Who are considered aliens?
An alien is any person who is not a citizen of the United States. Some types of aliens that are referenced in the Immigration and Nationality Act include immigrant, refugee, asylee or parolee, and are defined in general terms below: An immigrant is a person from another country who is admitted to the United States as a lawful permanent resident. This includes a person in the United States who adjusts visa status to be a lawful permanent resident. A refugee is any person who is outside his or her country of nationality who is unable or unwilling to return to that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, particular social group, or political opinion. An asylee is considered the same as a refugee, except that an asylee applies for asylum status either upon arrival at a U.S. port of entry or after entry into the United States. A parolee is a person from another country who appears to the inspecting officer to be inadmissible