Canadian Immigration Glossary: Terms and Acronyms

Overview

Canadian immigration glossary

Use this glossary when a guide, form or government letter contains an unfamiliar Canadian immigration term. Each definition explains the term in its usual immigration context and points to a fuller guide where one is available.

A to C

Acknowledgement of receipt (AOR): A notice confirming that an application has been received and entered into processing. An AOR is not an approval, and the date that matters for a deadline can depend on the program.
Access to Information and Privacy request (ATIP): A request under federal access or privacy law for government records, often used to obtain immigration application records or officer notes. An ATIP request does not extend an application, appeal or court deadline.
Admissibility: Whether a person is legally allowed to enter or remain in Canada. Criminality, security, health, finances, misrepresentation and non-compliance can all affect admissibility.
Accompanying family member: A spouse, partner or dependent child who plans to immigrate with the principal applicant. Family members must still be declared even when they are not accompanying.
Biometrics: Fingerprints and a photograph collected to confirm identity and support immigration screening. A biometrics instruction letter tells an applicant whether and where to provide them.
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA): The federal agency responsible for border examinations, customs and immigration enforcement, including detention and removal processes.
Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB): The scale used to describe English ability for Canadian immigration programs. Test results are converted to CLB levels; the raw test score is not itself a CLB level.
Canadian citizenship: The legal status of a Canadian citizen. Some people apply for a grant of citizenship, while others may already be citizens and need proof of citizenship.
Cohabitation: Living together in a marriage-like relationship. For common-law immigration categories, the evidence must usually show at least 12 continuous months of cohabitation, subject to the governing rule.
Common-law partner: A person who has cohabited with another person in a conjugal relationship for at least one year under the immigration definition.
Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS): The points system used to rank eligible Express Entry profiles. A CRS score affects ranking; it is different from the 67-point selection grid used for Federal Skilled Worker eligibility.
Conjugal partner: A family-sponsorship category for a partner outside Canada where a marriage-like relationship has existed for at least one year but marriage or cohabitation has not been possible because of serious barriers. It is not a general substitute for common-law sponsorship.

D to I

Dependant or dependent child: A family member who meets the immigration definition of a dependent child. Age, relationship, marital status and, in limited cases, dependence caused by a condition can matter.
Designated learning institution (DLI): A school approved by a province or territory to host international students. DLI status does not mean that every program at the school qualifies for a post-graduation work permit.
Dual intent: Having a temporary purpose in Canada while also intending to seek permanent residence. The person must still satisfy the officer that the temporary stay will end if permanent residence is not granted.
Educational credential assessment (ECA): A report comparing a foreign educational credential with a Canadian credential for a specified immigration purpose. An ECA does not grant professional licensing in Canada.
Express Entry: The online system used to manage applications for specified federal economic programs and some provincial nominations. Creating a profile does not guarantee an invitation to apply.
Family Class: An immigration class through which eligible Canadian citizens and permanent residents may sponsor specified family members for permanent residence.
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP): An Express Entry program for skilled workers whose qualifying experience and other factors meet the federal requirements, including the separate selection grid.
Inadmissibility: A legal reason a person may be refused entry, a visa or status, or may face enforcement in Canada. The consequence and available response depend on the ground and the proceeding.
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB): An independent administrative tribunal that decides specified refugee, admissibility, detention and immigration appeal matters.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC): The federal department that manages immigration, refugee resettlement, citizenship, passports and many temporary and permanent residence applications.
Invitation to apply (ITA): An invitation issued to an eligible candidate through a selection system such as Express Entry. It starts a filing period and does not guarantee approval.

J to P

Judicial review: A Federal Court process asking the Court to review whether an immigration decision was lawful, fair and reasonable. It is not a new application and strict filing deadlines apply.
Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA): An assessment by Employment and Social Development Canada of the likely labour-market effect of hiring a temporary foreign worker. A positive LMIA does not itself authorize the worker to work.
Maintained status: The ability to remain in Canada under the conditions set by law while a timely application to extend temporary status is being decided. Travel and the type of application can affect what the person may do while waiting.
Misrepresentation: Directly or indirectly giving false information or withholding a material fact that causes or could cause an error in immigration administration. A finding can lead to refusal and a period of inadmissibility.
National Occupational Classification (NOC): Canada’s system for describing and coding occupations by lead statement, duties and employment requirements. Immigration programs often assess the work performed, not just the job title.
Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC): The scale used to describe French-language ability for Canadian immigration programs. Approved test results are converted to NCLC levels.
Permanent resident (PR): A person who has been granted permanent resident status but is not yet a Canadian citizen. PR status is legally distinct from the validity of the person’s PR card.
Post-graduation work permit (PGWP): An open work permit that may be available after completing an eligible program at an eligible institution. Graduating in Canada does not by itself establish PGWP eligibility.
Physical presence: Time counted toward a citizenship or other legal requirement under the applicable counting rules. For citizenship, the calculation uses a defined eligibility period and may allow limited pre-PR credit.
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP): A set of provincial and territorial immigration streams through which a jurisdiction may nominate applicants who meet its requirements. Quebec and Nunavut do not operate PNP streams.
Procedural fairness letter: A letter giving an applicant an opportunity to respond to a concern that could lead to an adverse decision. The stated concern and response deadline should be read carefully.
Permanent resident travel document (PRTD): A document a permanent resident outside Canada may need to board commercial transportation to Canada without a valid PR card. The application can involve a residency-obligation assessment.

R to W

Removal order: A departure, exclusion or deportation order requiring a person to leave Canada. The type of order, when it becomes enforceable and any review or appeal right determine the next step.
Residency obligation: The requirement that a permanent resident accumulate at least 730 qualifying days in each applicable five-year period, subject to the rules for people who have held PR status for less than five years and specified time abroad.
Restoration of status: A process that may allow an eligible temporary resident who lost status to apply within the prescribed period to restore it. Filing for restoration does not normally authorize work or study while waiting.
Sponsor: An eligible Canadian citizen, permanent resident or other person authorized by the governing program who asks to sponsor a family member and accepts the program’s legal obligations.
Sponsorship undertaking: The sponsor’s binding promise to provide specified support for a set period. The obligation generally continues despite separation, divorce or a change in the sponsor’s finances.
Statutory declaration: A written statement of facts formally declared to be true before a person authorized to take the declaration. It can support an application but does not automatically replace the underlying evidence.
TEER: The NOC category based on the training, education, experience and responsibilities usually associated with an occupation. Immigration programs use TEER categories to define qualifying work.
Temporary resident: A foreign national legally authorized to enter or remain in Canada temporarily as a visitor, student or worker, subject to the person’s status and conditions.
Temporary resident visa (TRV): A counterfoil placed in a passport that allows a visa-required traveller to seek entry to Canada. A TRV is different from the status or permit governing what the person may do in Canada.
Work permit: A document authorizing specified work in Canada, either on open terms or with conditions such as employer, occupation or location. A visa or job offer is not itself a work permit.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about canadian immigration glossary

Is an immigration acronym always used the same way?

No. Read it in context and check the definition used by the program, form or decision-maker. The same everyday word can carry a narrower legal meaning.

Does this glossary replace the official definition?

No. These explanations help a reader understand the subject. Legislation, regulations and current program instructions control when the exact wording matters.

Why do some definitions link to a full guide?

A definition explains the term; the linked guide covers the eligibility rules, evidence, process or risks associated with it.