§ 12.2 Basic Concepts and Immigration- and Border-related Terminology

• Library: Rights of Foreign Nationals (OSBar) (2020 Ed.)

§ 12.2 BASIC CONCEPTS AND IMMIGRATION- AND BORDER-RELATED TERMINOLOGY

• Adjustment to immigrant status—Procedure allowing certain aliens already in the United States to apply for immigrant status. Aliens admitted to the United States in a nonimmigrant, refugee, or parolee category may have their status adjusted to that of a lawful permanent resident if they are eligible to receive an immigrant visa and one is immediately available. In such cases, the alien is counted as an immigrant as of the date of adjustment, even though the alien may have been in the United States for an extended period of time.

• Admissibility—Eligibility of a foreign national to lawfully enter the United States after inspection and authorization by an immigration officer.

• Admission—The process and legal state of having been inspected by an immigration official as an alien and granted physical and legal entry to the United States in a particular immigration status.

• Alien—Any person not a citizen or national of the United States (including lawful permanent residents).

• Arrival/Departure Record (Form I-94/I-94A)—The form, in either paper or electronic format, issued by a United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer to foreign visitors entering the United States as evidence of their lawful admission, status, and duration. As of April 30, 2013, most Arrival /Departure Records are created electronically upon the foreign visitor's arrival. For more information, see U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, < uscis.gov/i-94information >.

• Border Patrol—Law enforcement branch or arm of CBP, an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Before the creation of DHS in 2003, Border Patrol and the United States Customs Service operated as separate federal agencies. Today, Border Patrol is primarily responsible for patrolling and enforcing the integrity of the United States border between official ports of entry.

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