/ Glossary
U.S. immigration terms, in plain English
Updated July 2026 · Plain English
USCIS speaks in form numbers and legalese. This glossary translates the terms you actually run into while tracking your case — what each one means, why it matters, and what to do next.
Why we wrote this glossary
Every status message, receipt notice, and Visa Bulletin chart assumes you already know the vocabulary. Most applicants don't — and shouldn't have to. Each entry here is written the way we'd explain it to a friend: what the term means, how it affects your timeline, and how to track it. More terms are added regularly.
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