resident alien
(US, legal) A person born outside the United States who has legally established temporary or permanent residence in the United States, but has not become a United States citizen.
Definitions
(US, legal) A person born outside the United States who has legally established temporary or permanent residence in the United States, but has not become a United States citizen.
“Best line so far on "Resident Alien": I have to grow my mustache as a disguise but then I'll have to find a job as a firefighter or a pedophile. I'm liking this dark humour. It's great.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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Related terms
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Semantically related
- landed immigrant65%
(Canada, dated) A person who is not a citizen of Canada but who has been legally admitted to Canada as a permanent resident.
- residency64%
The condition of being a resident of a particular place.
- residency59%
The home or residence of a person, especially in the colonies.
- denizen58%
(British, historical) A person with rights between those of naturalized citizen and resident alien (roughly permanent resident), obtained through letters patent.
- anchor baby58%
(US, often, derogatory) A child born to a non-citizen mother in the United States or another country that grants birthright citizenship (cf. jus soli), and who, as a citizen, can help their parents and other family members gain citizenship or permanent residency.