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West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Chapter 15

West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Page 4 Chapter 15 Noncitizens, Refugees, and Citizenship

IMMIGRATION STATUS VERIFIER (ISV) An USCIS employee who performs secondary verification duties at the local File Control Offices. INELIGIBLE NONCITIZEN See nonimmigrant. Exceptions are made for pregnant women and children 18 and under for Medicaid and the West Virginia Children’s Health Insurance Program (WVCHIP); see Section 15.7.5. LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENT ALIEN (LPRA) A noncitizen who has been lawfully afforded the privilege of residing permanently in the U.S. See the definitions for IMMIGRANT and PERMANENT RESIDENT NONCITIZEN, which are terms used interchangeably with this term. LAWFULLY PRESENT For Medicaid and WVCHIP, a noncitizen who has been legally permitted to enter the U.S. and meets the state residency requirements in Section 2.2. See Section 15.7.5 for an inclusive list of lawfully present individuals. NATIONAL OF THE U.S. A citizen of the U.S. or an individual who, though not a citizen of the U.S., owes permanent allegiance to the U.S. NATIONALITY The state or country to which a person has legal allegiance. Note that the country of birth does not necessarily correspond to the nationality. NATURALIZATION The legal act of becoming a citizen, other than birth. A resident noncitizen married to a U.S.- born citizen must hold permanent resident noncitizen status for three years before petitioning for naturalization. Also, others must hold permanent resident status for five years before petitioning for naturalization. NONCITIZEN Any person who is not a citizen or national of the U.S.; also referred to as an alien. NONIMMIGRANT A noncitizen who is permitted to enter the U.S. for a specific purpose and for a limited period of time. Examples include tourists, students, and business visitors.