Words and abbreviations explained

The refugee code USCIS prints on an Employment Authorization Document. You may also see it written A3 or A03. SSA accepts an EAD in this category as evidence of status. [source, source, source]

The Administration for Children and Families, the part of the Department of Health and Human Services that includes the Office of Refugee Resettlement. [source]

A different USCIS travel document from the refugee travel document. The Form I-131 instructions say a refugee who is not yet a permanent resident must have a refugee travel document to re-enter unless they have an Advance Parole Document. [source]

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For pet dogs it adds rules when a country is affected by foot-and-mouth disease or screwworm. CDC sets the rabies rules. [source]

An Application Support Center. USCIS schedules biometrics, such as fingerprints and a photograph, at an ASC after you file for a refugee travel document. [source, source]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection. ORR says CBP admits refugees at the port of entry. A DHS officer at the port decides whether a person with a refugee travel document may come back in. [source, source]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It sets the U.S. rules for bringing dogs and cats into the country, including rabies rules for dogs. [source, source]

The free online form CDC requires for each dog entering the United States. You show the receipt to the airline and to Customs and Border Protection. [source, source]

The Code of Federal Regulations, where federal rules are published. The Social Security rule cited on this site is 20 CFR 422.103. [source]

The organisation that operates RSC Africa. The Embassy names Church World Service as one of the two USRAP referral partners in South Africa. [source]

Older South African pages say DALRRD or DAFF. Export certification of animals is now on the Department of Agriculture website. A state veterinarian, not a private vet, signs the official export certificate. [source, source]

The U.S. Department of Justice. USCIS says immigration legal help should come from an attorney or from an accredited representative of a DOJ-recognised organisation. [source]

The South African Department of Home Affairs. Its website is the official place for civic services such as passports and identity documents. [source]

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security. USCIS and CBP are part of it. When a Social Security number is requested in the immigration process, DHS sends the data to SSA. [source, source]

An Employment Authorization Document, the card that shows you may work. USCIS produces one for principal refugees and family who arrive with them. [source]

An order signed by the President. The refugee admission determinations on this site refer to Executive Order 14204. [source]

The official daily journal of the U.S. government. A citation such as 91 FR 31645 means volume 91, page 31645. [source]

For these refugee ceilings, the federal fiscal year runs from 1 October to 30 September. FY2026 is 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. [source]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. USDA tells people importing a pet cat to check CDC, this service, and the state they are going to. [source]

A livestock disease. APHIS has extra dog-import rules if the country of origin is affected. The disease-status page checked on 24 October 2026 does not name South Africa. [source, source]

Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes. For some permanent residents it can keep continuous residence for naturalisation during qualifying work abroad. It is a different form from the refugee travel document. [source]

A green card is proof of lawful permanent resident status. Refugees must apply on Form I-485 after one year of physical presence. [source]

USCIS Form I-131, the application for a refugee travel document and for some other travel documents. [source]

USCIS Form I-485, the application refugees use to become permanent residents. [source]

The document number of the refugee travel document itself. USCIS says it can be used in place of a passport and is valid for 1 year, or until refugee or asylee status expires, whichever comes first. [source]

Form I-9, the form an employer uses to check identity and permission to work. A refugee I-94 is acceptable for 90 days after arrival. [source]

The arrival and departure record. For a refugee it shows admission under section 207 and is evidence of status and of permission to work. [source, source]

The International Air Transport Association. Airlines use its Container Requirement 1 to judge the size of a dog or cat crate. [source]

The Immigration and Nationality Act. Section 207 is the section on refugee admissions. [source]

The International Organization for Migration. The State Department manual uses this name. The October 2026 Embassy page for this programme does not name IOM as the office that books refugee travel. It names RSC Africa, operated by Church World Service. [source, source]

An ORR alternative to TANF or Refugee Cash Assistance. Places are limited and the service period is 240 days. [source]

A joint federal and state health programme. ORR says refugees may be eligible. Refugee Medical Assistance is for people who are not eligible for Medicaid. [source]

For a dog that has been in a high-risk rabies country, CDC requires a chip a universal scanner can read, implanted before the rabies vaccine. The number must appear on the forms. [source]

An official certificate of veterinary inspection. Florida uses this name for an animal health certificate. The state page gives a 30-day window, with exceptions that include a privately owned pet travelling with its owner. [source]

The Office of Refugee Resettlement, inside ACF. It runs initial resettlement and refugee cash and medical assistance. [source]

The Program of Initial Resettlement. ORR's name for support in the first period after arrival, up to 90 days, which it took over on 1 January 2026. [source]

SSA's Program Operations Manual System, the staff instructions that say which documents a refugee can use for a Social Security card. [source]

A Presidential Determination sets the refugee admissions ceiling for a fiscal year. PD 2026-14 and PD 2026-24 are the ones cited on this site. [source, source]

The Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at the Department of State. The Embassy FAQ uses this name. The February 2025 Embassy notice used the mailbox PretoriaPRMInfo@state.gov. [source, source, source]

A blood test that shows whether a dog responded to the rabies vaccine. For a foreign-vaccinated dog from a high-risk country, a valid result from a CDC-approved laboratory is what lets the dog avoid a 28-day quarantine. [source, source]

Refugee Cash Assistance. Cash help from ORR if you are not eligible for TANF or SSI. For an eligibility date on or after 1 January 2026, ORR's current letter says up to 12 months. [source, source]

A travel document for lawful permanent residents, requested on Form I-131. The instructions say lengthy or frequent absences without one can support a finding that permanent residence was abandoned. [source]

The older name for the initial support that ORR now calls the Program of Initial Resettlement. [source]

Also called Form I-571. The document USCIS issues so a refugee can travel abroad and ask to return to the United States. You apply on Form I-131. [source, source]

The local organisation assigned to meet you and help with the first weeks after arrival. ORR also calls this a local resettlement provider. [source]

Refugee Medical Assistance. Health cover from ORR for people who are not eligible for Medicaid. From 1 October 2026 it can last up to 12 months for an eligibility date on or after 1 January 2026. [source, source]

Resettlement Support Center Africa, operated by Church World Service. The Embassy names it as a USRAP partner for case processing and for booking refugee travel to the United States. [source, source]

A parasite of warm-blooded animals. If APHIS lists the country as affected, a dog needs a government vet certificate of inspection within 5 days before shipment. The disease-status page checked on 24 October 2026 does not name South Africa. [source, source]

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the federal food assistance programme. ORR says refugees may be eligible. [source, source]

The Social Security Administration, the agency that issues Social Security numbers and cards. [source]

Supplemental Security Income, a federal cash benefit for some older or disabled people. ORR lists it among benefits refugees may qualify for. [source]

A Social Security number. Refugees can be assigned one from the immigration record, or they can apply at an SSA office. [source, source]

In South Africa, the official government veterinarian who can endorse an export health certificate. A private vet can prepare the animal but cannot give the official certificate. [source, source, source]

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the state cash programme for some families with children. ORR says refugees may be eligible. [source]

The USRAP Intake Questionnaire. The online form the U.S. Embassy in South Africa tells people to complete if they want to be considered for a referral. [source]

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the DHS agency that interviews refugee applicants and decides applications such as Form I-131 and Form I-485. [source, source]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture. APHIS is the part of USDA that sets some pet-import rules. [source]

The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, the programme through which refugees are referred, interviewed and resettled. [source]

A code that can appear on an I-94 for a refugee who followed to join family. ORR lists it as one way to prove refugee status for benefits. [source]