| Academic
Training |
Similar to
Practical Training, but for J-1 students.
Note, J-1 research scholars are not eligible for this. |
| Academic
Year |
Stanford's
accounting and school year, which begins on September 1 and ends August
31. See "Fiscal Year." |
| Adjudication |
The USCIS
procedure of considering and processing applications and petitions. |
| Adjustment
application |
A stack of
BCIS application forms comprising the I-485 and supporting applications
and documentation. |
| Alien |
Anyone who
is not a US citizen or national. |
| Application |
A form and
supporting documentation that is filed by an individual in his own behalf
(for an exception, see "Self-Sponsored
Petition." |
| Approval
Notice |
A Notice
of Action bearing Good News. |
| USCIS |
US Citizenship
and Immigration Services (formerly INS) Newly created
bureau under the Dept of Homeland Security. Replaced INS on 3/1/2003 |
| Calendar
Year |
The normal
January to December year, remarkable for the fact that no entity we deal
with uses it. See also, Fiscal, Academic
years. |
| Cap,
H-1 |
The limitation
on the number of H-1 approvals that can be issued by BCIS each year. When
this cap is reached, no more H-1 approvals are forthcoming. (Stanford is
no longer subject to this cap.) |
| Citizen,
US |
With very
few exceptions, anyone who was born on US soil. Also anyone who is "naturalized."
Citizenship can be derived from parents/ancestors as well, regardless of
place of birth. |
| Denial |
An exhaustive
treatise in which the USCIS says "no." |
| Department
of Labor |
The Executive
Branch Department with jurisdiction over working conditions. For our purposes,
generates the LCA |
| Department
of State; also State Department, DoS, "State." |
The Executive
Branch Department with jurisdiction over non-domestic issues |
| Dependent |
The spouse
or children of a principal. |
| DS2019 |
(Formerly
IAP-66), now a State Department Certificate issued by sponsoring institutions
such as Stanford under DoS approval. Can be used by students and postdoctoral
scholars for a relatively wide variety of activities, although sponsors
usually are authorized for only a few. Students are allowed to remain as
long as is needed to finish a degree program, but scholars and professors
may remain only three years. |
| DSO |
Designated
School Official, an individual authorized to sign an I-20. |
| EAC |
See
WAC Number |
| EAD |
Employment
Authorization Document; a card issued by USCIS to certain applicants who
have requested work authorization. In size and format it resembles a driver's
license. |
| EDD |
California's
Employment Development Department. For our purposes, provides a "prevailing
wage" for the H-1 program. |
| Employment
Authorization Document |
See EAD |
| Employment-Based
Petition |
Any form and
supporting documentation that is filed on behalf of an individual who will
benefit from an affirmative decision. Submitted to the BCIS for that agency's
adjudication. For an exception, see "Self-Sponsored Petition." |
| Entry
Visa |
Entry visas
are the labels that State Department personnel apply to the page of a passport.
They represent the State Department's belief that the person is eligible
to enter the US to pursue a particular activity. There is a nonimmigrant
classification defined by an entry visa to comprehend many activities. Entry
visas may have a limited validity, depending upon the holder's country of
citizenship. Citizens of Canada, Canadian landed immigrants with a Commonwealth
nationality and residents of some British territories (principally Bermuda)
are (largely) exempt from the entry visa requirement. An expired entry visa
does not affect a holder's ability to remain in the US; only the I-94 card
does. This is because the entry visa is only an authorization for an individual
to present him or herself to an USCIS officer at a port of entry (such as
an airport) for consideration of admission. The USCIS determines how long
an individual may remain in the US. An expired entry visa means that the
holder must get a new one before trying to come back in to the US again
in the status indicated on the visa label. There are some exceptions to
this, probably best explained by a referral to the web site or the Foreign
Scholar Advisor. See also "Visa." |
Fiscal Year |
For USCIS
purposes, the US government fiscal year that begins on October 1 and ends
on September 30. See also "Academic, Calendar
Year." |
Green Card |
The document
issued by USCIS to permanent residents as evidence of their status. Is not
green; resembles a driver's license in size and format. |
| I-129 |
Form on which
employers submit a variety of employment-based petitions to the USCIS. In
Stanford's case, Bechtel fills it out. |
| I-130 |
USCIS
form on which individuals petition the BCIS to allow their relatives to
become permanent residents. |
| I-140 |
USCIS
form on which employment-based petitions are filed. In Stanford's case,
Bechtel fills it out. |
| I-20 |
A document
issued by a school to a nonimmigrant student. Used to obtain an F-1 entry
visa, for admission to the US and subsequently for the DSO
to make recommendations and grant authorizations. |
| I-539 |
An USCIS
form on which an applicant can request an extension of his or her nonimmigrant
stay. Used a lot for dependents who need to change in concert with a principal
who is making a change from one type of nonimmigrant classification to temporary
employment. Note that the principal applicant does not fill out an I-539
him or herself to make such a change for a dependent! |
I-551 |
BCIS form
number for the Green Card. |
| I-797 |
The form number
USSCIS assigned to its "Notice of Action." Varies slightly
depending upon the type of Action taken, and can include a new I-94 card
if generated in response to an extension of stay or change of status. |
I-94 |
~3 x 4 inch
white card usually stapled into an individual's passport when s/he is admitted
to the US by the BCIS. BCIS inspectors must enter the classification in
which the individual is admitted, and the date to which s/he may remain
in the US, or D/S (duration of status) in the case of F-1 or J-1 nonimmigrants.
