Misrepresentation renders a person inadmissible to Canada for a period of five years.

Multiple-entry visa
A visa that allows someone to leave and re-enter Canada more than once during a defined period of time.See Temporary Resident Visa.
National Occupational Classification (NOC)
The National Occupation Classification (NOC) is a list of all the occupations in the Canadian labor market. It describes each job according to skill type and skill level. The NOC is used to collect and organize job statistics and to provide labour market information. It is also used as a basis for certain immigration requirements.
Native language
Your native language is the original language that was taught to you as a child and spoken in your household while growing up. It is also known as your mother tongue or first language.
Naturalization
The formal process by which a person who is not a Canadian citizen can become a Canadian citizen. The person must usually become a permanent resident first.
Non-accompanying family members
Family members who are dependent on the principal applicant but who are not immigrating to Canada. They include a spouse or common-law partner, dependent children, and the children of a dependent child.These people must be listed on the principal applicant’s application for permanent residence. They should have a medical exam so they can remain eligible for sponsorship at a later date.
Non-regulated occupation
A profession or a trade you can work in without needing a licence, certificate or registration. 80% of jobs in Canada are non-regulated.
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
An agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico. Under it, citizens of each country can enter the other more easily for business.NAFTA applies to four types of business people:
  • business visitors,
  • professionals,
  • people transferred within a company to work in Canada, and
  • traders and investors.
Oath of citizenship
A declaration that a person will:
  • be loyal to the Queen,
  • obey Canada’s laws and customs, and
  • fulfill the duties of a Canadian citizen.

In order to become citizens, people aged 14 or over must take the oath. Reciting the oath is the final requirement for Canadian citizenship.

See Citizenship ceremony, Citizenship judge.

Offence
An offence is any violation of a Canadian law or act, whether or not it occurs in Canada. It can include anything from trespassing or damaging property to immigration fraud or violent crime. There are two main types:
  • Summary offences — These are less serious. The maximum penalty for a summary offence is usually a $5,000 fine and/or six months in jail.
  • Indictable offences — These are more serious and include theft over $5,000, break and enter, aggravated sexual assault and murder. Maximum penalties vary and include life in prison. Some have minimum penalties.
One-year window provision
This allows resettled refugees in Canada to be reunited with immediate family members that are still overseas. Immediate family members are spouses, common-law partners and dependent children. To be eligible for this provision, an application must be made within one year of the resettled refugee arriving in Canada.
Original
The actual paper version of a document, not a photocopy or an electronic copy.
Panel physician
A medical doctor appointed by CIC to perform immigration medical examinations.
Pass mark (skilled worker)
The minimum number of points an applicant must get in order to qualify for selection for programs with a points grid. The pass mark is different depending on the program. See Points
Passport
An official travel document that identifies the person who holds it and shows their citizenship. A passport gives the holder the right to leave and return to the country that issued it. A passport is the only reliable travel document that all countries accept.See Travel document.
Permanent resident
A person who has legally immigrated to Canada but is not yet a Canadian citizen.For a more detailed definition, see the legal definition of permanent resident.
Permanent resident card
A wallet-sized plastic document issued to all new permanent residents (and to existing permanent residents, when requested) to confirm their status in Canada. The card includes identifying details and the signature of the person it was issued to.
Permanent resident status
The position of a person who has legally immigrated to Canada but is not yet a Canadian citizen.
Permanent resident visa
A document issued by a CIC visa office overseas to a foreign national. It allows that person to travel to Canada to become a permanent resident.
Personal net worth
The fair market value of all assets of an applicant and their spouse or common-law partner, minus the fair market value of all their liabilities. Generally, this figure does not include personal assets, such as jewellery and automobiles.
Physical presence in Canada
Physical presence in Canada is the amount of time you have lived in Canada within the relevant four-year period, minus time spent serving a sentence, and minus the days you have been physically absent from Canada. If you have fewer than three years (1,095 days) of physical presence but at least three years of basic residence less time served, the citizenship judge will evaluate the nature of your residence in Canada. However, your application will take longer to process and may be refused.
Points
The scoring system used to assess federal skilled workers and Business Class immigrants. Points are assigned for six different factors: education, proficiency in English and/or French, work experience, age, arranged employment in Canada, and adaptability. A person must have a minimum number of points to qualify in each category. See Pass mark
Police certificate
An official copy of a person’s criminal record, or a declaration that they do not have a criminal record. Police authorities or government departments issue such certificates. Authorities use them to confirm whether visa applicants are criminally inadmissible. See Background check, Medical examination.
Port of entry
A place where a person may seek entry into Canada, such as at an airport, land or marine border crossing.
Post-graduation work permit
A document issued by CIC to eligible foreign students who have:
  • graduated from an approved program of study at an eligible post-secondary institution in Canada that is participating in the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program
  • applied to CIC within 90 days of completing all degree or program requirements.

