Glossary

Visa & immigration glossary

The confusing terms that show up on application forms and in interviews, defined in plain English.

28 terms
Growing weekly

Affidavit of Support (Form I-864)A legally binding contract a US sponsor signs promising to financially support a family-based immigrant so they don't become a public charge. Required for most family-sponsored and some employment-based green card applicants, the sponsor must generally show household income at or above 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for their household size (100% if the sponsor is active-duty military sponsoring a spouse or child) — for 2026, that's roughly $27,050 for a household of two and $34,150 for a household of three in the contiguous US, rising with each extra person. If the sponsor's income falls short, they can add assets, a household member's income via Form I-864A, or bring in a joint sponsor who separately meets the threshold. The obligation lasts until the immigrant becomes a US citizen, is credited with 40 quarters of work, leaves the US permanently, or dies.
Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) / eVisaThe UK's old physical ID card proving immigration status. The Home Office stopped issuing new BRPs as it moved to digital-only eVisas, and by 25 February 2026 most successful applicants across all visa categories — including visitors — receive an online status record instead of a card. An expired BRP can still be used for limited purposes (setting up a UKVI account, extending or updating status) until 24 months after its printed expiry date or 31 December 2026, whichever comes first — but not for right-to-work, right-to-rent, or EU Settlement Scheme checks. Status is now proven through the free UKVI 'View and Prove' service, which generates a 16-character share code valid for 90 days.
BiometricsYour fingerprints and a photograph, collected at a visa application centre as part of many applications. Once given, biometrics are often reusable for a set number of years.
Blocked AccountA special bank account, common for German student visas, holding roughly one year of living costs that you can only draw down in monthly amounts after arrival.
CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies)A unique reference number issued by a licensed UK education sponsor confirming your place on a course. It is required to apply for a UK Student visa.
Certificate of Eligibility (COE, Japan)A pre-approval document (在留資格認定証明書) issued by Japan's Immigration Services Agency confirming that a foreign national meets the conditions for a specific mid- to long-term status of residence, such as Student, Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services or Specified Skilled Worker. It is normally applied for inside Japan by the sponsor (your school or employer) at a Regional Immigration Services Bureau, not by you. Once issued, you take it to a Japanese embassy or consulate to apply for the visa itself, and present it again on arrival. A COE is generally valid for three months from issue, and you must enter Japan within that window. Since March 2023 it can be issued electronically by email instead of as a paper certificate, so you may receive it as a forwarded email rather than an original document.
Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)A digital record generated by a licensed UK employer in the Home Office's Sponsor Management System, confirming a specific job, salary, and worker for the Skilled Worker (or other Worker route) visa. It is not a physical certificate — it's a reference number the worker enters into their visa application, and no Skilled Worker application can be submitted without one. A CoS must generally be used within 3 months of being assigned and is tied to that one role at that one employer; it isn't transferable if the worker changes jobs.
Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)The Comprehensive Ranking System is the points formula IRCC uses to rank every candidate in the Express Entry pool (Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, and Canadian Experience Class candidates, plus provincially nominated candidates). It does not decide whether you're eligible for Express Entry — it only ranks candidates who already qualify for one of those programs — and every few weeks IRCC invites the highest-ranked candidates in the pool to apply for permanent residence. The score is built from four sections: (A) core/human capital factors, (B) spouse or common-law partner factors (only if your partner is immigrating with you), (C) skill transferability factors, and (D) additional points. Core/human capital factors cap at 570 points for a single applicant or 530 with an accompanying spouse (the gap goes to section B instead), covering age (up to 110/100, peaking at age 20–29 and hitting zero at 45+), education (up to 150/140, peaking at a PhD), and official-language ability scored in Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) levels from IELTS, CELPIP, TEF, or TCF (up to 136/128 for your first official language, up to 24 for a second). The fourth core factor changed on November 3, 2026: IRCC replaced the old Canadian-work-experience-only factor with a new Labour Market Integration factor worth up to 150 points without a spouse or 140 with one. It scores whichever of two paths is higher: Canadian work experience (up to 80 points for length alone, plus up to 70 more if that work is in a government-designated high-wage occupation, for a combined 150), or a qualifying high-wage job offer scored on its own tier instead (no Canadian work experience required, and no LMIA required for the job offer to count). You get credit for one path or the other, not both. This