Glossary

Visa & immigration glossary

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

24 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.
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.
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.
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.

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