This glossary of over 600 terms of Immigration Slang is inspired by our Attorney Allison Chan’s law school classmate Gary Muldoon, who co-authored “Criminal Law Slanguage of New York”.
1st Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the District of Maine, the District of Massachusetts, the District of New Hampshire, the District of Puerto Rico, and the District of Rhode Island.(ME, NH, MA, PR, RI)
2nd Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory comprises the states of Connecticut, New York, and Vermont, and the court has appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the District of Connecticut, the Eastern District of New York, the Northern District of New York, the Southern District of New York, the Western District of New York, and the District of Vermont.(VT, NY, CT)
3rd Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the District of Delaware, the District of New Jersey, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and the Western District of Pennsylvania.(PA, NJ, DE)
4th Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the District of Maryland, the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Middle District of North Carolina, the Western District of North Carolina, the District of South Carolina, the Eastern District of Virginia, the Western District of Virginia, the Northern District of West Virginia, and the Southern District of West Virginia.(WV, MD, DC, VA, NC, SC)
5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit (MS, LA, TX)
6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit (MI, OH, KY, TN)
7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit (WI, IL, IN)
8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit (ND, SD, NE, MN, IA, MO, AR)
9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit (CA, OR, WA, MT, ID, NV, AZ, AK, HI)
10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit (NM, CO, WY, UT, KS, OK)
11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit (AL, GA, FL)
212Waiver for Reapplication for Admission after a prior deportation order
212(a)(6)(C) Prior misrepresentation
212 (c) Waiver of Deportability or Removability
212 (h) Waiver: Criminal Grounds of Inadmissibility
245 (a) Adjustment of Status
245 (d)
245(k)
246Rescission of Adjustment of Status
257 (b)
287(g) Allows state and local law enforcement entity to enter into a partnership
601Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility
601A Application for Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver
AA Arriving Alien
AAO Administrative Appeals Office
ABQ Albuquerque Field Office
AC21 American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act
ACAAffordable Care Act
ACC Assistant Chief Counsel
ACFRC Advisory Committee on Family Residential Centers
ACG ACCRA Field Office (Ghana)
ACLU American Civili Liberties Union
ACM Administrative Confidential Memorandum
ACS American Citizen Services
ACWIAAmerican Competitiveness and Workplace Improvement Act
ADIS Arrival and Departure Information System
Admin. Close Administrative Closure
Admitted
Adoption
Affidavit of SupportA signed statement for the purpose of assuring the U.S. Government that the person will not become a “charge” of the government — will not require public assistance in any way.
AEWRAdverse Effect Wage Rates
ADISArrival Departure Information System
AFM Adjudicator’s Field Manual
AFOD Acting Field Office Director
AFOD Assistant Field Office Director
AGA Agana Field Office
Aggravated FelonyA broad category of criminal offenses that carry certain severe consequences for aliens seeking asylum, legal permanent resident status, citizenship, or avoidance of deportation proceedings.
AILA American Immigration Lawyers Association
ALB Albany Field Office
Alien Foreign Born Person living in the U.S.
ALJ Administrative Law Judge
AM1 Amerasian, born in Vietnam
AM2 Spouse/child of AM1 or AM6.
AM3Mother, guardian or relative of AM1 or AM6.
AM6 AM1 adjustment to LPR.
AM7 AM2 adjustment to LPR.
AM8AM3 adjustment to LPR.
ANC Anchorage Field Office
Annulment Legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void
AO Asylum Officer
AOR
AOS Adjustment of Status
AP Advanced Parole
APA Administrative Procedures Act
APIS Advance Passenger Information System
Aquila (inspected)
ARTAssisted Reproductive Technology
ASC Applicant Support Center
ASISTA Assistance for Advocates and Attorney facing complex legal problems in advocating for immigrant survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault
ASP Adoption Service Provider
ASPOAsylum Pre-Screening Officers
ATD Alternative to Detention Programs
ATEP Alien Transfer Exit Program: This program is a joint effort between ICE and CBP that allows for the transportation of aliens out of an apprehending Southwest Border Patrol Sector for subsequent removal to Mexico through another Southwest Sector.
ATH Athens, Greece Field Office
ATL Atlanta District Office
ATS Automated Targeting System
ATSA Aviation and Transportation Security Act
Authorized by the Attorney General Describes an exercise of discretion by a public official.
