Last Updated on November 18, 2016

Service Provider Organisation (SPO) (or Immigrant Settlement Agency or Immigrant Service Provider or Settlement Agency or Immigrant Serving Agency or Immigrant Serving Organisation or Settlement Assistance Organisation or Immigrant Settlement Association): This denotes an agency that provides services for newcomers to Canada. Service Provider Organisations (SPOs) typically offer programs that can give newcomers resources and training for living and working in Canada. As such, their programs could help refugees who often have a tough time with various day-to-day tasks such as finding an apartment, taking public transportation or making a doctor’s appointment. These organisations can help refugees complete forms, obtain permanent resident cards (PRCs), health insurance, social insurance numbers etc. as well. In addition, these agencies could offer interpretation and translation services as well for helping with such special needs as giving medical backgrounds to doctors. Readers would need to visit the website of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for obtaining more information on the numerous services provided by Service Provider Organisations (SPOs).

Settlement Funds: This term could denote one of two things namely:

• Sufficient and available funds that economic immigrants would need to prove that they have for settling in Canada. These economic immigrants would need to use these funds for covering fees, relocation costs and the costs to settle. In this scenario, the funds would need to be:

  • Available

  • Transferable and,

  • Not committed to debts or other obligations

• Funds allocated by the Government of Canada for paying for measures to develop welcoming and inclusive communities or to help newcomers settle into their new communities

Single Entry Visa (or Tourist Visa or Visitor Visa): This refers to a visa that permits someone to enter Canada only once. For more details, refer to the definition of the term ‘Temporary Resident Visa (TRV)’.

Skill Level: To be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Class and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), foreign workers would need to possess work experience at specified skill levels. The skill levels for occupations typically come from the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. As such, these skill levels remain classified by type of work the training required to achieve proficiency.

Skilled Worker: For more details, refer to the definition of the term ‘Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)’.

Sponsor: This denotes a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident who is 18 years of age or older and who is legally supporting a member of the Family Class for becoming a permanent resident of Canada.

Sponsored Person: This denotes a foreign national who has applied for permanent residence under the Family Class. This person would need to have an approved Canadian sponsor and will also need to meet the requirements of the Family Class.

Sponsorship Agreement: This refers to a signed contract between a sponsored immigrant and the sponsored immigrant’s sponsor. The agreement would typically outline the obligations and commitments of both the parties. The framing of this agreement is imperative prior to the immigration of the sponsored person to Canada.

Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH): This refers to an incorporated organisation that signs an agreement with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for sponsoring refugees abroad. A Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) would have the authority for authorising other groups in the community for sponsoring refugees under its agreement. People refer to these groups as constituent groups.

Sponsorship Requirements: This refers to the requirements that a person would need to meet for sponsoring a family member to come to Canada as a permanent resident.

Spouse: This refers to a legal marriage partner. This term typically includes both same sex and opposite sex relationships. However, it does not include common-law partnerships.

Start-Up Visa: This denotes a Permanent Residence Visa (PRV) given to a person or to a group of persons who applied under the Start-Up Business Class. These people would have received a commitment from a designated angel investor group or venture capital fund. In addition, they would be having the intent to operate a new business in Canada.

Study Permit: This refers to a document issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) that typically authorises a foreign national to study at an education institution in Canada for the duration of the program of study. This document will also set out conditions for the student such as:

• Whether the student’s travel within Canada is restricted and,

• When the students would need to leave

Support Services: These refer to services that help newcomers to fully participate in Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) funded settlement programs. Support services could typically comprise:

• Onsite child care

• Transportation support

• Translation and interpretation services

• Support for disabilities and,

• Short-term crisis counselling

Surname: A person’s surname generally refers to the person’s family name. When people fill out applications, they would need to type their surnames as it appears on their passport, travel or identity document or any letters that they received from the visa office or the Case Processing Centre (CPC) where they sent their applications. This is applicable even if the name has been misspelled. These individuals would need to avoid using initials. Some people might not have a surname specified on their passport, travel or identity document. These individuals would need to enter all their given names in the surname field. Thereafter, they would need to leave the given name field as blank.