It allows the bearer to work legally in Canada after completing studies.

Post-secondary institution
A stage of higher education that comes after high school. Refers to a college, university or technical school offering programs of study. See University, College.
Pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA)
A thorough process that evaluates whether a person would face persecution, torture, risk to life or risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment, if returned to his or her country of origin.
Principal applicant
When a family applies together, one member must be the main or “principal” applicant. For example, a mother applying for permanent residence with her three children would be the principal applicant. When parents are included in an application, dependent children cannot be principal applicants.
Prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR)
This is a process that is used across Canada by schools, colleges, universities, employers and governments to formally recognize a person’s skills that they have acquired outside of formal education settings. This process allows people to have these skills assessed and possibly recognized in the form of academic credits. For more information on prior learning assessment and recognition, see the Canadian Association of Prior Learning Assessment (Pan-Canadian)
Privately sponsored refugee
A person outside Canada who has been determined to be a Convention refugee or member of the Country of Asylum class and who receives financial and other support from a private sponsor for one year after their arrival in Canada. Private sponsors are Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs), Groups of Five or Community Sponsors.
Probation
If you are on probation, you have been convicted of a crime or offence and have been released without having to go to a penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison. Typically a person on probation must live under certain conditions set by the court, for example, a curfew or not allowed to take alcohol.
Professional training
A type of training usually offered to a person who is already a professional in a given field. This type of training is usually recognized as meeting an official standard of an industry, association, or profession.
Prohibition
Permanent residents who have committed crimes in Canada may not be eligible to become Canadian citizens for a period of time. People may be considered under a prohibition and cannot get citizenship if they:
  • are currently serving a sentence,
  • have been convicted of a serious crime in the last three years,
  • are currently charged with a serious crime,
  • are under a removal order (been asked by Canadian officials to leave Canada),
  • are under investigation for, are charged with, or have been convicted of a war crime or a crime against humanity, or
  • had Canadian citizenship taken away in the last five years.
Proof of citizenship
A document issued by the Government of Canada that confirms a person’s status as a Canadian citizen.See certificate of Canadian citizenship.
Protected person
A person who has been determined to be a Convention refugee or person in similar circumstances by a Canadian visa officer outside Canada, a person whom the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada has determined to be a Convention refugee or in need of protection in Canada, or a person who has had a positive pre-removal risk assessment (in most cases).See Refugee claimant.
Protected person status document
An official document issued by CIC that confirms a person’s status in Canada as a protected person.
Protected temporary resident
A person admitted to Canada on a temporary resident permit because a Canadian visa officer abroad has determined that they face an immediate threat to their life, liberty or physical safety.
Provincial Nominee Program
A program that allows provinces and territories to nominate candidates for immigration to Canada.
Provincial or territorial nominee
Someone who is nominated for immigration to Canada by a provincial or territorial government that has a Provincial Nominee Program. Nominees have the skills, education and work experience needed to make an immediate economic contribution to the province or territory that nominates them.
Qualification recognition
A process that involves the assessment of credentials, competencies, and work experience in order to assist employers, educational institutions and professional regulatory bodies in making informed decisions.
Qualifications
The combination of credentials, knowledge, skills and work experience.
Qualifying Canadian business
