Definitions

Accompanying dependant:
A spouse or dependent child of the principal applicant (Candidate) who intends to immigrate to Canada.

Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program:
Program that allows the Province of Alberta to recommend foreign nationals/workers to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for permanent residence (commonly referred to as the AINP and previously referred to as the PNP).

Alberta Provincial Nominee:
A person approved (nominated) by the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) who is then eligible to submit an Application for Permanent Residence to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) under the Provincial Nominee Class.

Canadian citizen:
A person who is Canadian by birth or has a Canadian Citizenship Certificate from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

Candidate:
A foreign national who has submitted an application to the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP).

Certificate of Nomination:
A certificate issued by the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program directly to a Citizenship and Immigration Canada Visa Office recommending a foreign national for permanent residence consideration under the Provincial Nominee Class.

CIC:
Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Visa Office:
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) office at a Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate that makes a determination on the issuance of visas, including temporary resident and permanent resident visas.

Common-law partner:
A common-law partner is a person who has been living with the principal applicant in a conjugal relationship for at least one year. The term refers to opposite-sex and same-sex relationships.

Conjugal partner:
A person who has maintained a conjugal relationship with the principal applicant for at least one year where exceptional circumstances beyond their control prevent them from qualifying as common-law partners or spouses by living together. The term refers to both opposite-sex and same-sex relationships.

Consulate:
These are offices located in major but not capital cities. They generally offer the full range of services, including consular services.

Dependent children:
A son or daughter is dependent when the child is under the age of 22 and does not have a spouse or common-law partner; is a full-time student and is substantially dependent on a parent for financial support since before the age of 22, or since becoming a spouse or common-law partner (if this happened before age 22); or is financially dependent on a parent since before the age of 22 because of a disability.

Alberta Employer:
Incorporated or registered by or under an act of the legislature of a province of the Parliament of Canada, operating as a business that has an established production capability, plant, or place of business in Alberta.

Embassy:
These are offices located in the capital cities of non-Commonwealth countries and generally offer the full range of services, including consular services. Example: Canadian embassy in Paris, France.

Foreign national:
A person who is not a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident. This includes a stateless person.

High Commission:
These are the same as embassies but are located in the capital cities of Commonwealth countries. Example: Canadian High Commission in London, England.

Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC):
A non-profit organization whose goal is to effectively and fairly regulate immigration consultants with accountability and transparency.

International graduate:
Temporary Foreign Worker on a Post-Graduation Work Permit who has graduated from an eligible Canadian educational institution and who has secured permanent, full-time employment with an Alberta employer.

Labour Market Opinion (LMO):
When hiring a foreign worker, the employer must generally submit an application to Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) requesting a Labour Market Opinion (LMO). The LMO from HRSDC confirms that having a foreign worker employed in the LMO specific occupation will not have a negative impact on the labour market in Canada.

National Occupational Classification (NOC):
The NOC is a classification system that describes duties, skills, talents and work settings for occupations in the Canadian economy.

Non-accompanying dependant:
A spouse or dependent child of the principal applicant who does not intend to immigrate to Canada.

Permanent resident:
A person who is legally in Canada on a permanent basis as an immigrant or refugee, but not yet a Canadian citizen (formerly known as landed immigrant).

Permanent Resident Card:
Permanent residents receive a Permanent Resident Card as proof of their status in Canada. The card is a secure, machine-readable and fraud-resistant document, valid for five years.

Permanent resident visa:
Visa issued by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) visa office overseas allowing a foreign national to enter Canada permanently.

Post-graduation work permit:
A document issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to an international students who has graduated from an eligible Canadian post-secondary institution.

Principal applicant:
The individual who must meet the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program selection criteria. For the purposes of the AINP, the principal applicant is usually called the Candidate.

Provincial Nominee:
A foreign national selected by the Province of Alberta for specific skills that will contribute to the local economy to meet specific labour market needs.

Refugee claimant:
A refugee claimant is a person who requests refugee protection status.

Semi-skilled worker:
Candidate whose occupation requires secondary school and/or occupation-specific training, or on-the-job training and whose occupation falls under National Occupational Classification (NOC) levels C or D.

Skilled worker:
Candidate whose occupation requires formal education and/or specialized training and whose occupation falls under National Occupational Classification (NOC) levels 0, A, or B.

Spouse:
A person of the opposite sex or same sex to whom the principal applicant is legally married.

Study permit:
A document issued by a Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) visa or immigration officer authorizing a foreign national to study in Canada.

Temporary foreign worker:
A foreign national who has been authorized to enter and remain in Canada, on a temporary basis, as a worker.

Visitor visa:
A document issued by a Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) visa or immigration officer authorizing a foreign national to enter Canada on a temporary basis. (Necessary for foreign workers who are from a country where a visa is required to enter Canada.)

Work permit:
A document with terms and conditions that is issued by a Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) visa or immigration officer allowing a foreign national to work temporarily in Canada.