Authorized stay
Ava
B and B
BAL Baltimore District Office
BCG Bacillus Calmette-Guerin
BCJ Backer County Jail
BCU Basic Command Unit
BEI Beijing Field Office
BF Bona Fide: Term generally used for Adjustment of Status to Green Card on
BFC Bible Fellowship Church
BFC Business Financial Consultant
BFRC Berks Family Residential Center
BI ISAP II
BIA Board of Immigration Appeals
Bill of Costs of Instructions of 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals
Biometrics Identification of humans by their characteristics or traits
Bo Cooper Memo
BOI Boise Field Office
BOP Bureau of Prisons
Border Patrol
BOS Boston District Office
BSS Biometric Storage System
BTB Beyond the Border
BTC “Business Traveler’s Corner” webpage on class=SpellE>CBPnetsecure site
BUF Buffalo District Office
CAA Cuban Adjustment Act
CAHO Chief Administrative Hearing Officer
Cancel Green Card
Cancellation under section 240A(b) (1)
CAM Central American Minors
CAM-AOR Form DS-7699, Affidavit of Relationships(AOR) for Minors who are Nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras
CAP Criminal Alien Program
CARA Catholic Legal Immigration Network; American Immigration Counsel; Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Service; American Immigration Lawyers Association
CARRP- Controlled application review and resolution program
CASEL Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning
CAVSS Centralized Area Surveillance System
CBP U.S. Customs and Border Protection
CBP I-95A Crewman’s Landing Permit (for foreign crewmen between trips)
CC Chief Counsel
CCA Corrections Corporations of America
CCD Consular Consolidated Database
CDC Centers for Disease Control
CDH Community and Detainee Helpline (by ICE)
CDJ Ciudad Juarez
CFCredible Fear
CF1 Spouse of U.S. Citizen, entered as fiancé(e), subject to 2-year conditional residency
CF2 Step-child of CF1
CFPB Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
CFDOThe Center Fraud Detection Operation
CFI Credible Fear Interview
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
CG Coast Guard
CGRS Center for Gender and Refugee Studies
CHA Charlotte Amalie Field Office
Chevron Deference Chevron Deference is allowed only when the agency action “carries the force of law”: The Supreme Court holds that administrative implementation of a particular statutory provision qualifies for Chevron Deference when it appears that Congress delegated authority to the agency generally to make rules carrying the force of law, and that the agency interpretation claiming deference was promulgated in the exercise of that authority.
Chevron Opinion Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837, 842 (1984)
CHI Chicago District Office
CHILD Step (under 18), Adopted (under 16), No longer Child over 21
Chinese Exclusion Act
CHL Charleston, SC Field Office
CHR Christiansted, Virgin Islands, Field Support Office
CHS Charleston, WV Field Support Office
CIMT Crime Involving Moral Turpitude
CIN Cincinnati Field Office
CIR Comprehensive Immigration Reform
CIS Citizenship and Immigration Services
CIV Customer Identity Verification
CLASS Consular Lookout and Support System
CLE Cleveland District Office
CLT Charlotte Field Office
CLM Columbus Field Office
CM/ECF Case Management/Electronic Case Files, case management system used by Circuit Courts
CMA Computer Matching Agreement
CNJ Mount Laurel Field Office
CNMI Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Conditional Lawful Permanent Residence
COOP Continuity of Operations
Coyote
CPDO Conditional Parole for Deportation Only
CPR Conditional Permanent Resident
CR Criminal Record
CRCL Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
CRD Central Operations Region
CR7 Child of U.S. Citizen, subject to 2-year Conditional Residency
CRCL Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
CS&C Office of Cybersecurity and Communications
CSC California Service Center
CSI Container Security Initiative
CSPA Child Status Protection Act
CTCEU Counterterrorism and Criminal Exploitation Unit
CU6 Cuban native or citizen has access to lawful permanent residence under the Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA)
CU7 Non-Cuban spouse or child accompanying a Cuban native or citizen has access to lawful permanent residence under the Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA)
Cuban Adjustment Act or CAA 1966/76 US law permitting Cuban natives or citizens and their accompanying families access to lawful permanent residence
Custody In Detention
CVC Chula Vista Field Office
CVF Crime Victims Fund DA
CVTF Common Vetting Task Force
DACA Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
DACSDeportable Alien Control System
DAL Dallas District Office
DARDigital Audio Recording
David Neufeld 2008 Memo Discusses an exception to the requirement that an alien filing for adjustment of status have a continuous lawful status. For those seeking certain immigrant visas who entered the country lawfully, it was sufficient that they not be out of lawful status for more than periods that aggregate to 180 days.
