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Immigration & Visas vocabulary · Residence & Legal Status

Immigration status

Meaning in immigration & visas, with examples

nounCore term

In immigration & visas, immigration status means: Your legal position in a country as a non-citizen, which decides how long you can stay and whether you can work, study or use public services.

In Turkish: göçmenlik statüsü, yasal statü, ikamet durumu

How it is used

Employers, landlords, banks and hospitals may ask you to prove your immigration status. Some countries now show it online with a share code instead of a card. Status may be lawful, temporary or permanent, and a person can also have no status at all.

Example sentences

  1. The landlord asked me to prove my immigration status before signing the lease.

  2. Changing jobs could affect your immigration status, so speak to HR first.

Common collocations

  • prove your immigration status
  • lawful status
  • change of status
  • right to work
  • status check
  • residence permitAn official document that allows a foreign citizen to live in a country for a set period, usually longer than a tourist visit.
  • permanent residenceThe right to live in a country without a time limit, usually also with the right to work, even though you are not a citizen.
  • undocumentedDescribing a person who lives in a country without valid legal permission to be there, for example after a visa has expired.
  • overstayTo stay in a country longer than your visa or permission allows.
  • immigrationThe act of coming to live in a foreign country, and also the system of laws, offices and checks that controls who may enter and stay.

More terms: Residence & Legal Status

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.