Immigration Dictionary
Immigration Terms
Nonimmigrant Visas
A nonimmigrant visa (NIV) is a U.S. document that is attached to a foreign national’s passport, which describes the type of visa issued. A nonimmigrant visa authorizes a foreign national to be lawfully admitted to the U.S. for temporary travel during a specified...
Marriage Fraud/Sham Marriage
A sham marriage is one that is entered into for the purposes of evading U.S. immigration laws or requirements. Marriage fraud or entering into a sham marriage is a federal crime subject to up to several years of imprisonment, significant fines and loss of...
Immigrant Visa (Green Card)
An immigrant visa (IV) is a U.S. document that is attached to a foreign national’s passport, which describes the type of visa issued. An immigrant visa authorizes the foreign national to be lawfully admitted to the U.S. in order to permanently reside in...
H-1B or H1B Visa
Una visa H-1B o H1B es una visa de trabajo que está disponible para los empleados extranjeros que serán contratados en ocupaciones de especializadas como una licenciatura, su equivalente o un título superior es normalmente un requisito mínimo. Los trabajos...
Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Lottery)
The Immigration and Nationality Act established the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program or DV visa lottery system in 1990, which makes available up to 55,000 diversity visas each year. The Department of State oversees the DV Lottery program. It is designed to...
Deferred Action
The U.S. government can its exercise its power not to deport or remove any alien from the U.S. Deferred action or acción deferida is a tool used by the U.S. government or any of its agencies, like U.S.CIS or ICE, in making a formal decision to delay the...
Adjustment of status
Adjustment of Status is the procedure allowing certain aliens already in the United States to apply for immigrant status. Aliens admitted to the United States in a nonimmigrant, refugee, or parolee category may have their status changed to that of lawful...