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Glossary of Immigration and
Naturalization Terms
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Refugee: Any person who is outside his
or her country of nationality who is unable or
unwilling to return to that country because of
persecution or a well-founded fear of
persecution. Persecution or the fear thereof
must be based on the alien’s race, religion,
nationality, membership in a particular social
group, or political opinion. People with no
nationality must generally be outside their
country of last habitual residence to qualify as
a refugee. Refugees are subject to ceilings by
geographic area set annually by the President in
consultation with Congress and are eligible to
adjust to lawful permanent resident status after
one year of continuous presence in the United
States.
Refugee Approvals: The number of
refugees approved for admission to the United
States during a fiscal year.
Refugee Arrivals: The number of
refugees admitted to the United States through
ports of entry during a fiscal year.
Refugee Authorized Admissions: The
maximum number of refugees allowed to enter the
United States in a given fiscal year. As set
forth in the Refugee Act of 1980 the President
determines the annual figure after consultations
with Congress.
Refugee-Parolee: A qualified applicant
for conditional entry, between February 1970 and
April 1980, whose application for admission to
the United States could not be approved because
of inadequate numbers of seventh preference
visas. As a result, the applicant was paroled
into the United States under the parole
authority granted to the Secretary of Homeland
Security.
Regional Offices: The three USCIS
Regional Offices that supervise the work of
USCIS Districts and Border Patrol Sectors. The
Regional Directors report to the Associate
Director for Operations in USCIS Headquarters,
Washington, DC. The three Regional Offices are
located in (Eastern Region) Burlington, VT,
(Central Region) Dallas, TX, and (Western
Region) Laguna Nigel, CA.
Registry Date: Aliens who have
continuously resided in the United States since
January 1, 1972, are of good moral character,
and are not inadmissible, are eligible to adjust
to legal permanent resident status under the
registry provision. Before the Immigration
Reform and Control Act of 1986 amended the date,
aliens had to have been in the country
continuously since June 30, 1948, to qualify.
Removal: The expulsion of an alien
from the United States. This expulsion may be
based on grounds of inadmissibility or
deportability.
Resettlement: Permanent relocation of
refugees in a place outside their country of
origin to allow them to establish residence and
become productive members of society there.
Refugee resettlement is accomplished with the
direct assistance of private voluntary agencies
working with the Department of Health and Human
Services Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Resident Alien: Applies to non-U.S.
citizens currently residing in the United
States.
Returning Resident: Any lawful permanent
resident who has been outside the United States
and is returning. May also be defined as a
"special immigrant." If outside of the U.S. for
more than 180 days, must apply for readmission
to the U.S. If outside of the U.S. for more than
one year and is returning to his or her
permanent residence in the United States,
usually must have a re-entry documentation from
USCIS or an immigrant visa from the Department
of State. | 
