Immigration Glossary

Someone already in the U.S. who has been granted asylum after showing a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country.

The person a petition is filed for — the one who would receive the immigration benefit if the petition is approved.

In government usage, someone seeking to live permanently in the U.S. — essentially, someone on the path to or holding a green card.

The official term for a green card holder — someone authorized to live and work permanently in the U.S. without being a citizen.

Anyone who is not a U.S. citizen, regardless of their specific immigration status. Government forms sometimes use the older term "alien" to mean the same thing.

Someone in the U.S. temporarily for a specific purpose — like tourism, study, or temporary work — as opposed to someone seeking to live in the U.S. permanently.

Someone allowed into the U.S. temporarily for urgent humanitarian or public-benefit reasons, without being formally "admitted." Parole is not a visa or a path to a green card by itself.

The person (usually a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or sometimes an employer) who files a petition on behalf of someone else.

Someone granted permission to come to the U.S. from abroad due to persecution, processed and approved before they arrive — unlike an asylee, who applies from inside the U.S.