DCC Deputy Chief Counsel
DEN Denver District Office
Deportation
Derivative Beneficiary
DET Detroit District Office
DHHS Department of Health and Human Services
DHS Department of Homeland Security
DHS Science & Technology Directorate
DHS TRIP DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program
DO Deportation Officer
DO District Office
DOJ Department of Justice
DOL Department of Labor
DOS Department of State
DPIAC Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee
DRO Detention and Removal Operations
DS-3097 Notice Of Request For Public Comment And Submission To OMB Of Proposed Collection Of Information.
DSM Des Moines Field Office
DSO Designated School Official
DSP-150 USA B1/B2 Border Crossing Card (BCC) for temporary visitors for business or pleasure (B1/B2) who are Mexican citizens residing near the U.S. border
DUI Driving under the Influence
DV Domestic Violence
DVD Dover Field Support Office
DWAI Driving while Ability Impaired
E-Verify An Internet-based system that compares information from an employee’s Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility.
EAD Employment Authorization Document
EADM ENFROCE Alien Detention Model
EB Employment-Based
EB 1
EB 11
EB 12
EB 13
EB 2
EB 3
EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program
EC6 Alien covered by Chinese Student Protection Act
EC7 Spouse covered by Chinese Student Protection Act
EC8 Child covered by Chinese Student Protection Act
ECN Enterprise Collaboration Network
ECPDO Early Conditional Parole for Deportation Only
ECS Enhanced Cybersecurity Services
EFTS Electronic Fingerprint Transmission Specification
ELP El Paso Field Office
EIR Entrepreneurs in Residence: The Entrepreneurs in Residence model brings together professionals with diverse talents from inside and outside government to work together as a team on outcome-oriented solutions within a short and focused time frame.
ELIS Electronic Immigration System
EMS Emergency Management System
Entered
Entrance
Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR)
EO Executive Order
EOIR Executive Office for Immigration Review
EOIR-42B and EOIR-42A Cancellation of Removal
eRegistry Electronic Registry
ERO Enforcement and Removal Operations
ERP Employee Referral Program
ERP Executive Review Panel
ESL English as a second Language
ESTA Electronic System for Travel Authorization
ETA Employment and Training Administration
EWI Entry without Inspection
Exceptional Hardship
Exclusion Prior to the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, the formal term for denial of an alien’s entry into the United States.
Extraordinary Hardship
Extreme Hardship
F1 Family Preference Category 1: unmarried sons or daughters of US Citizens
F2A Family Preference Category 2A: spouses and children of Permanent Residents
F2B Family Preference Category 2B: unmarried sons and daughters (21 years or age or older) of Permanent Residents
F3 Family Preference Category 3: married sons and daughters of U.S. Citizens
F4 Family Preference Category 4: brothers and sisters of adult U.S. Citizens
FB Family-based
FCMP Family Case Management Program
FDBFraud Detection Branch
FDNS Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate
FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency
FIPPs Fair Information Practice Principles
FIR Field Interview Report
FISMA Score Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002
FKG Frankfurt Field Office
FLETC Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers
FLSFarm Labor Survey
Flight Risk A person or defendant who is likely to flee the state or area to avoid prosecution
FO Final Order
FOD Field Office Director
FOIA Freedom of Information or Privacy Act
FRAP Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure
FRC Family Residential Center
FRE Fresno Field Office
FRS Family Residential Standards
FPS Federal Protective Service
FQHC Federally Qualified Health Center
FSA Fort Smith Field Office
FVPSA Family Violence Prevention and Services Act
FY Fiscal Year
G-56 Second Adjustment of Status Interview Notice
GAO Government Accountability Office
GC Green Card
GCU Garden City Field Office
GEMSGeneral Counsel Electronic Management System
GMCGood Moral Character
GMS Global Migration Section
GMT Guatemala City Field Office
GRR Greer Field Support Office
GZH Guangzhou Field Office
H-1B Nonimmigrant specialty occupation worker
H-2B The Labor Certification Program for Temporary Non-Agricultural Workers
HAR Hartford Field Office
HAV Havana Field Office
