Vermont Injuries Dictionary

Legal and insurance terms explained plainly

Missing the difference between applying inside the United States and applying at a consulate abroad can lead to a denied case, loss of filing fees, unlawful presence problems,...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-25

asylum application

Can someone ask the U.S. for protection just by saying it is unsafe to go home? Not automatically. An asylum application is the formal request asking the U.S. government to let...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

bond hearing immigration

Not the same as a criminal bail hearing in state court, and not a meeting where someone asks for a visa or green card. A bond hearing in immigration matters is a proceeding...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

cancellation of removal

The worst mistake is thinking deportation is automatic and there is nothing left to do. That bad advice can cause someone to miss one of the few forms of relief that can stop...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-03

consular processing

Getting a visa or green card through a U.S. embassy or consulate outside the United States, instead of applying from inside the country, is called consular processing. A common...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

credible fear interview

What happens if someone tells the government they're afraid to go back home? Usually, they get a credible fear interview: a screening interview with a U.S. asylum officer to...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

Deferred Action (DACA)

A temporary federal policy that can delay deportation and allow certain undocumented people who came to the United States as children to work legally. "Temporary" matters...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

general causation

Defense lawyers use this term to say, "Even if you were hurt, this product is not known to cause that kind of injury at all." That is the first fight in many Vermont product...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-21

jackknife accident

A crash in which a truck's trailer swings out against the cab, folding the vehicle like a pocketknife. "Truck" usually means a tractor-trailer or other articulated commercial...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-22

naturalization process

Wondering how someone with a green card becomes a U.S. citizen? The naturalization process is the legal application and review system that lets an eligible non-citizen become a...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-29

notice to appear

You just got a letter that says the government is ordering you to come to immigration court. That document is called a notice to appear, often shortened to NTA. It is the paper...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

priority date

People often confuse a priority date with a filing date, and the mix-up matters. A filing date is simply the day an application or petition is received by the government. A...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-25

Release of Claims

Lately, insurers have been pushing faster digital paperwork - sometimes sending a settlement form by email or text within days of a crash, fall, or rental-property injury. The...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-21

removal proceedings

Are the government's deportation steps already underway against someone? That's what removal proceedings are: the formal court process the federal government uses to decide...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-26

sideswipe collision

Like scraping past a doorway with a shopping cart, a sideswipe collision happens when the sides of two vehicles make contact while moving in the same direction or opposite...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-22

T-bone collision

What trips people up most is the direction of impact: a T-bone collision is defined by one vehicle striking the side of another, not by whether either driver was turning,...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

Temporary Protected Status

You just got a letter that says your country has been designated for Temporary Protected Status, or that your current TPS is being extended, and now you need to know what that...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

unlawful presence bar

A federal penalty that can block someone from returning to the United States after leaving, if they spent too much time here without lawful status. "Unlawful presence" means...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-28

visa bulletin

Why does everyone keep checking the visa bulletin? Because it is the U.S. Department of State's monthly chart showing when people in certain family-based and employment-based...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-25

voluntary departure

Like being allowed to back a truck out of a muddy field before the tow bill, the ticket, and the bigger mess arrive, this is permission for a noncitizen to leave the United...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

waiver of inadmissibility

You just got a letter that says you are "inadmissible" and cannot get a visa, green card, or other immigration benefit unless a waiver is approved. That usually means the...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-26