is Family Fourth Preference?

Answer 34

A category of family immigration (F4) for brothers and sisters of American citizens and their spouses and children. The American citizen must be 21 years of age or older before he/she can file the petition. Before 1992 this was known as fifth preference (P-5). ## Footnote Translation: Cuarta preferencia para un familiar.

Question 35

What is a Fiance(e)?

Answer 35

A person who plans or is contracted to marry another person. The foreign fiance(e) of an American citizen may enter the U.S. on a K-1 visa to marry the American citizen. ## Footnote Translation: Novia/Novio, prometida/prometido.

Question 36

What is First Preference in family immigration?

Answer 36

A category of family immigration (F1) for unmarried sons and daughters of American citizens and their children. ## Footnote Translation: Primera preferencia.

Question 37

What does Following to Join mean?

Answer 37

A type of derivative visa status when the family member gets a visa after the principal applicant. ## Footnote Translation: Solicitud migratoria basada en un familiar regularizado.

Question 38

What is Fourth Preference in family immigration?

Answer 38

A category of family immigration (F4) for brothers and sisters of American citizens and their spouses and children. The American citizen must be 21 years of age or older before he/she can file a petition. ## Footnote Translation: Cuarta preferencia.

Question 39

What is Full and Final Adoption?

Answer 39

A legal adoption in which the child receives all the rights of a natural born, legitimate child. ## Footnote Translation: Adopción definitiva y consumada.

Question 40

What is a Green card?

Answer 40

A wallet-sized card showing that the person is a lawful permanent resident (immigrant) in the U.S. It is also known as a permanent resident card (PRC), an alien registration receipt card and I-551. It was formerly green in color. ## Footnote Translation: Tarjeta de residente. (see Ley de Migración de México, Artículo 3, Fracción XXIX)

Question 41

What does 'homeless' mean in the context of immigration?

Answer 41

**Persona de países sin representación consular.** Persons from countries that do not have an American Embassy or Consulate where they can apply for immigrant visas are considered 'homeless'. For example, the U.S. Government does not have an embassy in Iran. Residents of Iran are 'homeless' for visa purposes.

Question 42

How is 'household income' defined in immigration?

Answer 42

The income used to determine whether a sponsor meets the minimum income requirements under Section 213A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) for some immigrant visa cases. ## Footnote Translation: Ingreso familiar.

Question 43

What is the I-94(W)?

Answer 43

The I-94 Arrival/Departure Record for nonimmigrant travelers or I-94W (Green) for Visa Waiver Program travelers. It denotes how long you are legally authorized to stay within the U.S. ## Footnote Translation: Formato estadístico para extranjeros*, formulario de ingreso I-94, forma I-94. * Localized to México.

Question 44

What is the I-551 (Green Card)?

Answer 44

Permanent residence card or alien registration receipt card, commonly known as a 'green card'. ## Footnote Translation: Tarjeta de residente. (see Ley de Migración de México, Artículo 3, Fracción XXIX)

Question 45

Who qualifies as an 'immediate relative'?

Answer 45

Spouse, widow(er), and unmarried children under the age of 21 of an American citizen. A parent is an immediate relative if the American citizen is 21 years of age or older. There are no numerical limits to immigration of immediate relatives. ## Footnote Translation: Pariente/Familiar directo.