Difference Between Alien and Immigrant

Alien vs Immigrant

Alien is a word that is used often in American newspapers as well as by the politicians of the country. This term has a meaning that is similar to the definition of an immigrant. In the US, these two words are quite misunderstood, and they are used interchangeably by people to refer to individuals who are not the natives. There are also many prefixes that are used before alien such as resident alien, illegal alien, enemy alien etc. that compound the misery of the people who do not understand the concept very well. Despite similarities, there are differences between alien and immigrant that will be talked about in this article.

Alien

In general, an alien is any creature who is at a wrong place or does not belong to the place where it is located presently. An individual living inside US without having the citizenship of the country is often referred to as an alien. Aliens who have sneaked into the country without having the legal documents such as visa etc. are known as illegal aliens. This category also consists of persons who stay beyond the duration of time that they are entitled to in their visas. There is another category of aliens called resident aliens. These are foreigners living inside the country who are living legally but have not obtained the citizenship of the country. Alien as a word is opposite of the word native. An alien who belongs to an enemy country is referred to as an enemy alien.

Immigrant

An immigrant is an individual who comes over to another country with the intention of shifting permanently to that country. Immigrant is a term that is used to refer all people of foreign origin who have relocated here to settle down. There are people around the world who dream of moving over to the US and living there permanently. This is possible through immigration, which is a process of applying for a permanent visa in a foreign country. Like other countries, US strives to keep down the number of immigrants to a reasonable level. USA faces a high stream of people who try to immigrate inside US illegally without getting the permission of the authorities. These are called illegal immigrants while those who migrate after going through the legitimate process are called legal immigrants.

Alien vs Immigrant

• An alien, as well as an immigrant, is an individual who is not a native of the country in which it is found located.

• Immigrants are people who decide to move over to a foreign country, to permanently settle there.

• There are both legal as well as illegal immigrants.

• Alien is an individual who is not in a foreign country for permanent settlement as he intends to return back to his own country.

• Anyone who is not a native of a country and is living inside the country without citizenship is referred to as an alien.