/ Published in Immigrant Investor Venture Capital, Immigration, Immigration Manuals

Appendix A – The Glossary 7


Last Updated on November 18, 2016

Government Assisted Refugee (GAR): This denotes a person who is outside Canada and whom the authorities have determined as being a Convention refugee. This person would typically be receiving financial support and other kinds of support from the Government of Canada or the Province of Quebec for up to one year after the person’s arrival in Canada. It is worth highlighting that the authorities typically select Government Assisted Refugees (GARs) from applicants referred by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other referral organisations.

Grant of Citizenship: For more details, refer to the definition of the term ‘Naturalisation’.

Group of Five: This refers to a group of five or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Each of the members of this group will be at least 18 years of age. In addition, each of the members of this group will agree to work together for sponsoring a refugee.

Guarantor: The authorities refer to a guarantor as a person who can confirm the identity of an applicant. In addition, the guarantor would be able to confirm the information provided by the applicant as well. Situations could arise where some applicants do not have any guarantors who have known the applicants for at least two years. In this scenario, the applicants would need to complete a Statutory Declaration in Lieu of Guarantor.

Health Card: This denotes a document that enables a person to receive public health care in a Canadian province or territory. All newcomers have the ability to apply for a health card as soon as they arrive in Canada. For more details, refer to the definition of the term ‘Health Insurance’.

Health Insurance: This refers to a Canadian provincial or territorial government program that pays for essential health services provided by hospitals, doctors and certain non-physician practitioners. Newcomers would need to apply to their provincial or territorial health insurance plan for getting coverage and health cards. For more details, refer to the definition of the term ‘Health Card’. For more information, readers would need to go through the legal definition of health card as well.

High Commission (or Mission): This denotes a Government of Canada office, which is located in the capital city of a Commonwealth country. This will usually be the same as an embassy. For instance, the High Commission of Canada to the United Kingdom in London. For more details, refer to the definitions of the terms ‘Embassy’, ‘Visa Office’ and ‘Consulate’.

Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) Application: Some people might not normally be eligible for becoming permanent residents of Canada. These individuals are able to apply to become permanent residents of Canada on Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) grounds. It is worth highlighting that Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) grounds apply to people with exceptional cases. Some factors that the authorities typically look at include:

  • How settled the person is in Canada

  • The general family ties to Canada

  • The best interests of any children involved and,

  • The degree of hardship that the applicant would experience if the authorities do not grant the request, thereby making the applicant leave Canada in order to apply for permanent residence

It is worth mentioning that Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) decision makers will not look at the risk factors that the authorities typically look at in in-Canada refugee protection claims or even a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA). This is because these factors are usually outside the scope of a Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) application. These factors could typically include:

  • Persecution

  • Danger of torture

  • Risk to life or,

  • Risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment

Identity Card: This refers to a card used to prove the identity of a person. Usually, such cards would be issued by a government or by a recognised international agency such as the United Nations.

Immigration Document: This refers to an official document issued by a Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) or a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) office. In addition, it refers to an official document that the Case Processing Centre (CPC) or a Canadian visa office outside Canada has issued as well. Such documents would typically comprise:

  • The Immigrant visa and record of landing i.e. IMM 1000

  • The Confirmation of Permanent Residence (CoPR) i.e. IMM 5292

  • The Permanent Resident Card (PRC)

  • The visitor record

  • The work permit

  • The study permit or,

  • The Temporary Resident Permit (TRP)

Immigration Officer: This denotes a Government of Canada employee who is in charge of deciding who can enter and remain in Canada. These officers are usually responsible for checking documents. In addition, they often interview applicants to make sure that the applications submitted are accurate.

Immigration Status: This refers to a non-citizen’s position in a country such as a permanent resident or a visitor.

Implied Status: The authorities permit visitors, students or foreign workers to apply for extending their status before that status expires. By submitting their applications prior to the expiry of their status, these individuals can continue to remain legally in Canada until the authorities make a decision on their applications. People in this situation have implied status.

In Good Standing: This denotes a representative who:

  • Is both licensed and insured

  • Possesses the relevant qualifications to help applicants through the legal process and,

  • Meets the prescribed standards of learning, competence and professional conduct

In Process: This denotes the stage an application sent to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) reaches when the officers have opened it, checked it for completeness and have begun to process it by entering it into the computer system.

Inadmissibility (or Inadmissible Person): This refers to a situation where the authorities do not permit a person to enter or stay in Canada. The reasons for this could include security concerns, criminal offences, human rights violations, health or financial reasons and the failure to comply with Canada’s immigration laws.

Indictable Offence: For more details, refer to the definition of the term ‘Offence’.

Individual Rehabilitation: For more details, refer to the definition of the term ‘Criminal Rehabilitation’.