For the purposes of determining whether an entrepreneur has managed and controlled a qualifying Canadian business, a qualifying Canadian business is one in which the percentage of the business controlled by the entrepreneur meets at least 2 of the following thresholds in one year:
  • full-time job equivalents are equal to or greater than two,
  • total annual sales are equal to or greater than $250,000,
  • net income in the year is equal to or greater than $25,000, and
  • net assets at the end of the year is equal to or greater than $125,000.
Qualifying business
For the purposes of meeting business experience requirements as an entrepreneur or investor applicant, a qualifying business is one in which the percentage of the business controlled by the applicant meets at least 2 of the following thresholds in one year:
  • full time job equivalents are equal to or greater than two,
  • total annual sales are equal to or greater than $500,000,
  • net income in the year is equal to or greater than $50,000, and
  • net assets at the end of the year is equal to or greater than $125,000.
Reaffirmation ceremony
A formal event where Canadian citizens express their commitment to Canada by repeating the oath of citizenship.
Recall of citizenship certificate
The process by which a person may be required to surrender their certificate if there is reason to believe that the person may not be entitled to the certificate or has violated any of the provision of the Act.
Record of landing (IMM 1000)
An official document once issued to a person when they arrived in Canada as a permanent resident. Canada stopped issuing records of landing on June 28, 2002.See Confirmation of permanent residence, Permanent resident card
Record suspension
A record suspension (formerly a pardon) allows people who were convicted of a criminal offence, but have completed their sentence and demonstrated they are law-abiding citizens for a prescribed number of years, to have their criminal record kept separate and apart from other criminal records.See Criminal inadmissibility, Criminal rehabilitation, Deemed rehabilitation.
Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program
The Government of Canada’s program under which refugees from abroad, who meet Canada’s refugee resettlement criteria, are selected and admitted to Canada.
Refugee claimant
A person who has applied for refugee protection status while in Canada and is waiting for a decision on his/her claim from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.See Protected person.
Refugee dependant
A family member of a refugee in Canada, whose application for permanent residence is processed at the same time as the principal applicant’s.
Refugee landed in Canada
A permanent resident who applied for and received permanent resident status in Canada after their refugee claim was accepted.
Refugee protection status
When a person, inland or overseas is determined to be a Convention refugee or protected person, they are said to have refugee protection status in Canada. Refugee protection is given to a person in accordance with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Refugee travel document
A document for people in Canada with protected-person status to use for travel outside Canada. This includes refugees and people who have received a positive Pre-Removal Risk Assessment.It can be used to travel anywhere except the country the person is a citizen of or the country of claimed persecution.
Regulated Occupation
A profession that sets its own standards of practice. If you want to work in a regulated occupation and use a regulated title, you must have a licence or a certificate, or be registered with the regulatory body for your occupation. Sometimes an occupation is regulated in some provinces or territories but not in others. 20% of jobs in Canada are regulated.
Regulatory body
An organization that sets the standards and practices of a regulated occupation.Within each province and territory, a regulatory body exists for each regulated occupation.
Rehabilitation
A process by which a person can overcome criminal inadmissibility. See Deemed rehabilitation, Criminal rehabilitation.
Relationship of convenience
A marriage, common-law relationship, conjugal partnership or adoption that is not genuine, or was entered into for status or privilege in Canada. People in these relationships are not members of the family class.
Relative
A person who is related to another person by blood or adoption.
Relevant experience
When applying to immigrate as a  self-employed person, relevant experience means:
  • at least two one-year periods of experience in the period from five years before the application date to the day a decision is made on the application.

