Immigration Glossary

This page is general information, not legal advice, and definitions are simplified for a general audience. It isn’t a substitute for advice about your own situation.

Jump to a term, or use your browser’s find function (Ctrl/Cmd + F).

Biometrics  |  COPR  |  Criminal Rehabilitation  |  Danger Opinion  |  Express Entry  |  GCMS Notes  |  H&C Application  |  Inadmissibility  |  IRB  |  Judicial Review  |  LMIA  |  Mandamus  |  Misrepresentation  |  Open Work Permit  |  PGWP  |  Physical Presence  |  PNP  |  POE  |  PR Card / PRTD  |  Procedural Fairness Letter  |  PRRA  |  Removal Order  |  Sponsorship Undertaking  |  Statutory Declaration / Affidavit  |  TRP

Biometrics

Fingerprints and a photograph collected as part of many immigration and visa applications, used to confirm identity and run background and security checks.

COPR (Confirmation of Permanent Residence)

The official document issued when someone becomes a permanent resident of Canada. It’s presented, along with a valid passport, when completing landing at a port of entry.

Criminal Rehabilitation and Deemed Rehabilitation

Two ways a past criminal conviction can stop making someone inadmissible to Canada. Criminal rehabilitation is an application to IRCC, generally available once at least five years have passed since the sentence was completed. Deemed rehabilitation happens automatically after enough time has passed, usually ten years, for certain less serious offences, but it is never available for serious criminality.

Danger Opinion

A ministerial decision that a person is a danger to the public or to the security of Canada. It can remove certain protections against removal that would otherwise apply.

Express Entry (CRS and ITA)

IRCC’s online system for managing permanent residence applications under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program and the Canadian Experience Class, as well as part of the provincial nominee programs. Candidates are ranked by the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), and those selected in a draw receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).

GCMS Notes

The immigration officer’s internal notes on a file, kept in the Global Case Management System. They often show more of the reasoning behind a decision than the refusal letter itself.

H&C (Humanitarian and Compassionate) Application

A request to IRCC for permanent residence, or for an exemption from a requirement of the law, on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. Officers weigh factors such as the person’s establishment in Canada, the hardship they would face if they had to leave, and the best interests of any child directly affected.

Inadmissibility

A finding that a person doesn’t meet Canada’s requirements to enter or remain, for reasons such as security, criminality, health, or misrepresentation. It can affect a visa, permanent residence, or citizenship application.

IRB (Immigration and Refugee Board)

Canada’s largest independent tribunal, made up of four divisions: the Refugee Protection Division (RPD), which decides refugee claims; the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD), which hears appeals of RPD decisions; the Immigration Division (ID), which holds admissibility hearings and detention reviews; and the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD), which hears sponsorship, removal order and residency obligation appeals.

Judicial Review and Leave

A Federal Court proceeding asking a judge to decide whether an immigration decision was reasonable and made fairly. You must first ask the Court for permission to proceed, called leave, and the deadline to apply is short: 15 days for decisions made in Canada and 60 days for decisions made outside Canada.

LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment)

A document some Canadian employers need before hiring a foreign worker, confirming that the hire won’t negatively affect the Canadian labour market.

Mandamus

An order from the Federal Court directing a government decision-maker, such as IRCC, to carry out a duty it owes, most often to decide an application that has been delayed for an unreasonable time. The Court does not decide the application itself.

Misrepresentation

Giving false information, or leaving out relevant facts, in a way that could lead to an error in an immigration decision. It can apply even if the mistake wasn’t intentional or was made by a representative, subject to a narrow exception, and a finding usually bars the person from applying to Canada for five years.

Open Work Permit

A work permit that isn’t tied to a particular employer or job, so the holder can work for most employers in Canada. Common examples include the post-graduation work permit and open work permits for some spouses and partners.

PGWP (Post-Graduation Work Permit)

An open work permit for international students who complete an eligible program at an eligible Canadian school. Its length generally depends on the length of the program, and most people can only receive one.

Physical Presence

The citizenship requirement that an applicant has been physically in Canada for at least 1,095 days in the five years before applying. Some time spent in Canada before becoming a permanent resident can count as half days, up to a limit of 365 days.

PNP (Provincial Nominee Program)

Programs run by most provinces and territories to nominate people for permanent residence based on local economic needs. A nomination isn’t permanent residence itself: the person still applies to IRCC, which checks admissibility and the other federal requirements.

POE (Port of Entry)

Any location where a person is legally permitted to enter Canada, including airports, land crossings, and marine ports, where border officers examine travellers and decide on admission.

PR Card and PR Travel Document (PRTD)

The PR card is the document a permanent resident shows to board a flight or other commercial transport to Canada. A permanent resident outside Canada without a valid card applies for a PR Travel Document (PRTD) instead, and the officer will usually check whether they have met the residency obligation of two years in Canada within five years.

Procedural Fairness Letter

A letter from an immigration officer raising a concern about an application and giving the applicant a chance to respond before a final decision is made.

PRRA (Pre-Removal Risk Assessment)

An assessment by IRCC of whether a person facing removal would be at risk of persecution, torture or other serious harm if returned. In most cases the CBSA tells the person when they can apply, and some people are barred, for example for a period after a refugee claim is refused.

Removal Order

An order requiring a person to leave Canada. A departure order becomes a deportation order if the person doesn’t leave within 30 days and confirm their departure. An exclusion order usually bars return for one year, or five years for misrepresentation. A deportation order bars return permanently unless the person gets an Authorization to Return to Canada.

Sponsorship Undertaking

A sponsor’s legal commitment to financially support a sponsored family member for a set period, and to repay any social assistance the sponsored person receives during that time.

Statutory Declaration / Affidavit

A written statement of facts, signed before a person authorized to take oaths, used where a supporting document doesn’t exist or sworn evidence is otherwise needed.

TRP (Temporary Resident Permit)

A document that lets a person who is otherwise inadmissible to Canada enter or remain for a specific reason and period, issued at an immigration officer’s discretion.