Foreign national

A foreign national is any person or organization who is not a national of a specific country. This means they are not a citizen or national of that country. For example, in the United States and its territories, a foreign national is someone who is neither a citizen nor a national of the United States. The same idea applies in other countries, like Canada. Understanding who foreign nationals are helps us know about the many different people and groups that live, work, and visit different countries around the world.

Canada

In Canada, the law groups people into three main categories: citizens, permanent residents, and foreign nationals. According to the Immigration and Refugee Protection of Canada, a foreign national is anyone who is not a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident. This also includes people who do not have citizenship from any country.

United States

Further information: Alien (law) § United States

In the United States, the term "foreign national" is not used in the main immigration law, called the Immigration and Nationality Act. Instead, this law uses the word alien to talk about people who are not considered United States nationals or Americans.

The term "foreign national" is used in laws about elections. It describes someone who cannot give money to help elect leaders at the federal level. For these rules, a "foreign national" means any individual who is not a United States citizen or national and who has not been allowed to live in the United States forever, known as being lawfully admitted for permanent residence.