A foreign national is any person who is not a U.S. citizen who has been lawfully admitted as a permanent resident to the United States, or is an individual who is protected under the Immigration and Naturalization Act (8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)).
Foreign nationals include:
- Permanent U.S. residents. These are foreign nationals who hold a "green card."
- Protected individuals. These are foreign nationals seeking political asylum in the U.S. as refugees.