Experience must be in one of these areas:

  • self-employment in cultural activities or athletics,
  • participating in cultural activities or athletics at the world-class level or
  • farm management.
Removal order
When an immigration official orders a person to leave Canada. There are three types of removal orders (departure, exclusion and deportation) and each one has different consequences.
Renunciation of citizenship
The process by which a citizen willingly gives up officially his or her Canadian citizenship. Once a citizenship judge approves an application for renunciation, a renunciation certificate is issued.See Resumption of citizenship.
Representative
A person who has the permission of someone wanting to immigrate to Canada to conduct business with CIC on their behalf. The representative can be paid or unpaid. When someone appoints a representative, they may also authorize CIC to share information from their case file with this person. Canada’s immigration law covers representatives and defines the terms of their services.See Immigration consultant, Authorized representative.
Residence requirement (citizenship)
The amount of time a permanent resident must live in Canada to be eligible for a grant of Canadian citizenship.Adults must have lived in Canada for at least three years (1,095 days) in the past four years preceding immediately the date of application. It does not apply to children under 18 years old.
Residence requirement (permanent resident)
The amount of time a permanent resident must live in Canada to keep their status as a permanent resident.
In most circumstances, permanent residents must live in Canada for at least two years (730 days) out of five. There may be times when you can count time outside of Canada meeting this requirement.
Resumption of citizenship
The process by which a former citizen may resume his or her Canadian citizenship back after one year of residence in Canada as a permanent resident preceding immediately the date of application. They must become a permanent resident first.See Renunciation of citizenship.
Retired
Retired means you have willingly stopped working. This is usually because of age.
Revocation of citizenship
The process by which the Government of Canada may revoke a person’s Canadian citizenship. Reasons for revocation include :
  • false representation,
  • commits fraud, or
  • knowingly conceals any material circumstances
Right of permanent residence fee
A charge paid by a principal applicant (with some exceptions), and a spouse or common-law partner travelling with them, before the applicant can become a permanent resident of Canada.
Safe third country
A safe third country is a country, other than Canada and the country of alleged persecution, where an individual may make a claim for refugee protection. In Canada, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act outlines the criteria for designating a country as a safe third country.
Satisfactory academic standing
Satisfactory academic standing means getting a certain mark or grade point average in a program of study, or completing certain program requirements. Different programs of study will have different standards of what is considered “satisfactory”. Check with your educational institution.
Secondary school
An institution that provides an education to students who have completed elementary school. These schools usually include grades 9 through 12 (although, in some areas, they start with grade 7). In the province of Quebec, secondary grades are called grades 1 through 5.Applicants for primary and secondary schools do not need a designated learning institution (DLI) number on their application form.
Sector council
An organization that brings together representatives from business, labour, education, and professional groups within an industry or profession.
Self-employed person
An immigrant admitted to Canada because they have relevant experience in working for himself or herself. The person must intend and be able to become self-employed in Canada in the arts, athletics or farm management.
Self-supporting refugee
An applicant accepted as a Convention refugee abroad, or as a member of the Country of Asylum Class, who has sufficient financial resources to support themselves in Canada.
Separated
Separated means that two people are married but no longer living together, and they do not wish to live together again. They may be waiting for a divorce or have not yet decided to divorce.
Serious criminality
A category of criminal inadmissibility that applies to people who have committed or been convicted of an offence, inside or outside Canada, punishable by a sentence of at least 10 years in Canada, or convicted of an offence in Canada for which the person received a sentence of more than six months. Referred to in Canada as an indictable offence.
Service provider organization (SPO)
A service provider organization (SPO) is an agency that provides services for newcomers to Canada.Service provider organizations offer programs that can give newcomers resources and training to live and work in Canada. Their programs can help refugees who often have a difficult time with day-to-day tasks like finding an apartment, taking public transportation, or making a doctor’s appointment.These organizations can also help refugees complete forms, get permanent resident cards, health insurance, social insurance numbers, etc. They also offer interpretation and translation services to help with such special needs as giving medical backgrounds to doctors.Visit CIC’s website for more information on the many services provided by SPOs.
Settlement funds
This term can refer to one of two things.
  1. Sufficient and available funds that economic immigrants must prove they have to settle in Canada. The funds must be:
    • available,
    • transferable and
    • not committed to debts or other obligations.