HCM Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Field Office
HEL Helena Field Office
HERP Program Haitian Family Reunification Parole
HHS U.S Department of Health and Human Services
HHW Honolulu District Office
HIPAA Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
HLG Harlingen Field Office
HOH Head of Household
HOU Houston District Office
Howard Memo 2005 ICE memorandum regarding exercising prosecutorial discretion to dismiss adjustment cases
HPV Human Papillomavirus
HSI Homeland Security Investigations
HQASMHeadquarters Asylum Division
HSA Health Services Administrator
HSIN Homeland Security Information Network
I-17 Petition for Approval of School for Attendance by Nonimmigrant Student
I-129 CW CNMI(Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands)-Only Nonimmigrant Transitional Worker
I-129 F Petition for Fiancée
I-129 H1B Nonimmigrant Specialty Occupation Worker
I-129 H2 Temporary Nonimmigrant Worker
I-129 H3 Temporary Nonimmigrant Trainee
I-129 L Nonimmigrant Intracompany Transferee
I-129 O Nonimmigrant Extraordinary Ability Worker
I-129 P1, P2, P3 Athletes, Artists and Entertainers
I-129 Q Cultural Exchange Worker
I-129 R Nonimmigrant Religious Worker
I-130 Petition for Alien Relative
I-131 Application for Travel Document
I-140 Immigration Petition for Alien Worker
I-140 EB1 (A) Alien with Extraordinary Ability
I-140 EB1 (B) Outstanding Professor or Researcher
I-140 EB1 (C) Multinational Manager or Executive
I-140 EB2 (D) Advanced Degree Professional
I-140 EB2 (I) National Interest Waiver
I-140 EB3 (E) Skilled or Professional Worker
I-140 EB3 (G) Other Worker
I-184 Alien Crewman Landing Permit and Identification Card (for temporary shore leave while in port)
I-192Application for Advance Permission to Enter as Nonimmigrant
I-212 Application to Reapply for Admission
I-213 Record of Deportable Alien
I-247 Immigration Detainer
I-246 Stay of Deportation or Removal
I2B
I-352 Bond Breach
I-360 EB4 Petition for Religious Worker
I-360 A Amerasian
I-360 C Special Immigrant Juvenile
I-360 K Special Immigrant Afghanistan or Iraq National Translator
I-360 VAWA Violence Against Women Act Petition
I-360 E Special Immigrant Canal Zone
I-360 F Special Immigrant Physician
I-360 H Special Immigrant Armed Forces Member
I-360 G Special Immigrant International Organization Employee
I-360 L Special Immigrant Iraq National US Employee
I-360 M Special Immigrant Other
I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
I-485 LIFE LIFE Act Adjustment Application
I-485 Dplmt Section 13 Adjustment Application
I-485 T T Visa Nonimmigrant Adjustment
I-485 U U Visa Nonimmigrant Adjustment
I-526 EB5 Alien Entrepreneur
I-600 Petition for Orphan
I-601 Application for Waiver of Inadmissibility
I-612 Application for 212(e) Waiver
I-687 Legalization application for Temporary Residence
I-690 Legalization/SAW-Waiver Grounds of Excludability
I-698 Legalization Adjustment Application
I-700 Special Agricultural Worker
I-765 Application for Employment Authorization
I-800 Convention Adoption as an Immediate Relative
I-821 Temporary Protected Status
I-831
I-94 Arrival/Departure Record
I-94W Nonimmigrant Visa Waiver Arrival/Departure Record
I-905 Application to Issue Certificate for Health Care Workers
I-914 Application for T Nonimmigrant Status
I-918 Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status
I-924 Application for Regional Center
I-929 Qualifying Family Member of a U Nonimmigrant
I&A Office of Intelligence and Analysis
IAImmigration Analyst
IACHR Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
IAEAImmigration Accountability Executive Action
IAFIS Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System
IAP Immigration Advisory Program
IAPP International Association of Privacy Professional
IC Intelligence Community
ICAM Identiy, Credentialing, and Access Management
ICE Immigration and Customs Enforcement
iCERT iCERT Visa Portal System provides a single point-of entry for employers, attorneys, and agents to file and track their employment-based visa applications
IdM Identity Management
IDEA Individuals With Disabilities Education Act
IDENT Automated Biometric Identification System
IDP Institutional Disciplinary Panel
IDP Identity Proofing Service
IEP Individualized Education Program
IFM Inspector’s Field Manual (CBP Officers have been instructed not to refer to the IFM. Officers have been given access to a new, electronic instruction manual that is currently under development and which has not been made publicly available.)
