It is important to familiarize yourself with the following immigration terms and abbreviations. These are common immigration terms used at USCIS offices, United States Embassies, and United States Consulates. You will also find these terms in immigration forms and other legal documents.

Our Glossary of Immigration Terms is organized in alphabetical order and divided into sections due to its extensive size. Use the menu below to locate the term you are looking for.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Labor Certification
Labor certification is a condition that U.S. employers should fulfill in order to hire certain skilled workers. The certification is issued by the Secretary of Labor and includes attestations by U.S. employers as to the statistics of U.S. workers available to take on the employment sought after by foreigners, and the consequence of the foreigner’s work on the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers who fold similar jobs.

Labor Condition Application (LCA)
The LCA is a document which must be filed with the Department of Labor (DOL) before and H-1B petition can begin. The LCA must be approved before the actual H-1B petition is processed. The LCA states that the company hiring the H-1B employee will pay the required wage rate, which is the higher of the prevailing wage or actual wage. In addition to the wage rate, the LCA also includes statements about the employer’s attempt to find national employee and information about the current work situation in terms of strikes, lock outs, or work stoppage due to labor disputes.

Last Residence
This is a term that is frequently found on immigration and visa forms. The country of your “Last Residence” is the country that an individual lived in before entering the United States.

Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR)
Any person who is not a citizen of the United States and who lives in the U.S. under lawfully recognized and legally recorded permanent residence as an immigrant. It’s also called Permanent Resident Alien, Resident Alien Permit Holder, and Green Card Holder.

Legal Entry
The process that most visitors and foreign workers go through when entering the United States via official borders. A U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service Official inspects your documents and grants you permission to enter the United States.

Legalization Dependents
The spouses and children of foreigners who became legal immigrants under the stipulation of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 between 1992 and 1994.

Legalized Aliens
Illegal aliens who were entitled to submit an application for temporary resident status under the legalization provision of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Legitimated
A child is legitimated if a natural father of a child born out of wedlock acknowledges the child through a legal procedure. A legitimated child from any country has two legal parents and cannot qualify as an orphan unless only one of the parents is living or both of the parents have deserted the child.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

► Click on the letters above for more U.S. Immigration Terms.