    These funds will cover fees, relocation costs and costs to settle.

  2. Funds allocated by the Government of Canada to pay for measures to develop welcoming and inclusive communities, or to help newcomers settle into their new communities.
Single-entry visa
A visa that allows someone to enter Canada only once.See Temporary resident visa.
Skill level
To be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Class and Canadian Experience Class, foreign workers must have work experience at specified skill levels. Skill levels for occupations come from the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. They are classified by type of work and training required to be proficient.
Skilled worker
See Federal skilled worker.
A Canadian citizen or permanent resident who is 18 years of age or older, and who legally supports a member of the Family Class to become a permanent resident of Canada.
Sponsored person
A foreign national who has applied for permanent residence under the Family Class, has an approved Canadian sponsor and meets the requirements of the Family Class.
Sponsorship agreement
A signed contract between a sponsored immigrant and his or her sponsor, outlining the obligations and commitments of both parties. The agreement is required before the sponsored person can immigrate to Canada.
Sponsorship agreement-holder (SAH)
An incorporated organization that signs an agreement with CIC to sponsor refugees abroad. A SAH can authorize other groups in the community to sponsor refugees under its agreement. These groups are known as “constituent groups.”
Sponsorship requirements
Requirements a person must meet to sponsor a family member to come to Canada as a permanent resident.
Spouse
A legal marriage partner. This term includes both opposite- and same-sex relationships but does not include common-law partnerships.
Start-up visa
Permanent residence visa given to a person or group of persons who applied under the Start-up Business Class and received a commitment from a designated angel investor group or venture capital fund, and who intend to operate a new business in Canada.
Study permit
A document issued by CIC that authorizes a foreign national to study at an educational institution in Canada for the duration of the program of study. It sets out conditions for the student such as:
  • whether their travel within Canada is restricted and
  • when they have to leave.
Support services
Services that help newcomers to fully participate in CIC-funded settlement programs. Support services can include onsite child care, transportation support, translation and interpretation services, support for disabilities and short-term crisis counselling.
Surname
Your surname is your family name. When filling out applications, type your surname as it appears on your passport, travel or identity document or any letters you got from the visa office or case processing centre where you sent your application (even if the name is misspelled). Do not use initials.If you do not have a surname on your passport, travel or identity document, enter all your given name(s) in the surname field and leave the given name field blank.
Temporary Foreign Worker Program
This program allows employers to hire foreign workers to fill short-term labour and skill shortages when no Canadians are available to do the job. A Labour Market Impact Assessment is needed to hire through this program.Foreign workers hired as part of this program are referred to as temporary foreign workers. They may get a work permit only after a Labour Market Impact Assessment has concluded that no Canadians are available to do the job.See Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
Temporary resident
A foreign national who is in Canada legally for a short period. Temporary residents include students, foreign workers and visitors, such as tourists.See temporary resident visa.
Temporary resident documents
Documents issued to allow a person to visit, work in or study in Canada for a specific period. Temporary resident documents have an expiry date.Examples of temporary resident documents are study permits, work permits and visitor records.
Temporary resident permit
A permit that may be granted in exceptional circumstances to a person who does not meet the requirements of Canada’s immigration law to enter or remain temporarily in Canada.
Temporary resident visa
An official counterfoil document issued by a visa office abroad that is placed in a person’s passport to show that he or she has met the requirements for admission to Canada as a temporary resident (a visitor, student or worker). A counterfoil is a specially designed sticker on which missions abroad print visa information.Informally known as a visitor or tourist visa, the TRV may be issued for single or multiple entries to Canada.See Multiple-entry visa, Single-entry visa, Visitor visa.
Transit visa
A temporary resident visa issued to people travelling through Canada to another country. There is no fee if the traveller will be in Canada for less than 48 hours. To obtain this visa, travellers must provide proof of their travel plans from their transportation company or travel agent.
Travel document
An identity document issued by a government or an international organization (such as the United Nations). It contains a person’s photograph and personal information, and allows that person to travel between countries. See Passport.
Tuition
Tuition is the cost or fee for instruction at a private institution (school), university, or college.
U.S. passport card
A wallet-sized travel document that U.S. citizens can use to enter the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports of entry.
Unemployed
Unemployed means that you do not have a job at this time but that you are actively seeking one.
University
A stage of higher education that comes after high school. Universities issue three types of degrees: bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate. People must usually complete high school to qualify for university. In Canada, “college” does not refer to a university.In Quebec, students attend a CEGEP (college) between high school and university.
Urgent Protection Program (UPP)
The Urgent Protection Program (UPP) allows Canada to respond to urgent requests from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to resettle refugees who face immediate threats to their life, liberty or physical safety.
Valid
For a document—legal, not expired, and accepted by CIC.
Verification of Status Document
A document that includes a person’s immigration information such as the date and place that you where you came to Canada.It can be used to prove your immigration status. It cannot be used for travel and is not an identity document.
Visa
An official counterfoil document issued by a visa office abroad that is placed in a person’s passport to show that he or she has met the requirements for admission to Canada as a temporary resident (a visitor, student or worker). A counterfoil is a specially designed sticker on which missions abroad print visa information.Canadian visas include:
  • temporary resident visas (sometimes called visitor visas) and
  • permanent resident visas.