IGA Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
IGB International Governance Board
IGRA Interferon-Gamma Release Assays
IHSC ICE Health Service Corps
IIR Intelligence Information Report
IIRIRA Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act
IJ Immigration Judge
IPASIllicit Pathways Attack Strategy
ILRC Immigration Legal Resource Center
IMAGE ICE Mutual Agreement between Government & Employers
IMP Imperial Field Support Office
Immigrant
INA Immigration and Nationality Act
In Abeyance
In Absentia
INA Immigration and Nationality Act
INA § 204(c)
InfoPass InfoPass is a free service that lets an individual schedule an appointment with a USCIS Immigration Officer by using the internet at any time of day or night
INP Indianapolis Field Office
INS Immigration and Naturalization Service
Inspected
IO Immigration Officer
IOM International Organization of Migration
IPAS Illicit Pathways Attack Strategy
IRAC The Immigration & Refugee Appellate Center
IR0 Parent of adult U.S. Citizen
IR7Child of U.S. Citizen
IRI Interior Repatriation Initiative
IRTPA Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004
ISAA Information Sharing Access Agreement
ISAP Intensive Supervision Appearance Program
ISCC Information Sharing Coordinating Council
ISE Information Sharing Environment
ISO Immigration Services Officer (USCIS)
ISSGB Information Sharing and Safeguarding Governance Board
ITRAC Importer Trade Activity Reopen
IWC
JAC Jacksonville Field Office
JAK Jackson Field Support Office
JCAHO Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations
JFRMU Juvenile and Family Residential Management Unit
JHS Johannesburg Field Office
JMTR Joint Motion to Reopen
John Moritz Memo
KAN Kansas City District Office
KNG Kingston, Jamaica Field Office
Lawful immigrant status
Lawful status
Lawful Status Implies a right protected by law
LC Labor Certification
LDN London Field Office
LEA Law Enforcement Agencies
Legal status
LEP Limited Engish Proficient
LIRS Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
LMA Lima, Peru Field Office
LOP Local Operating Procedures
LOS Los Angeles Field Office
LotteryMarriage status if use 3-year exemption
LOU Louisville Field Office
LPR Lawful Permanent Resident
LVG Las Vegas Field Office
MAN Manchester Field Office
MAVNI A pilot program for expedited naturalization for medical personnel and interpreters enlisted in the military and considered vital to the national interest
MDQ Mood Disorders Questionnaire
Mead Opinion United States v. Mead Corp., 533 U.S. 218, 226-27 (2001): The Mead Opinion recognizes that “agencies charged with applying a statute necessarily make all sorts of interpretive choices, and while not all of those choices bind judges to follow them, “an agency’s reasoned views are entitled to respectful consideration.
Mead Opinion United States v. Mead Corp., 533 U.S. 218, 226-27 (2001)
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
MHP Mental Health Professional
MIA Miami District Office
MIL Milwaukee Field Office
MISX Migrant Student Information Exchange
MIV Modernized Immigrant Visa Process
Motion to Reopen (Court) Must be filed within 90 days of a final action
Motion to Reopen (USCIS) Must be filed within 30 days on a 290B with a FF payable to U.S. Department of Homeland Security
MPH Manila, Philippines Field Office
MTR Monterrey, Mexico Field Office
MOSMoscow Field Office
MOU Memorandum of Understanding
MRC Management Review Committee
N-470 Application to Preserve Residence
N-565 Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document
N-600 Certificate of Citizenship
N-643 Certificate of Citizenship for Adopted Child
NAFTA North America Free Trade Agreement
NAMI National Alliance for Mentally Ill
NARA National Archives and Records Administration
Naturalization
NBC National Benefits Center
NBO Nairobi, Kenya Field Office
NCQA National Committee for Quality Assurance
NCTC National Counterterrorism Center
NCTIC National Technical Assistance Center on Trauma Informed Care
NDI New Delhi Field Office
NDS National Detention Standards
NEW New Jersey District Office
NGO Non-governmental Organization
NIF Notice of Intent to Fine
NIJ
NIST National Institute for Standards and Technology
NIWAP National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project
NOC National Operations Center
NOI Notice of inspection
NOID Notice of Intent to Deny
NOIRNotice of Intent to Revoke
NOL New Orleans District Office
NOR Norfolk Field Office
Notario
NPPD National Protection and Programs Directorate
NPRM Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
NPWC National Prevailing Wage Center
NRC National Records Center
NSC Nebraska Service Center
NSTAC National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee
NTA Notice to Appear
NSTC National Science and Technology Council
NPSBN Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network
NVC National Visa Center
NW National Waiver
NYC New York City District Office
