Glossary
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) uses terms and abbreviations that can be hard to understand. This glossary contains some of the most commonly used terms. These are not legal definitions; they are based on IRCC’s glossary and expanded upon by Lighthouse Immigration Law.
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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).
Protected person status document
An official document issued by IRCC 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.
Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ)
Related term:
Certificate of acceptance
A document from Quebec’s Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversit é et de l’Inclusion (MIDI) that:
a temporary worker must apply for the CAQ with MIDI before coming to Quebec to work, or
a foreign student must apply for the CAQ with MIDI before coming to study in Quebec.
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.