Non-Resident Alien | Meaning and Definition

Non-Resident Alien meaning

A non-resident alien is an individual who is not a citizen of a country. Particularly used in the context of the United States of America, the immigration status of an employee is essential. A non-resident alien employee would require special visas to be eligible to work in the country where they seek employment. As such, determining the status of an individual becomes very important. Companies found in violation of the immigration laws of a country and illegally inviting employees under false visa status to work for the organization can be charged heavily.

Who is a Non-Resident Alien?

Non-resident aliens include students as well as employees. Those holding a J-1 or F-1 visa are commonly categorized as non-resident aliens. The distinction of immigration status is very important for the purposes of filing taxes in the country. Individuals with different visas are allowed different types of employee benefits in the country, which reflect in the tax forms. A form I-9 is required to be filled and submitted, which is essentially an Employment Eligibility Verification form. After completing this, only a non-resident alien can be considered eligible for working in the country.

Individuals with a non-resident alien visa are also eligible to get a social security number. A social security number is one of the key documents that all people in the United States need to have in order to be eligible to work. When students with J-1 or F-1 visas reach the country and start looking for employment, they are asked to produce this number. Social security may be useful for other processes as well, and as such, all non-resident aliens must get theirs once they have all the required documents to be eligible to receive a social security number.