replaced the March 2025 change that had removed job-offer points entirely, so the mechanics are new enough that older guides (including ones written earlier in 2026) may still describe the pre-reform rules. Skill transferability factors (capped at 100 total, 50 per sub-category) reward combinations rather than single traits — strong language ability paired with education, with foreign work experience, or with a trade certificate. Additional points (up to 600) are dominated by a provincial nomination, worth a flat 600 points and effectively guaranteeing an invitation in the next round; the rest comes from strong French-language ability (25 or 50 points), a Canadian post-secondary credential (15 or 30 points), and having a sibling who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada (15 points). Worked example: a single 29-year-old with a 3-year Canadian bachelor's degree, CLB 9 in all four English abilities, and 2 years of Canadian work experience in an occupation that is not on the high-wage list scores 110 (age) + 120 (education) + 124 (first language) + 53 (Labour Market Integration factor: work-length only, no high-wage bonus) = 407 core points. Add a modest 50 skill-transferability points (education-plus-language and work-experience-plus-language combinations, within the 50-per-category/100-total cap) and 45 additional points (30 for the Canadian credential, 15 for a sibling in Canada), and the total is 502. If that same two-year job had instead been in a government-designated high-wage occupation, the Labour Market Integration factor could climb from 53 up to 123 (the full 70-point high-wage bonus added on top of the work-length points), pushing the total up to 572 — before even considering a provincial nomination, which would add 600 more. That swing is the clearest illustration of the November 2026 reform: two candidates with identical age, education, and language scores can now land up to 70 CRS points apart purely because of which occupation code their Canadian job carries. Actual invitation cutoffs move every round based on who else is in the pool that week, and they vary sharply by round type — category-based and CEC-specific rounds have historically invited candidates well below the cutoffs seen in general rounds. Treat any cutoff you read elsewhere as a snapshot, not a target, and check IRCC's live Express Entry rounds of invitations page and official CRS criteria/calculator before planning around a specific number.
Dual IntentA concept allowing certain visa holders to pursue permanent residency while holding a temporary visa. Some categories permit dual intent; most visitor and student visas do not.
Form I-20The Certificate of Eligibility issued by a US SEVP-approved school, certifying you are admitted and have shown the funds to study. It underpins the F-1 student visa application.
Genuine Student (GS) RequirementThe test Australian visa officers use to assess a Student visa (subclass 500) application, in force for applications lodged from 23 March 2024 onward. It replaced the old Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement, which centred on proving you intended to leave Australia after your studies. GS instead asks targeted questions — capped at 150 words each — about your current circumstances, why you chose your course and Australia, and how the course fits your study and career plans, and it explicitly acknowledges that using legitimate post-study or migration pathways afterward does not count against you. Weak or generic answers to the GS questions, not just weak financial or ties evidence, are now a leading cause of student visa refusals.
GIC (Guaranteed Investment Certificate)A Canadian bank investment product many study permit applicants use to prove they can support themselves. You deposit the required cost-of-living amount (CAD 23,448 for a single applicant applying on or after September 1, 2026, outside Quebec) with a participating Canadian bank before applying; the bank releases a first instalment before travel and pays the rest in monthly amounts after arrival. IRCC accepts a GIC alongside other proof of funds such as bank statements, a loan, or a sponsor's affidavit — it is not the only route, but it is the one visa officers recognise fastest because the funds are locked and verifiable.
GTE / Genuine Student (GS) RequirementThe test Australia's Department of Home Affairs uses to decide whether a Subclass 500 student visa applicant intends to study genuinely, rather than use the visa mainly as a path to stay or work in Australia. Until 23 March 2024 this was called the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement and asked applicants to show they intended to return home after their course. It was replaced by the Genuine Student (GS) requirement, a related but more pragmatic test: it still weighs an applicant's personal circumstances (ties to their home country, family, employment, financial situation), their reasons for choosing the course and Australia, and their understanding of what studying there involves, but it explicitly accepts that a genuine student may later become eligible for a skilled migration pathway rather than requiring proof they will leave. In practice it is answered as a set of short, individually written responses (roughly 150 words each) inside the online application form, not a separate statement — generic or templated answers are the most common reason applicants get requests for more information or refusals. Home Affairs also assigns each source country an Evidence Level (1 to 3) based on refusal, fraud and overstay history; a higher Evidence Level means the same GS answers face tougher scrutiny and more supporting documentation is expected.
