Glossary
Since institutions often use different terms to describe eligibility criteria or immigration status, we created a glossary to ensure clarity and consistency. The definitions in this glossary are based on explanations provided by reputable government and academic resources:
Convention Refugee: “A person who is outside of their home country or country where they normally live and fears returning to that country because of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion.” [1]
Humanitarian and Compassionate Ground (H&C):“People who would not normally be eligible to become permanent residents of Canada may be able to apply on humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) grounds. (H&C) grounds apply to people with exceptional cases. Factors that are looked at include:
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how settled the person is in Canada,
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general family ties to Canada,
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the best interests of any children involved, and
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the degree of hardship that the applicant would experience if the request is not granted and they must leave Canada in order to apply for permanent residence.
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(H&C) decision makers will not look at the risk factors that are looked at in an in-Canada refugee protection claim or a pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA). These factors which are outside the scope of an (H&C) application include persecution, danger of torture or risk to life or risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.” [1] ​
International OR Foreign Student: “A temporary resident who is legally authorized to study in Canada on a temporary basis. With a few exceptions, foreign students must get a study permit if they are taking a course of studies that will last for more than six months.” [1]
Permanent Resident: A person with the right to permanent reside in Canada, but who is not yet a Canadian citizen. [1]
Pre-Removal Risk Assessments (PRRA): “A thorough process that evaluates whether a person would face persecution, torture, risk to life or risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment, if returned to his or her country of origin.” [1]
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).” [1]
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.” [1]
Refugee Claimant or Asylum Seeker: “A person who has applied for refugee protection status while in Canada and is waiting for a decision on his/her claim from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.” [1]
Refugee Landed in Canada: “A permanent resident who applied for and received permanent resident status in Canada after their refugee claim was accepted.” [1]
Refused Refugee Claimant: “If a refugee claim is denied by the Refugee Protection Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board, the claimant may choose to appeal that decision at the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board. If the appeal is also denied, the claimant can make an application to the Federal Court for a judicial review of the negative decision, if a leave is granted by the Court. After the initial refusal of the claim until the appeal/judicial review is accepted, or the person receives a deportation date, they would be in legal limbo as a refused refugee claimant.” [3]
Temporary Resident Permits (TRP): “A permit that may be granted in exceptional circumstances to a person who does not meet the requirements of Canada’s immigration law to enter or remain temporarily in Canada.” [1]
Without Immigration Status: “People usually end up without immigration status in Canada when their visa expires, when the person sponsoring them withdraws or revokes the sponsorship (eg. an employer, spouse or family member), when the refugee claim and appeals/PRRA application are denied, when they overstay a deportation date, or when they cannot be deported because they are stateless or their country of citizenship refuses to readmit them.” [3]
Work permit: “A document issued by IRCC that authorizes a person to work legally in Canada. It sets out conditions for the worker such as:
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the type of work they can do,
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the employer they can work for,
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where they can work, and
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how long they can work.” [1]
The following explanations reflect how terms related to awards and grants are used by institutions, based on definitions provided by reputable government and academic resources:
Award: “An award can be a scholarship, fellowship, prize, grant, or bursary.” [4]
Bursary: “Any form of financial assistance paid to enable a student to pursue his or her education. Bursaries can include amounts paid to defray living expenses, as well as amounts that are directly related to the cost of the education.” [2]
Fellowship: “A fellowship generally refers to an amount paid, or benefit given for the purpose of advancing a person’s education. As such, it is similar to a scholarship or bursary, with the distinction that a fellowship is generally awarded to a graduate student by a university, charity, or similar body for doctoral studies or post-doctoral work.” [2]
Grants: “A monetary award based primarily on financial need. Sometimes “grant” and “bursary” are used interchangeably.” [4]
Scholarship: “A monetary award based on academic excellence alone or in combination with financial need.” [4]
Tuition: “Tuition is the cost or fee for instruction at a private institution (school), university, or college.” [1]