Foreign national
A person who holds citizenship in any country other than the U.S.

Non-Immigrant
A foreign national who enters the U.S. for a specific purpose, such as study or research, and who intends to return to his/her home country or last country of residence when the purpose is completed.

CIS
Citizenship and Immigration Services

IRS
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (annual federal income tax assessment and collection)

FORM I-9
The employment eligibility verification document an employer requires within 3 days of beginning work. This procedure verifies your identity and authorization to be employed on that specific job. Note: The I-94 does not record employment authorization.

EAD (Form I-766)
"Employment Authorization Document" - a small plastic card issued by the INS when it approves an application for employment such as: F-1 Practical Training, F-1 "economic hardship," and J-2 employment provision.

EVP (J-1 visa status)
Exchange Visitor Program, authorized through the United States Department of State and administered at WSU by the Program Responsible Officer, Steve Lyons. Allows for temporary visits for research, teaching, consultation, observation, lecturing and conference participation as well as sponsored studies; J-1 visa supports this program.

Exchange Visitor
A participant in the Exchange Visitor Program, holder of J visa.

"Green Card"
The INS document issued to permanent residents and immigrants which grants unconditional work authorization and the right to reside in the U.S. for an indefininte length of time; normally it is necessary to have a qualifying family member or employer as a sponsor.
 

Travel Documents
Your passport, entry visa stamp in the passport, Certificate of Eligibility (I-20, DS-2019), and I-94. These are important documents. Please do not lose them. Bring them to the UCIE office when you have questions or concerns. You also must carry them with you when you travel out of the United States.
 

I-20 / Certificate of Eligibility for F-1 status
The travel document issued by the UCIE office for your F-1 visa application and entry/reentry into the U.S. for fulltime study in a recognized degree program (or for your F-2 visa application as a dependent of a student). The I-20 expires 60 days after you conclude all requirements for your degree program or on the date indicated in item 5 of the I-20, whichever comes first.
 

DS-2019 / Certificate of Eligibility for J-1 status
The travel document issued by the UCIE office or other sponsoring agency for your J-1 visa application and entry/reentry into the U.S. for research, teaching, or fulltime study (or for your J-2 visa application as a dependent of an Exchange Visitor). The DS-2019 expires 30 days after you conclude your program or on the date indicated in item 3 of the The DS-2019, whichever comes first.
 

Visa (Entry Visa)
A stamp issued at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate and placed in your passport. It specifies a non-immigrant classification (F, J, etc.), the number of allowed entries into the U.S. (1, 2, multiple) and the dates of visa validity. The visa allows you to request entry into the U.S. for a specific purpose. It needs to be valid until the day you intend to enter the U.S. and may expire while you are here. If you plan to reenter the U.S. at a later date, you need to apply for a new visa when abroad. An exception is travel to Canada, Mexico and contiguous islands for less than 30 days as a tourist.
 

I-94 / Arrival and Departure Record
A small card stamped by the Immigration officer at your U.S. port-of-entry and normally stapled inside your passport. It specifies your authorized length of stay in the U.S. F-1 students and F-2 dependents receive "D/S", meaning that their stay is authorized for the Duration of their Status in one academic program as noted in item 5 of the I-20 document. J-1 Exchange Visitors and J-2 dependents receive "D/S" also, meaning the stay is valid for the period of time shown in item 3 of the IAP-66. At the conclusion of the program of study, teaching, or research, a grace period of 60 days (F-1/F-2) or of 30 days (J-1/J-2) is allowed for the purpose of tourism and finalizing arrangements for the return home.

Social Security Number
The "taxpayer I.D. number" issued by the U.S. Social Security Administration. This number does not authorize employment. However, the number is used to record payments from an employer to an employee for income tax purposes. The number is also frequently used simply as an identification number, for example on an Ohio driver's license and as the University student I.D. number.

Visa Waiver Program
The Visa Waiver Program is available to citizens of some countries. It permits entry into the U.S. with no visa stamp in the passport. There are limitations on stay in the U.S. of 90 days for tourism (WT) or business (WB) only. No extension or change to a different immigration classification is permitted.