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)Indefinite Leave to Remain, also called "settlement," is the UK immigration status that removes all time limits and work/study restrictions on staying in the country — effectively the UK's version of permanent residency, and usually the last step before applying for British citizenship. The qualifying period before someone can apply varies by route: typically 5 years of lawful residence on a Skilled Worker or family (spouse/partner) visa, as little as 2-3 years on some Tier 1, Innovator Founder or Global Talent routes, or 10 years under the long-residence route for people who have lived in the UK continuously regardless of visa category. Applicants generally must show continuous residence — under current Home Office rules, no more than 180 days absent from the UK in any rolling 12-month period — and must usually pass the Life in the UK test and meet an English language requirement (typically at least level B1), unless a prior visa grant or an exemption already covers it. Qualifying periods, absence limits and language thresholds change periodically, so always confirm the current requirements for your specific route on gov.uk before applying.
Job CheckThe employer-side approval step in New Zealand's Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) process, sitting between employer accreditation and the migrant's own visa application. An accredited employer submits a job description, the signed employment agreement, and — where a labour market test applies — evidence of genuine recruitment efforts, so Immigration New Zealand can confirm the role is genuine, pays at least market rate, and offers suitable terms. A redesigned job check form introduced in September 2025 also requires employers to explain upfront why the role needs an overseas hire and how many New Zealanders they currently employ. Once approved, a job check is valid for six months or until the employer's accreditation expires, whichever comes first — the migrant's AEWV application must be lodged within that window. Roles on the Green List or at exempt National Occupation List skill levels can sometimes skip this step entirely.
LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment)A document a Canadian employer must generally obtain from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) before hiring a foreign worker under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, confirming that filling the role with a foreign national will not negatively affect the Canadian labour market. To get a positive LMIA, an employer typically has to advertise the position first (recruitment rules are stricter for lower-wage roles, including an 8-week minimum advertising window and a requirement to target Canadian youth aged 15-30), keep a log of Canadian and permanent-resident applicants and why each was not hired, and show the wage offered matches what Canadians doing the same job are paid. ESDC classifies the role as high-wage or low-wage against the provincial or territorial median wage, which changes which rules apply — low-wage roles face extra caps (generally no more than 10% of a worksite's staff, 15% temporarily in some rural areas) and, since September 2024, are not processed at all in metro areas with 6%+ unemployment except for exempted sectors like agriculture, health care and construction. A positive LMIA lets the worker apply for a work permit tied to that employer and role; it is also the basis for most Express Entry candidates' arranged-employment points and is a prerequisite many Provincial Nominee Program employer-driven streams rely on. Not every foreign worker needs one — some categories (intra-company transfers, CUSMA/USMCA professionals, some Post-Graduation Work Permit holders) are LMIA-exempt.
NOC (National Occupational Classification)Canada's standard system for classifying every job in the economy, maintained by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Statistics Canada. Since the 2021 structural update, each occupation sits in a TEER category (Training, Education, Experience, Responsibilities) numbered 0 through 5, from management and professional roles (TEER 0-1) down through intermediate, apprenticeship, and entry-level work (TEER 2-5) — this replaced the older "Skill Type/Skill Level" system. The NOC/TEER code assigned to a job matters directly for immigration eligibility: Express Entry only counts foreign and Canadian skilled-work-experience points for TEER 0-3 occupations, several Express Entry category-based draws (such as healthcare or STEM occupations) are defined by lists of specific NOC codes within a TEER range, a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) job offer must be matched to the correct NOC code to set the right prevailing wage, and most Provincial Nominee Program streams list eligible occupations by NOC/TEER as well. Applicants find their code by matching their actual duties — not their job title — to the official NOC description, since a mismatch can affect both eligibility and CRS scoring.
OPT (Optional Practical Training)Optional Practical Training is temporary work authorization for F-1 students, letting them work in a job directly related to their major. Most students use post-completion OPT: up to 12 months of work authorization after finishing a degree, applied for with Form I-765 and only valid once USCIS approves it and issues an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Graduates with a degree on the STEM Designated Degree Program List, working for an E-Verify employer, can apply for a STEM OPT extension adding 24 more months, for up to 36 months total. OPT carries a cumulative unemployment limit — 90 days during the initial 12-month period, rising to 150 days total once the STEM extension is added — and exceeding it can terminate status. OPT differs from CPT (Curricular Practical Training), which is used during studies rather than after. Unemployment limits and related F-1 rules have been the subject of proposed changes; confirm the current figures with USCIS or your school's international student office before relying on them.
