National in Scope

• National in scope is one of the requirements of Eb-2 employment-based immigration for National Interest Waiver (NIW) petition.In order to be eligible for an NIW petition, the alien must be able to demonstrate that, among other things, the benefit from his/her proposed activity will be national in scope. For details of NIW petitions, please click http://www.hooyou.com/niw/.

National Interest Adversely Affected

• This is an essential requirement of Eb-2 employment-based immigration for National Interest Waiver (NIW) petition. Since the requirement of a job offer is waived, an individual, even if he/she has no employer, may file an NIW petition on behalf of himself/herself, while a U.S. employer may file an NIW on behalf of the alien as well. In either situation, a labor certification is not required. Accordingly, in order to be eligible for an NIW petition, the alien must be able to demonstrate that, among other things, the national interest would be adversely affected if a Labor Certification were required for the alien applicant. For details of NIW petitions, please click http://www.hooyou.com/niw/.

Naturalization

• Naturalization is the process where an alien becomes a US citizen. In order for an alien to go through the naturalization process, the alien has to meet certain requirements. In general, an alien must be admitted to a permanent resident status to be eligible to become a naturalized citizen of the U.S. The alien, if filing alone, must also be 18 years old or older at the time of filing for naturalization. Certain exceptions apply allowing a minor alien to be naturalization prior to the minor alien's 18th birthday. For details of naturalization, please click http://www.hooyou.com/naturalization/index.html.

NCOS

• NCOS stands for No Change of Status, sometimes written on an alien’s I-94 card by an immigration officer at a port of entry.

NEOS

• NEOS stands for No Extension of Status, sometimes written on an alien’s I-94 card by an immigration officer at a port of entry.

NIW

• A National Interest Waiver (NIW) petition falls into the employment-based immigration second preference category. Normally, to file an employment-based second preference petition, a job offer and approved labor certification is a pre-requisite. However, a National Interest Waiver (NIW) petition requests that the otherwise required U.S. job offer requirement, and thus the labor certification requirement, be waived for the sake of the "national interest." For details of NIW petition, please click http://www.hooyou.com/niw/index.html.

No Objection Letter

• Certain classes of J-1 "Exchange Visitor" require that the alien return to his/her home country or country of last permanent residency for a period of two (2) years after completion of the J-1 status. The foreign residency requirement may be waived provided your home country's government issues a "no objection" letter to the U.S. State Department indicating that it does not object to the waiver grant. For more information about how to obtain a "No Objection" Letter, please click http://www.hooyou.com/j-1/j1_noobjection.html.

Non-immigrant status

• If the immigration officer at a U.S. port of entry allows the alien to be admitted into the U.S., the officer will issue an I-94 card and the alien obtains a non-immigrant legal status to remain in the United States for the specific purpose or purposes designated by the visa for a limited time. Non-immigrant status only remains valid if the alien remains in the US for the duration of the authorized stay as evidenced by the I-94. For more information about non-immigrant status, please click http://www.hooyou.com/nonimmigration/difference.html.

Non-immigrant visa

• A non-immigrant visa to the U.S. is a document that gives a non-U.S. citizen or non-permanent resident an opportunity to apply for admission into the United States at a U.S. port of entry for a designated purpose with a limited time. Generally, to obtain a non-immigrant visa, an alien must apply for a visa at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy abroad. The U.S. Consular Officers will review an alien's visa application and decide whether to issue a visa to the alien. The U.S. Consular Officers have a wide range of discretion to deny a visa application, for any reason or no reason at all. For more information of non-immigrant visa, please click http://www.hooyou.com/nonimmigration/index.html.

Non-Viable Marriage

• While in the process of I-485 Adjustment of Status after the immigration petition was approved, if the marriage becomes nonviable, that is, the couple separates, or no longer shares a household, the petition of adjustment of status could not be denied provided that the marriage was entered into in good faith. However, if the marriage is legally terminated, the alien's petition could be denied. For more information about marriage and immigration, please click http://www.hooyou.com/marriage/index.html.

North American Free-Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

• Public Law 103-182 (Act of 12/8/93), superseded the United States-Canada Free-Trade Agreement as of 1/1/94. It continues the special, reciprocal trading relationship between the United States and Canada (see United States-Canada Free-Trade Agreement), and establishes a similar relationship with Mexico.

Notice of Finding

• In process of Labor Certification, if the Department of Labor is not satisfied with the application, the application is denied and a notice of finding is issued. If the labor certification is denied, the employer may either submit an appeal to the Administrative Appeal Board of the Department of Labor or re-file the labor certification after six months. For more information about Notice of Finding, please click http://www.hooyou.com/lc/lc_eligibility.html.

Notice to Appear (NTA)

• Notice to Appear is a document that places a person in removal proceedings. Once the USCIS files a Notice to Appear with the Immigration Court, an alien is officially in removal proceedings. For more information about removal proceedings and its relief, please click http://www.hooyou.com/asylum/index.html.

NSC

• NSC stands for NebraskaServiceCenter. The USCIS Service Centers were established to handle the mail, file, data entry, and adjudication of most applications for immigration services and benefits. The NSC has jurisdiction over applications and petitions from people residing in the following states: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.For information about NSC please click http://uscis.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/nebraska/aboutus.htm.

