legal alien
Permitted noncitizen resident
A legal alien is a foreign national residing in a country with official authorization—through a visa, green card, or other immigration status.
The term is bureaucratic and appears primarily in government documents and legal contexts: Legal aliens may work but cannot vote.
The word alien, though technically neutral in immigration law, strikes many as cold or dehumanizing, so alternatives like "legal resident" or "documented immigrant" are increasingly preferred.
- immigrantOne who resettles abroad
- foreign nationalNon-native country member
- visaTravel authorization stamp
- work visaAuthorization for foreign employment
- green cardU.S. residency document
green card holder · resident · foreigner · immigration status · passport · port of entry · documentation · papers · entry stamp · border · citizenship · naturalization · work permit · status · deportation · asylum · refugee · expat
- immigrationimmigrant, immigrants, visa, refugee, citizenship
- residentsresident, residents, inhabitants, inhabitant, local
- foreignersforeigner, immigrant, immigrants, migrant, expats
- border controlvisa requirements, passport control, guard, border crossing, border security
- citizenshipcitizen, citizenship laws, citizenship law, citizenship test, citizenship ceremony
- residencyresidency, domicile, permanent residence, primary residence, proof of residence
legal alienillegal alien
Unauthorized foreign resident
undocumented immigrant · illegal immigrant · unauthorized immigrant · overstayer · undocumented worker
legal aliencitizen
Legal national member
naturalized citizen · national · full citizen · countryman · dual citizen
legal aliennative
Originating from a place
native-born · local · native son · native daughter · countryman
legal, alien, legally, legality, legalize, legalized, legalizing, legalization, illegal