Alien

Alien is an individual from a foreign country who is living or travelling within another country. Aliens must have proper registration and documentation while in the host country. Laws for travel, education, residence and travel apply to the alien.

In the United States there are permanent and temporary aliens, and they may be granted non-immigrant or immigrant visas. Aliens are not United States citizens, and they may not have the right to work in their host country. As a noncitizen the alien also will not have the right to vote. The term alien is sometimes used interchangeably with the term immigrant, but an immigrant is someone who has moved to another country and may or may not be an alien. If an immigrant applies and gets citizenship from their host country they are no longer considered an alien, although they are always an immigrant because they are from a different country of origin.

Federal immigration law outlines the laws related to aliens and their duties, rights and obligations. There are specific procedures for becoming a legally, naturalized citizen and for gaining residence within the United States.