OBIM Office of Biometric Identity Management
OCAHO Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer
OCC Office of the Chief Counsel
OCIO Office of the Chief Information Officer
OCS Outer Continental Shelf
ODNI Office of the Director of National Intelligence
OFLC Office of Foreign Labor Certification
OFO Office of Field Operations
OGC Office of the General Counsel
OIG Office of the Inspector General
OIP DOJ Office of Information Policy
OKC Oklahoma City Field Office
OMA Omaha Field Office
OMB Office of Management and Budget
OOC Outside of Country (the United States)
OOS Out of Status
OPLA Office Of the Principal Legal Advisor
OPS DHS Office of Operations Coordination and Planning
ORL Orlando Field Office
ORR Office of Refugee Resettlement
OSC Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices
OSD Office of the Secretary of Defense
USDA United States Department of Agriculture
OSUP Order of Supervision
OVW Office on Violence Against Women
PACER
PACT Privacy Administrative Coordination Team
Padilla v. Kentucky U.S. Supreme Court case on affirmative duty of all lawyers to give the accused the immigration consequences of civil/criminal cases
PAP Port-Au-Prince, Haiti Field Office
Parole Unit
Paroled
PBIS Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
PBNDS Performance Based National Detention Standards
PCL Abbreviated Post-Traumatic Stress Check List
PCP Primary Care Physician
PCR Privacy Compliance Review
PD Priority Date
PD Prosecutorial Discretion
PERM Permanent Labor Certification Program
PFR Petition for Review
PHI Philadelphia District Office
PHI Protected Health Information
PHO Phoenix Field Office
Photo substitute passport photos
PHQ-9 Patient Health Questionnaire-9
PIA Privacy Impact Assessment
PII Personally identifiable information
PIHG Privacy Incident Handling Guidance
PIRC Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center
PIT Pittsburgh Field Office
PKI Public Key Infrastructure
PLCY Office of Policy
PM Policy Memorandum
PNM Panama City Field Office
PNR Passenger Name Record
POC Point of Contact
POM Portland, ME Field Office
POMS Program Operations Manual System
POO Portland, OR Field Office
PPAT Privacy Policy and Advocacy Team
PPD Presidential Policy Directive
PPOC Privacy Point of Contact
PRA Privacy Reduction Act
PREA Prison Rape Elimination Act
PRM Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration
PRO Providence Field Office
PSA Public Service Announcement
PSR Presentence Investigations Report (aka PSI, PSIR)
PTA Privacy Threshold Analysis
PTA Protection Transfer Arrangement
Public Charge
PWD Prevailing Wage Determination
Quota Current
RAD Refugee Affairs Division
RAIO Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate
RFReasonable Fear
RAL Raleigh-Durham Field Office
RAPS Refugees, Asylum and Parole System
RAPS Robotic Aircraft for Public Safety
RAVU Refugee Access Verification Unit
RCA Risk Classification Assessment
Real I.D. Act
Referral Notice Referral of asylum I-589 to court, CIS cannot deny an asylum case unless the Alien is in status
Remand
REN Reno Field Office
Repatriation Initiative (IRI)
RFE Request for Further Evidence
RO Reports Officer
ROMC Reports Officer management Council
RPI Registered Provisional Immigrants
RSC Resettlement Support Center
S&T Science & Technology Directorate
S.744 Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act
SA Sexual Assault
SAA Santa Ana Field Office
SAC Sacramento Field Office
SAJ San Juan Field Office
SAMHSA Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
SAN San Salvador Field Office
SAO San Antonio District Office
SAO Security Advisory Opinion
SAOP Senior Agency Officials for Privacy
SAR Suspicious Activity Reporting
SARTs Sexual Assault Response Teams
SARRTs Sexual Assault Response and Resource Teams
SAUSA Special Assistant U.S. Attorney
SAVE Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements
SBA United States Small Business Administration
SBD San Bernardino Field Office
SBU Sensitive but Unclassified
SDDO Supervisory Detention and Deportation Officer
SDM Santo Domingo Field Office
SEA Seattle Field Office
Segregation Solitary Confinement
SEK Seoul, South Korea Field Office
Self Deportation
SEVIS Student and Exchange Visitor Information System
SEVP Student and Exchange Visitor Program
SFR San Francisco Field Office
SHU Special Housing Unit
SIEA Supervisory Immigration Enforcement Agent
SIJ Special Immigration Juvenile
SIJS Special Immigration Juvenile Status
SLC Salt Lake City Field Office
SIOP Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
SIT Secondary Inspections Tool
SIV Special Immigrant Visa
Skidmore v. Swift & Co., 323 U.S. 134, 140 (1944) Under this standard, the “weight of such a judgment in a particular case will depend upon the thoroughness evident in its consideration, the validity of its reasoning, its consistency with earlier and later pronouncements, and all those factors which give it power to persuade, if lacking power to control.”
