USCIS Glossary
Plain-English definitions of terms you'll encounter in case processing, visa bulletins, and our charts. None of this is legal advice — consult an immigration attorney for decisions on your specific case.
- Adjustment of Status
The process of applying for a green card from inside the United States using Form I-485. It's an alternative to consular processing (applying at a US embassy abroad) and is available when an immigrant visa number is immediately available.
- Backlog
The pool of cases that USCIS has received but has not yet adjudicated. A growing backlog usually corresponds with longer processing times; shrinking backlog often signals the agency is completing cases faster than new ones arrive.
- Concurrent Filing
Filing an adjustment of status application (I-485) at the same time as the underlying petition (e.g., I-130 or I-140). Available only when a visa number is immediately available at the time of filing.
- Consular Processing
Applying for an immigrant visa at a US embassy or consulate abroad, rather than adjusting status in the US. Once approved, the applicant enters the US as a lawful permanent resident.
- Current (C)
A visa bulletin status meaning no wait: anyone with a priority date in that category/country can be processed without a cutoff restriction. Shown as C in the monthly bulletin.
- Dates for Filing
A visa bulletin chart that may allow applicants to submit the I-485 earlier than the Final Action Date permits. Each month USCIS announces whether adjustment filers can use this chart. The green card itself still isn't issued until the Final Action Date becomes current.
- EAD (Employment Authorization Document)
An interim work-permit card issued by USCIS. Pending adjustment-of-status applicants commonly receive an EAD while they wait for the green card to be approved.
- Field Office
A local USCIS office that handles interviews and certain case types (e.g., naturalization). Field offices differ from service centers, which handle paper-based adjudication in bulk.
- Final Action Date
The cutoff date on the monthly visa bulletin that determines when a case can be approved and a green card issued. If your priority date is earlier than the Final Action Date for your category and country, a visa number is available for final adjudication.
- NOID (Notice of Intent to Deny)
A letter stating USCIS plans to deny the case and giving the applicant one final chance to respond with new evidence or explanation within a set deadline. More serious than an RFE.
- NOIR (Notice of Intent to Revoke)
A letter USCIS sends when it proposes to revoke a previously approved petition. The petitioner (usually the employer or sponsor) has a limited window to respond with evidence.
- Percentiles (50th / 93rd)
USCIS reports processing times as two percentiles rather than an average. P50 (50th percentile) is the median: half of completed cases took less time and half took more. P93 (93rd percentile)means 93% of completed cases finished within that time — a stand-in for "near-worst-case but not outlier."
Percentiles are more honest than averages for skewed distributions like processing times, because a small number of very slow cases can distort the mean.
- Priority Date
Your place in line. For most family-sponsored categories it's the date the I-130 was filed; for employment-based categories it's typically the PERM labor certification filing date or the I-140 filing date (depending on category). Your priority date must be earlier than the Final Action Date in the visa bulletin before your case can be approved.
- Priority Date Portability
If a later-filed I-140 is approved for the same beneficiary in the same or a higher preference category, the earlier priority date can usually be retained and used with the newer petition. Particularly important for applicants whose earlier employers file new petitions.
- Processing Time
The elapsed time between USCIS receiving a case and issuing its decision. USCIS reports two percentiles per form (and per subtype or service center): a P50 "typical" wait and a P93 "slower but still common" wait.
- Receipt Date
The date printed on your Form I-797 receipt notice. USCIS uses this date as the official start of processing. Our ETA calculator starts from this date when estimating your prediction window.
- Receipt Number
A 13-character identifier on Form I-797 (e.g.,
MSC2190012345). The first three letters encode where the case was filed or is being processed. Newer electronic filings use theIOEprefix regardless of physical service center.Prefix Service Center / Source EAC Vermont Service Center (legacy) WAC California Service Center (legacy) LIN Nebraska Service Center (legacy) SRC Texas Service Center (legacy) MSC National Benefits Center (legacy) NBC National Benefits Center YSC Potomac Service Center IOE USCIS Electronic Immigration System (ELIS / online filings) - Retrogression
When a visa bulletin cutoff moves backward instead of forward. Happens mid-fiscal-year when demand outpaces supply and USCIS pulls the cutoff earlier to stay within the annual quota. Cutoffs typically advance again at the October fiscal-year reset.
- RFE (Request for Evidence)
A formal USCIS letter asking for additional documentation before it can decide a case. The applicant usually has 60-90 days to respond. An RFE pauses adjudication; response time is not counted against USCIS in processing time statistics.
- Service Center
A USCIS facility that processes paper-based petitions and applications in bulk (e.g., Nebraska, Texas, Vermont, California). USCIS may transfer cases between centers for workload balancing. USCIS also reports processing times at the national level across all centers.
- Visa Bulletin
A monthly publication from the US Department of State listing priority-date cutoffs for family-sponsored and employment-based categories. See our Visa Bulletin Tracker for an interactive view.