I've had this idea a long time ago but I started thinking all about it last night. You know how in sci-fi media it's a trope for alien citizens to be kinda humanoid, with some of them just looking like humans? I'm thinking about a universe where that's not the default case. Aliens can really be anything, but in order to move to earth and engage in that society, they have to mutate their bodies into something more humanoid.

That's only if they're lucky though. If they can't afford such a procedure then they have to make their body some kind of laboroid instead. Laboroids are body types made for crappy degrading jobs, like factory work or mining. Aliens are willing to put up with these changes under the promise that they can earn enough to become humanoid and live in the cities.

Additionally there are optional modifications popular among aliens AND humans. This can be aesthetic modifications to give yourself more pizazz, or modifications that make your job easier.

I added that last one because I really want it to be a double-edged sword. People's lives benefit from transhumanism, but it has also been exploited against the lives of aliens to maintain a sense of human supremacy. It's really interesting to think about