SME Subject Matter Expert
SMOUT Social Media Operational Use Template
SnakeheadAn illegal smuggler of people, principally operating in the Fujian region of China, and using methods such as document forgery, exorbitant fees, and gang tactics.
SND San Diego Field Office
SNJ San Jose Field Office
SOC Security Operations Center
SOFStatement of Findings
SORN System of Records Notice
SOP Standard operating procedure
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA)
SPM St. Paul Field Office
SPO Spokane Field Office
SS Secret Service
SSI Sensitive Security Information
SSN Social Security Number
SSNAP Social Security Number Application Process
STA St. Albans Field Office
Statutory Interpretation
Stay of Deportation or Removal
Staying Process
STD Sexually Transmitted Disease
STEMScience, Technology, Engineering, and Math
STL St. Louis Field Office
Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime initiative
Sua Sponte
SUAS Small Unmanned Aircraft System
Successor in Interest
SWA State Workforce Agency
TA Trial Attorney
TAL Technology Alert List
TAM Tampa District Office
Technically Out of Control
Temporary Worker
Terminate
Termination
TGU Tegucigalpa, Honduras Field Office
TICC Trauma Informed Care Coordinator
Tier 1, 2 USCIS Customer Support Officers Tier level
TMAP Texas Medication Algorithm Project
TNC Tentative Nonconfirmations
TPS Temporary Protected Status
Transit
Travel Document
TRIGterrorism-related grounds of inadmissibility
TSA Transportation Security Administration
TSC Texas Service Center
TUC Tucson Field Office
TVPA Trafficking Victims Protection Act
TVPRA WilliamWilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008
TWIC Transportation Worker Identification Credential
U Visa Victims of Criminal Activity
U Unclassified
UAC Unaccompanied Alien Children
UAS Unmanned Aircraft System
UDC Unit Disciplinary Committee
UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
Unlawfully Present
UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
USAID United States Agency for International Development
US-VISIT United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology Program
USBP U.S Border Patrol
USC U.S. Citizen
USCG United States Coast Guard
USCIRF United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
USCIS U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
USCRI U.S. Committee for Refugee and Immigrants
USDMS
USSS U.S. Secret Service
US-VISIT United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology
VAWA Violence Against Women Act
VD Voluntary Departure
VIBE Validation Instrument for Business Enterprises
Visa Mantis Check Background check by the U. S. State Department to investigate whether a visa applicant intends to violate U.S. laws prohibiting export of sensitive goods, technology, or information
VNA Vienna Field Office
VRA Visa Reform Act
VSC Vermont Service Center
VSPVisa Security Program
VWP Visa Waiver Program
WAS Washington District Office
WB or WTClass of admission shown on Admission Stamp in unexpired foreign passport Visitor for business (WB) or pleasure (WT) under the Visa Waiver Program effective May 2010
WBP West Palm Beach Field Office
WHO World Health Organization
WIC Wichita Field Support Office
Widow with ICE
WRC Womens’s Refugee Commission
WSC Western Service Center
WSE Worksite Enforcement
XLA East Los Angeles Field Support Office
YAK Yakima Field Office
Yates MemoAbility to pay analyst
ZAR Arlington Asylum Office
ZCH Chicago Asylum Office
ZHN Houston Asylum Office
ZLA Los Angeles Asylum Office
ZMI Miami Asylum Office
ZNY New York Asylum Office
ZNK Newark Asylum Office
ZSF San Francisco Asylum Office