Also frequently takes the form of a tear-off portion of the bottom of an
I-797 Notice of Action when USCIS grants an extension
of stay or change of status. I-94s are routinely collected by airline personnel
as nonimmigrants depart the US, but technically one is entitled to retain
the card if going to "contiguous territories" (Canada or Mexico) or Caribbean
islands excluding Cuba for less than 30 days. |
| DS-2019 |
See DS2019 |
| Immigrant |
See "Permanent
Resident." |
|
INS
(former)
|
Immigration
and Naturalization Service. Formerly an arm of the Justice Department with
primary responsibility for the admission and control of aliens. See
Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services |
| Labor
Condition Application |
See "LCA" |
| LCA |
Labor Condition
Application submitted by Bechtel to the US Department of Labor for the purpose
of Stanford's going on the record as paying a particular wage to a particular
H-1 employee or group of employees. |
| LIN |
See
WAC Number |
| National,
US |
A non-US citizen
who holds allegiance to the US is not considered an alien. For practical
purposes, this describes a few people who live on some islands in the South
Pacific. |
Nonimmigrant |
An alien who
has been admitted by the USCIS for a specific purpose
for a definite period of time. |
| Notice
of Action |
Issued by
the USCIS after that agency's adjudication of a petition
or application. Also issued as a receipt for fees tendered. |
| Permanent
Resident |
An alien
the INS/USCIS has given the right to remain in the US permanently. Also
known as "immigrant." |
| Practical
Training |
A period of
work authorization granted subsequent to an F-1 student's completing a degree
program. USCIS approves and issues an EAD.
This period cannot be extended beyond twelve months. |
| Prevailing
Wage |
The wage provided
by EDD after we submit a Prevailing Wage Determination
Request. This is a benchmark wage the University cannot undercut for H-1
application purposes. |
| Principal |
As opposed
to dependent, the primary person holding a nonimmigrant
classification. H-1, for example, is a principal classification; H-4 is
the dependent. Dependents cannot hold their classifications independently
of the principal. Dependents are not defined to include parents, cousins,
siblings, etc. |
| Receipt
Notice |
A Notice of
Action evidencing BCIS' receipt of fees tendered. Also bears "WAC" number. |
| Self-Sponsored
Petition |
An Employment-Based
Petition filed by an individual in his or her own behalf. In this case,
the petitioner is the beneficiary. |
| SRC |
See
WAC Number |
| Status |
The nonimmigrant
classification granted by the USCIS to an individual
who has presented him or herself to the BCIS at a port of entry, or who
has subsequently requested a change of status, say, by asking and employer
like Stanford to submit an I-129 for a change to H-1. See also "Visa" |
| Transfer |
Nomenclature
associated with the J-1 exchange visitor program. There are procedures for
transferring J-1 exchange visitors from the sponsorship of one institution
to another. Employment-based nonimmigrants such as H-1 and O-1 cannot
transfer between institutions. A move like this requires that a new
petition be filed by the "receiving" institution. |
| Two-Year
Rule |
Also known
as the two-year-residence requirement, this is a restriction applied to
certain J-1 exchange visitors who meet conditions defined by the State Department.
The conditions have to do with funding, country of origin or type of activity
undertaken while in J-1 status, and the restriction prevents these visitors
from changing status within the US. It also prevents them from securing
entry visas in the H-1, L-1 or immigrant categories. See
this link for additional information. |
| USIA |
An organization,
the United States Information Agency, which was dissolved on September 1,
1999, and whose functions were absorbed by the Department of State. Was
responsible for the J-1 exchange visitor program. |
| Visa |
A term used
almost always incorrectly. Correctly, a security-printed label or "foil"
applied by the State Department to the page of a passport belonging to someone
who wishes to enter the US for a particular purpose identified by an alphanumeric
code (e.g. H-1). We use the term "entry visa" to distinguish this item from
the conventional usage, which (incorrectly, now) refers to almost anything
the speaker wants it to mean. This can include the I-797 Notice of Action/Approval,
an I-94 card or the status an individual claims for him/herself, rightly
or wrongly. See also "Entry Visa." |
| WAC |
Number
used to identify an applicant or petitioner's place in the BCIS
fee receipt and case tracking system. WAC is the acronymic artifact of the
Western Adjudication Center, now known as the California Service Center.
The alphanumeric identifier is ten digits in the format WAC-NN-NNN-NNNNN.
The first two digits are the current fiscal year,
the second three digits are the sequentially-numbered working day of the
fiscal year (known as the "Julian date") on which the case was originally
receipted, and the final five digits are a serial number (which always begins
with "5"). There are three other BCIS Regional Service Centers, in Lincoln,
NE (LIN); Irving, TX (SRC); and St. Albans, VT (EAC). |
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