OverstayRemaining in a country beyond the date your visa or entry stamp permits. Even short overstays can trigger bans and make future applications far harder.
PNP (Provincial Nominee Program)A Canadian immigration pathway in which individual provinces and territories (every one except Quebec and Nunavut, which run their own separate systems) nominate candidates for permanent residence who match their specific labour-market or economic needs. Each province runs its own streams — skilled worker, international graduate, entrepreneur, or employer-driven job-offer streams are common — with its own eligibility rules, occupation lists and intake process; there are over 80 distinct streams nationally. Most provinces run two kinds of stream: an 'enhanced' stream aligned with federal Express Entry, where a provincial nomination adds 600 points to a candidate's Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score — enough to make an invitation to apply for permanent residence close to guaranteed at the next draw — and a 'base' (paper-based) stream that operates entirely outside Express Entry with its own, often slower, application process. A nomination is not permanent residence itself; nominees still need to apply to IRCC (through Express Entry or directly, depending on the stream) and pass the standard admissibility, medical and security checks. Canada's 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets a PNP admissions target of 91,500 for 2026, a large increase over prior plans, making it one of the fastest-growing routes to Canadian PR.
Port of EntryThe airport, land border or seaport where a border officer decides whether to admit you. A visa lets you travel to the port of entry; the officer there grants the actual admission.
Priority DateA priority date is the timestamp that fixes an applicant's place in the queue for a U.S. family- or employment-based green card, under the per-country numerical limits Congress sets each year. How it's established depends on the petition category. For employment-based cases that require PERM labor certification (most EB-2 and EB-3 cases), the priority date is the day the Department of Labor accepts the labor certification application for processing — not the later date the employer files Form I-140. For employment categories that skip labor certification (EB-1, and EB-2 National Interest Waiver cases), the priority date is simply the day USCIS accepts the Form I-140 petition. Family-based petitions use the day Form I-130 (or Form I-360 in certain cases) is properly filed. The date appears on the USCIS Form I-797 Notice of Action receipt. Every month, the State Department's Visa Bulletin publishes cut-off dates by category and country of chargeability. A visa is available once the applicant's priority date is earlier than that cut-off — a category marked "C" (current) has no cut-off at all, while a date later than the cut-off means the applicant must keep waiting, a backlog commonly called retrogression when a cut-off moves backward due to high demand. Example: an EB-3 applicant born in India whose employer's PERM application was accepted by DOL in March 2022 has a priority date of March 2022, even if the I-140 wasn't filed until a year later. Because EB-3 India demand far exceeds the per-country limit, that applicant may wait years after filing before the Visa Bulletin's India EB-3 cut-off date passes March 2022 and a visa number becomes available.
Proof of FundsDocumentary evidence that you can pay for your trip or studies and your living costs, usually shown through bank statements, sponsorship letters or instruments like a GIC. The amount and the holding period are often specified by the visa.
Section 214(b)The provision of US law under which every nonimmigrant visa applicant is presumed to intend to immigrate until they prove otherwise. Overcoming 214(b) means demonstrating strong ties to your home country.
SEVISThe Student and Exchange Visitor Information System that tracks F, M and J visa holders in the US. Applicants pay a SEVIS fee before their visa interview.
SponsorA person or organisation that takes financial or legal responsibility for an applicant — a relative funding a trip, an employer offering a job, or an institution issuing study documents.
Ties to Home CountryThe personal, economic and social connections — a job, property, dependents, a business — that give an officer confidence you will return home after a temporary visa. Weak ties are the most common reason short-stay visas are refused.
VLS-TS (Visa de Long Séjour valant Titre de Séjour)A French long-stay visa (3-12 months) that doubles as your residence permit for the first year — you don't need a separate titre de séjour application right after arriving. To activate that residence-permit function, you must validate the VLS-TS online through the ANEF portal (administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr) within 3 months of entering France, paying a validation fee (recent sources put the student rate at around €150, combining an OFII tax and a stamp duty, following a May 2026 increase — confirm the exact current figure on ANEF or France-Visas before paying, since fee tables have changed more than once). Miss the 3-month window and the visa is invalidated, so most students validate within their first week. If you plan to stay in France beyond the visa's validity, you'll generally need to convert to a renewable titre de séjour through your local prefecture before it expires.

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