Numerical Limit, Exempt from

• Those aliens accorded lawful permanent residence are exempt from the provisions of the flexible numerical limit of 675,000 set by the Immigration Act of 1990. Exempt categories include immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, refugees, asylees (limited to 10,000 per year by section 209(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act), Amerasians, aliens adjusted under the legalization provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and certain parolees from the former Soviet Union and Indochina.

Nursing Relief Act of 1989

• Public Law 101-238 (Act of 12/18/89), provides for the adjustment to permanent resident status of certain nonimmigrants who as of September 1, 1989, had H-1 nonimmigrant status as registered nurses; who had been employed in that capacity for at least 3 years; and whose continued nursing employment meets certain labor certification requirements.

NVC

• NVC stands for NationalVisaCenter. In April of 1994 the Department of State opened a permanent Immigrant Visa processing facility at the NationalVisaCenter in Portsmouth, NH. NVC processes all approved immigrant visa petitions after they are received from USCIS and retains them until the cases are ready for adjudication by a consular officer abroad. Petitions may remain at NVC for several months or for many years depending on the visa category and country of birth of the visa applicant. When an applicant's case is about to become current (a visa number is likely to be available within the year), the petition is forwarded to the appropriate U.S. embassy or consulate overseas. If an applicant is adjusting status in the U.S., the case will be forwarded to the appropriate CIS office upon request by that office. For more information about NVC, please click http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants_types_family4.html.

O-1

• O-1 Status is a nonimmigrant status category for aliens of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts (including the television and motion picture industry), education, business, or athletics. This is an employment related status that allows qualified aliens to live and work in the United States. O-1 Status is distinguished from other employment related statuses in that it applies to more types of work than other areas. For instance H-1B status is limited to professionals and cannot apply to athletes or entertainers as can O-1 status. Also, O-1 status could be obtained by those in H-1B status who have exhausted the full authorized stay. For details of O-1 visa and status, please click http://www.hooyou.com/o-1/index.html.

Occupation

• For an alien entering the United States or adjusting without a labor certification, occupation refers to the employment held in the country of last legal residence or in the United States. For an alien with a labor certification, occupation is the employment for which certification has been issued.

OPT

• OPT stands for Optional Practical Training.OPT work authorization is designed to provide opportunities for employment to international students with F-1 status who wish to work in their field of study. During the period of OPT, a student will maintain F-1 visa status since it is considered to be part of the program of study. An F-1 student may not begin optional practical training until the date indicated on his or her
  employment authorization document, Form I-766. For more information about OPT, please click http://www.hooyou.com/f-1/opt.htm.

Orphan

• Under U.S. immigration law, a foreign-born child is an orphan if he does not have any parents because of the death or disappearance of, abandonment or desertion by, or separation or loss from, both parents. A foreign-born child is also an orphan if his or her sole or surviving parent is not able to take proper care of the child and has, in writing, irrevocably released the child for emigration and adoption. For such a child to gain immigration benefits, an orphan petition must be filed before his or her 16th birthday.An orphan petition may be filed before the child's 18th birthday, for a child who is a natural sibling of an orphan or adopted child as provided above, and is adopted with or after that child, by the same adoptive parents. For more information about adoption and immigration, please click http://www.hooyou.com/adoption/index.html.

Orphan Adoption

• A married U.S. citizen and his spouse (no special age required) may file a petition for adoption of an orphan. The spouse does not need to be a U.S. citizen; however, the spouse must legally live in the United States. Also, an unmarried U.S. citizen at the age of at least 25 may file an orphan petition. For details of orphan adoption and immigration, please click http://www.hooyou.com/adoption/fbo.html.

Out of Status

• An alien’s non-immigrant status in the U.S. remains valid only for the designated purposes and the duration of the authorized stay as evidenced by the I-94. Therefore, if the designated conditions are violated or an alien's non-immigrant status expired, the alien will be out of status in the United States. To avoid being out of status, an alien must comply with the designated conditions, or apply for an extension or change of his/her current status, or alternatively apply for adjustment of status, if applicable. For more information about out of status, please click http://www.hooyou.com/nonimmigration/difference.html.

Out of Wedlock

• A child born of parents was not legally married to each other at that time.
  Note: Adoptive and prospective adoptive parents of a child who was born out of wedlock in any country should find out whether or not the child has been legitimated.

Outstanding Researcher / Professor

• Also known as Eb-1B, is a category of first preference immigrant petition for aliens who are internationally recognized as outstanding in a particular scientific or scholarly field. For details of outstanding researcher/professor petition, please click http://www.hooyou.com/eb-1/requirementor.html.

Overstay

• Generally, overstay occurs if an alien remains in the U.S. past the expiration date on his/her I-94 card. For an F or J visa holder with duration of status, overstay occurs at the expiration of that the F or J status. For more information about F status, please click http://www.hooyou.com/f-1/index.html. For more information about J status, please click http://www.hooyou.com/j-1/index.html.

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