At missions abroad, controlled documents are comprised of counterfoils and seals, which are issued together as a visa. Counterfoils are the documents on which missions print visa information. Seals are documents that are affixed over counterfoils when they are placed in an applicant’s passport to prevent tampering.

Visa application centre
Visa application centres (VACs) provide administrative support services to applicants related to the submission of their application. The primary role of VACs is to receive visa applications, ensure they are complete, and to securely transmit these to the respective visa offices for processing.VACs are useful in countries or regions where there are few or no visa offices. They play no role in the decision-making process and are expressly forbidden to provide any visa-related advice to applicants. All decisions on applications are made by visa officers at the visa office. VACs also do not represent the Government of Canada.
Visa office
A Government of Canada office at a Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate outside Canada at which applications for visas and permits for foreign nationals are processed and visas are issued.See Embassy, High commission, Consulate.
Visa officer
A person designated by the Minister to assess and make decisions on temporary or permanent residence applications presented by foreign nationals.
Visitor visa
Informal term for a temporary resident visa.See Multiple-entry visa, Single-entry visa, Temporary resident visa.
Vocational training
A preparation for a specific occupation in industry, agriculture or trade. This training generally includes technical, organizational and basic skills training. It may be offered through on-the-job programs, by unions in conjunction with businesses, by community colleges or universities in conjunction with a specific industry, and by private career colleges.
Volunteer
A person who, of his or her own free will, contributes time, resources, energy and/or talent to an organization without being paid.
War crime
Examples of a war crime or a crime against humanity could include execution-type murders, destroying people’s property, forcing people out of their homes and/or country, genocide (the killing of a group of people based on their ethnicity, race, religion, cultural backgrounds) and human rights violations.
Widowed
Widowed means that a person’s spouse has died and that person has not remarried or entered into a common-law relationship.
Work permit
A document issued by CIC that authorizes a person to work legally in Canada. It sets out conditions for the worker such as:
  • the type of work they can do,
  • the employer they can work for,
  • where they can work, and
  • how long they can work.
Working holiday visa/Working Holiday Program
See International Experience Canada.
Years of schooling
Number of years spent in school. Used for statistical purposes, as well as to determine education points in the Federal Skilled Worker selection grid.

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