Third Country National
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Third country national (TCN) is a term often used in the context of
migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
, referring to individuals who are in transit and/or applying for visas in countries that are not their country of origin (i.e. country of transit), in order to go to a destination country that is likewise not their country of origin. In the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
, the term is often used, together with "
foreign national A foreign national is any person (including an organization) who is not a national of a specific country. ("The term 'person' means an individual or an organization.") For example, in the United States and in its territories, a foreign national ...
" and "non-EU foreign national", to refer to individuals who are neither from the EU country in which they are currently living or staying, nor from other member states of the European Union. In terms of employment, the term is often used to designate "an employee working temporarily in an assignment country, who is neither a national of the assignment country nor of the country in which the corporate headquarters is located." In the US, it is often used to describe individuals of other nationalities hired by a government or government sanctioned contractor who represent neither the contracting government nor the host country or area of operations. This is most often those performing on government contracts in the role of a
private military contractor A private military company (PMC) or private military and security company (PMSC) is a private company providing armed combat or security services for financial gain. PMCs refer to their personnel as "security contractors" or "private military ...
. The term can also be used to describe
foreign worker Foreign workers or guest workers are people who work in a country other than one of which they are a citizen. Some foreign workers use a guest worker program in a country with more preferred job prospects than in their home country. Guest worke ...
s employed by private industry and citizens in a country such as
Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
in which it is common to outsource work to non-citizens.


Refugees

According to IRIN,
Unlike refugees who are protected by international conventions, third-country nationals (TCNs), who neither belong to the country of refuge or the one they fled, are not covered by any global rights conventions. It is often up to their governments to look after them and arrange for their repatriation.


Use of the term in the US

Generally speaking, the US government classifies contract personnel under one of three headings: *Expatriates - those personnel who are of the same nationality as the contracting government. (In Iraq, foreign nationals working as a member of a US contractor are regarded as expatriates) *TCN (third country national) – those personnel of a separate nationality to both the contracting government and the AO or "area of operations". *HCNs (host country nationals), LNs (local nationals), Indigs (indigenous personnel) – those personnel who are indigenous to the area of operations. Examples of this hierarchy are as follows: Contract personnel being used by the US government to fight the global war on terror in Iraq consist of Expatriates, namely those personnel of US citizenship that represent a private military contractor being contracted by the US Government, Indigenous Iraqi and Kurdish personnel and TCNs such as are currently being employed by many of the private military contracting firms currently under contract. TCNs such as have been employed by the United States military (through contractors) for operations in the Middle East for many years. The accommodations, security, and treatment of TCNs can vary greatly from the way that U.S. and multinational coalition personnel are treated. Their contracts often require them to work for four years continuously without a break to return to their home countries. Many TCN contractors have also been lured by preemployment deals that have guaranteed them the job as long as they give a percentage of their pay to an 'employment agent' or 'representative'. TCN housing compounds are generally in less secure areas outside of the main base. As a result, many TCNs in such high-risk areas have been injured or killed, however most military installations will provide life-saving medical care as required. Since April 2006, the Pentagon now demands that contractors fight labor trafficking and low quality working conditions in Iraq endured by tens of thousands of low-paid south Asians working under US-funded contracts in Iraq. In an April 19 memorandum to all Pentagon contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Joint Contracting Command demands that the widespread practice of taking away workers passports come to end. Contractors engaging in the practice, states the memo, must immediately "cease and desist." Despite the Pentagon crackdown, civilian contractors still report problems of poor working conditions.


Use of the term in Europe

In Europe, the word ''third country national'' is often used for any person who is not a
citizen of the European Union European Union citizenship is afforded to all citizens of member states of the European Union (EU). It was formally created with the adoption of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, at the same time as the creation of the EU. EU citizenship is additio ...
within the meaning of Art. 20(1) of
TFEU The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) is one of two treaties forming the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU), the other being the Treaty on European Union (TEU). It was previously known as the Treaty Establishi ...
and who is not a person enjoying the European Union right to free movement, as defined in Art. 2(5) of the Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (Schengen Borders Code). Some European regulations deal with ''third country national'', for instance: * Art. 3(1) of Directive 2008/115/EC (Return Directive) * Art. 2(6) of Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (Schengen Borders Code) Depending on the used definition, people from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein (
European Economic Area The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Ass ...
) and Switzerland might be considered as ''third country national'' or non ''third country national''. While EU nationals might have a right to cross internal borders, such right might be more limited for TCN. * See also
Visa policy of the Schengen Area The visa policy of the Schengen Area is an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice policy of the European Union. It applies to the Schengen Area and to other EU member states except Ireland. The visa policy allows nation ...


See also

*
Foreign national A foreign national is any person (including an organization) who is not a national of a specific country. ("The term 'person' means an individual or an organization.") For example, in the United States and in its territories, a foreign national ...
*
Foreign worker Foreign workers or guest workers are people who work in a country other than one of which they are a citizen. Some foreign workers use a guest worker program in a country with more preferred job prospects than in their home country. Guest worke ...


References


External links

{{commons, Foreign workers
Definition of "Third Country National"
on the
Eurofound The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) is an agency of the European Union which focuses on managing research, gathering information, and communicating its findings. It was set up in May 1975 by th ...
website.
Blood, Sweat & Tears: Asia’s Poor Build U.S. Bases in Iraq, by David Phinney, CorpWatch October 3rd, 2005

Pentagon Attacks Labor Trafficking by US Contractors, by David Phinney, CorpWatch, April 24th, 2006

US Fortress Rises in Baghdad, by David Phinney, CorpWatch, October 17th, 2006

Probe into Iraq Trafficking Claims, CNN.com, May 5, 2004

Indian Contract Workers in Iraq Complain of Exploitation, New York Times, May 7th, 2004

Underclass of Workers Created in Iraq, Washington Post, July 1, 2004
Private military contractors Human migration Immigration law * International factor movements