Resources
Glossary
87 terms you'll meet on the road from H-1B to green card, in plain English.
A
- AC21
- The American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act of 2000. It created H-1B portability, extensions past six years, and green card job portability after 180 days. More →
- Adjustment of status
- Getting a green card from inside the US by filing Form I-485, instead of at a consulate abroad. More →
- Administrative processing (221(g))
- A temporary refusal at a consulate while more checks are done. It can take weeks. More →
- Advance parole (AP)
- A travel document (Form I-131) that lets someone with a pending I-485 re-enter the US. More →
- Aging out
- When a child turns 21 before the family's green card, and so can no longer immigrate as a dependent. More →
- All Chargeability
- The Visa Bulletin column for people born in countries without their own backlog. Often called 'rest of world'. More →
- Asylum Program Fee
- An extra USCIS fee on I-129 and I-140 petitions since April 2024: $600, $300 for small employers, $0 for nonprofits. More →
- Audit (PERM)
- When the Department of Labor asks an employer for recruitment records before deciding a PERM case. More →
B
- B-2
- Visitor visa for tourism and family visits, used by parents visiting H-1B families. More →
- Beneficiary
- The person a petition is filed for, meaning you, in an H-1B or I-140.
- Biometrics
- Fingerprints and photo taken at a USCIS support center.
C
- Cap-exempt
- Employers such as universities and nonprofit research organizations that can file H-1Bs outside the yearly limit and lottery. More →
- Cap-gap
- Rule that extends F-1 status and OPT work while a selected H-1B change-of-status petition is pending, now up to April 1. More →
- Chargeability
- The country your green card counts against, normally your country of birth. More →
- Civil surgeon
- A doctor approved by USCIS to do the green card medical exam (Form I-693).
- Concurrent filing
- Filing the I-140 and I-485 together when your priority date is already current. More →
- Concurrent H-1B
- A second H-1B petition letting you work part-time for another employer at the same time. More →
- Conditional green card
- A two-year green card given in some cases, such as EB-5, before conditions are removed. More →
- Cross-chargeability
- Using a spouse's country of birth for the green card queue when it has a shorter wait. More →
- CSPA
- Child Status Protection Act. Subtracts the time an I-140 was pending from a child's age to help them avoid aging out. More →
- Current (C)
- In the Visa Bulletin: no backlog; anyone with an approved petition can move ahead. More →
D
- Dates for Filing
- The Visa Bulletin chart that can let you file an I-485 early, if USCIS accepts it that month. More →
- DOL
- The US Department of Labor. It handles prevailing wages, LCAs and PERM.
- Dropbox
- The old interview-waiver route for visa renewals. Ended for H-1B and H-4 in September 2025. More →
- DS-160
- The online nonimmigrant visa application form filed before a consular interview.
- Dual intent
- H-1B and L-1 holders may intend to immigrate permanently while holding temporary status.
- Dual status
- A tax year where you were a nonresident for part of the year and a resident for the rest. More →
E
- E-Verify
- The government's online system for confirming work eligibility. Required for STEM OPT employers. More →
- EAD
- Employment Authorization Document: a work permit card, for example for H-4 spouses or I-485 applicants.
- EB-1
- First-preference employment green card for extraordinary ability, outstanding researchers and multinational managers. More →
- EB-2
- Second preference: advanced degree professionals or people of exceptional ability. More →
- EB-3
- Third preference: skilled workers, professionals and other workers. More →
- EB-5
- Investor green card: $800,000 or $1,050,000 in a business creating 10 jobs. More →
F
- FATCA (Form 8938)
- IRS form reporting foreign financial assets above certain thresholds, filed with your tax return. More →
- FBAR
- FinCEN Form 114. Reports foreign accounts when their combined balance exceeds $10,000 at any time in the year. More →
- Final Action Date
- The Visa Bulletin date that decides when a green card can actually be approved. More →
- Fiscal year (FY)
- The US government year, October 1 to September 30. The March 2026 lottery was for FY2027. More →
G
H
- H-1B
- Temporary work visa for specialty occupations that generally need at least a bachelor's degree.
- H-4
- Status for spouses and unmarried children under 21 of H-1B workers. More →
- H-4 EAD
- A work permit for some H-4 spouses, available once the H-1B spouse has an approved I-140 or an AC21 extension. More →
I
- I-129
- The petition an employer files for an H-1B worker. More →
- I-131
- Application for travel documents, including advance parole and re-entry permits.
- I-140
- Immigrant petition an employer (or you, for EB-1A and NIW) files to classify you for an employment green card. More →
- I-485
- Application to adjust status to permanent resident. More →
- I-539
- Application to extend or change nonimmigrant status, used for H-4 dependents.
- I-765
- Application for employment authorization (an EAD).
- I-797
- A USCIS notice: receipts, approvals and interview notices. An I-797 approval shows your petition was approved.
- I-94
- Your arrival and departure record. Its end date, not the visa stamp, controls how long you can stay. More →
- I-983
- The training plan an employer and student sign for STEM OPT. More →
- Interfiling
- Asking USCIS to connect a pending I-485 to a different I-140, for example after an EB-2 to EB-3 downgrade. More →
L
- LCA
- Labor Condition Application. The employer's attestation to DOL about wages and working conditions, filed before an H-1B petition.
- Lottery
- The random selection USCIS runs each March when H-1B registrations exceed the cap. Weighted by wage level since FY2027. More →
M
N
O
P
- Per-country cap
- The rule that people born in any one country can receive no more than 7% of green cards each year. More →
- PERM
- The Department of Labor's labor certification process for most EB-2 and EB-3 green cards. More →
- Portability (H-1B)
- Starting work for a new employer as soon as it files your H-1B petition. More →
- Portability (I-485, 204(j))
- Moving to a same-or-similar job after your I-485 has been pending 180 days, keeping the green card case. More →
- Prevailing wage
- The minimum wage DOL sets for a job in a location. H-1B and PERM jobs must pay at least this. More →
- Priority date
- Your place in the green card queue, usually the date PERM was filed. More →
- Public Law 114-113 fee
- A $4,000 H-1B fee for companies with 50+ US staff where more than half are on H-1B or L-1. More →
R
- Re-entry permit
- A travel document letting a green card holder stay abroad up to two years without abandoning status. More →
- Recapture
- Adding days spent outside the US back to your six-year H-1B limit. More →
- Regional center
- An approved EB-5 project sponsor that pools investor money. More →
- Registration
- The employer's online entry in the H-1B lottery each March. $215 per person. More →
- Retrogression
- When Visa Bulletin dates move backward because demand exceeded the numbers available. More →
- RFE
- Request for Evidence. USCIS asks for more documents before deciding a case.
S
- SEVIS
- The student records system that tracks F-1 status, managed through your school's DSO.
- Specialty occupation
- A job that normally requires at least a bachelor's degree in a specific field, required for H-1B.
- Stamping
- Getting the visa stamp in your passport at a US consulate abroad. More →
- STEM OPT
- A 24-month extension of OPT for graduates with degrees on the STEM list. More →
- Substantial presence test
- The IRS test that decides whether you are a US tax resident based on days in the US. More →
- Supplement J
- The form confirming a new job offer for I-485 job portability. More →
T
- Totalization agreement
- An agreement between the US and another country combining Social Security credits. More →
U
- USCIS
- US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that decides petitions and green cards inside the US.
V
W
- Wage level
- DOL's four prevailing wage tiers (I to IV). They set lottery entries since FY2027. More →