BCIS Definitions

1

• BCIS Definitions

U.S.A.
U.S. Citizen
Non-Citizen
Non-Immigrant
Immigrant
authorized employment
LPR
LTR
student
undocumented individual
visitor on business
tourist
Persons fleeing from persecution
asylee
parolee
refugee
8/03
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What does it mean to be a refugee?

• Foreign-born resident who
• is not a United States citizen
• cannot return to his or her country of origin
  because of a well-founded fear of persecution due
  to race, religion, nationality, political
  opinion, or membership in a particular social
  group
• Refugee status is generally given
• prior to entering the United States
• by the State Department or Immigration and
  Naturalization Services (INS)

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3
What does it mean to be an immigrant?

• Foreign-born resident who
• is not a United States citizen
• is defined by U.S. immigration law as a person
  lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the
  United States
• either arrives in the U.S. with an immigrant visa
  issued abroad, or adjusts their status in the
  U.S. from temporary to permanent resident
• may be subjected to a numerical cap

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What does it mean to be an asylee?

• Foreign-born resident who
• is not a United States citizen
• cannot return to his or her country of origin
  because of a well-founded fear of persecution due
  to race, religion, nationality, political
  opinion, or membership in a particular social
  group
• Asylee status is generally given
• after entering the United States
• by the State Department or Immigration and
  Naturalization Services (INS)

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What does it mean to be a parolee?

• Foreign-born resident who
• is not a United States citizen
• has been given special permission to enter the
  United States
• - under emergency conditions or
• - when that person's entry into the U.S. is
  considered to be in the public's interest

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• Primary Migrants to Minnesota
• Foreign-born persons whose primary state of
  resettlement in the U.S. was Minnesota
• Arrival notification from CDC
• Secondary Migrants to Minnesota
• Significant movement of refugees/ immigrants from
  state of primary arrival
• Health information requested from primary arrival
  state
• If no information is available, baseline health
  assessment should be done

8/03
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MDH Definition of Primary Refugee Arrivals
Includes

• Primary refugees
• Asylees
• Parolees
• Amerasians
• Victims of Trafficking

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