A resident alien is a foreign-born United States resident who is not a U.S. citizen. A resident alien is also known as a permanent resident or a lawful permanent resident, which means they are considered an immigrant who has been legally and lawfully recorded as a resident of the country. A resident alien must have a green card or pass a substantial presence test.

Kagan, J. (2020, March 9). Resident Alien. Retrieved April 30, 2020, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/residentalien.asp