USCIS terms, decoded: from A-number to visa bulletin
8 min readLegal Prep
Immigration paperwork runs on abbreviations. Here are the ones that turn up most often on notices and in conversations about a case, with what each actually refers to.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| A-number | Your Alien Registration Number, a unique identifier assigned to you. It stays with you across cases. |
| Receipt number | The 13-character code identifying one specific filing. Starts with three letters for the processing office. |
| I-797 | The notice USCIS sends about an action on your case: receipt, approval, transfer or appointment. |
| Priority date | The date your petition was filed. In capped categories it determines your place in line. |
| Visa bulletin | The monthly State Department publication showing which priority dates are currently being processed. |
| RFE | Request for Evidence: the officer needs more proof of a specific element before deciding. |
| NOID | Notice of Intent to Deny: more serious than an RFE. The officer plans to deny unless you rebut. |
| Biometrics | The appointment where fingerprints and a photograph are taken for background checks. |
| Adjustment of status | Applying for permanent residence from inside the US, rather than at a consulate abroad. |
| Consular processing | The alternative route: completing the immigrant visa process at a US consulate in another country. |
If a term on your notice is not here, it is worth asking about rather than guessing. Immigration vocabulary is unforgiving: adjustment and adjustment of status mean different things in different sentences, and a misread notice can cost a deadline.
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