Immigration Terminology

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U.S. Citizen – A U.S. Citizen is someone who was either born or naturalized – a U.S. Citizen has all the constitutional and state rights of any other American and cannot be stripped of citizenship except in extreme circumstances.

Permanent Resident – A permanent resident is someone who lives in the United States under a green card. Permanent residents enjoy many of the rights of other Americans, except notably, the inability to vote. Permanent residents can bring immediate family members into the country.

Nonimmigrants – Nonimmigrants are people who come into the United States temporarily, such as vacation visits or to work on a specific project.

Undocumented Immigrants – Undocumented immigrants are foreigners, or aliens, who live in the United States illegally, whether they came in illegally or overstayed a Visa.

Asylee – An Asylee is someone who comes into the United States and applies for asylum to avoid potential persecution in their home country.

Refugee – An refugee is someone who comes into the United States but cannot return home for fear of persecution.



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