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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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 or,
participating in cultural activities or athletics at the world-class level
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
Related term:
Renunciation document
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.
Representative
A person who has the permission of someone wanting to immigrate to Canada or obtain Canadian citizenship to conduct business with IRCC on their behalf. The representative can be paid or unpaid. When someone appoints a representative, they may also authorize IRCC to share information from their case file with this person. Canada’s citizenship and immigration laws cover representatives and defines the terms of their services.
See Citizenship and Immigration consultant, Authorized representative.
Residence requirement (citizenship)
For applicants who apply before June 11, 2015, this is 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 four years immediately preceding 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.
Restoration of status (as a visitor, student or worker)
A visitor, worker or student who loses status can apply to restore it within 90 days. To be eligible, you must:
submit the application within 90 days of losing status
explain the facts and circumstances that prevented you from complying with the conditions of the permit, and
meet all the remaining conditions on the permit.
There is a fee to restore status.
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.
Retired
Retired means you have willingly stopped working. This is usually because of age.
Revocation of citizenship
Related terms:
Loss of citizenship
Cease to be a citizen
A person’s citizenship may be revoked (taken away) for any one of these reasons:
false representation
fraud
knowingly hiding information
If a person’s citizenship is revoked, they must wait 10 years before they can be granted citizenship again.
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.