A resident alien is a foreigner who legally lives in a country long-term but is not a citizen. They have the right to work and pay taxes, but may not have the same rights as citizens, such as voting. Resident aliens may have student or work visas and can have their status revoked if convicted of a serious crime.
A resident alien is an alien who lives in a country long-term but has not been accepted as a citizen of that country. The foreigner is a bona fide resident alien, as he is in the country by legal means and usually has the right to work. If the alien was not legally in the country, the term applied would most likely be illegal alien or undocumented alien. Resident alien is a more permanent status with more privileges than a non-resident alien, who is just visiting. However, such a person often does not have the same rights as citizens, especially when it comes to voting in a democracy.
In most cases, with the exception of voting and any military service requirements, the resident alien functions much like any other citizen of the country. If the individual earns income while in the country, he or she must pay taxes, if the country has an income tax. In some countries, resident aliens may not be able to own real estate, but if they do, they will also have to meet any tax obligations.
A resident alien differs from a non-resident alien in that the individual is likely to stay in the country for a longer period of time. Rather than entering a country on a tourist visa, the individual probably has some other type of visa. The most common visas for resident aliens are student visas and work visas. In most cases, those in the country on a student visa will likely not be allowed to hold a job unless they apply for a change of status.
Many may choose to remain a resident alien instead of becoming a citizen for a variety of different reasons. For example, those who don’t intend to stay in the country for the rest of their lives may decide they don’t want to apply for citizenship. In some cases, countries may not allow dual citizenship, and becoming a citizen of one country could mean giving up your citizenship rights in another country.
Once a person has been granted resident alien status, they are expected to obey all laws. If a person is convicted of a serious crime, he could have his resident status revoked and be deported. Had the person been jailed for the crime, the deportation would likely have occurred after the sentence had been served. Deportees can never again obtain the status of legal residents of a country or can never be allowed to visit the country on any visa.
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