Immigrant and Refugee Research and Resources Guide
Notice:
The goal of this guide is to provide resources and information for TCC students, staff, and faculty. This guide is informational and does not reflect or provide legal guidance or advice. If you are seeking immigration guidance and/or legal assistance, please explore the resources on the tabs above and reach out to those agencies and organizations directly.
As of January 20, 2025 there are sweeping changes to immigration, migration and deportation policies, and to the practices of Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, U.S. Armed Forces, and local law enforcement within the scope of their duties. At the most current update of this guide, February 12, 2025, there are many questions that remain unanswered about the scope of and the legality of proposed changes. Most links to resources in this guide will lead to updated information, but you should always check when any resource has been last updated before accepting the information that you find there.
Government Resources & Definitions
Online Resources
- Naturalization/Citizenship resourcesCity of Seattle
- NaturalizationWashington State Department of Social and Health Services
- U.S. citizenshipU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS)
Current Definitions from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and Homeland Security
Citizenship
- Citizenship: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the State wherein they reside. (14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution)
- An individual born in the United States.
- An individual whose parent is a U.S. citizen.*
- A former alien who has been naturalized as a U.S. citizen
- An individual born in Puerto Rico.
- An individual born in Guam.
- An individual born in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Naturalization
- Naturalization: the process through which a lawful permanent resident applies for U.S. citizenship.
Alien
- Alien: An individual who is not a U.S. citizen or U.S. national.
Immigrant
- Immigrant: an alien who has been granted the right by the USCIS to reside permanently in the United States and to work without restrictions in the United States. Also known as a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR). All immigrants are eventually issued a "green card" (USCIS Form I-551), which is the evidence of the alien’s LPR status.
Nonimmigrant
- Nonimmigrant: an alien who has been granted the right by the USCIS to reside temporarily in the United States. Each nonimmigrant is admitted into the United States in the nonimmigrant status, which corresponds to the class of visa with which, or purpose for which, he entered the United States (e.g., a foreign student may enter the United States on an F-1 visa, which corresponds to the F-1 student status in which he was admitted to the United States).
- Immigration Terms and Definitions Involving AliensOfficial IRS definitions of U.S. immigration terminology
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