IMMIGRATION ACRONYMS AND FULL FORMS:

AOR  Acknowledgement of Receipt
CAIPS  Computer Assisted Immigration Processing System.
CANN  Community Airport Newcomers’ Network
CELPIP  Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program.
CIC  Citizenship and Immigration Canada
CICIC  Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials
CIDA  Canadian International Development Agency
COPR  Confirmation of Permanent Resident Form
CPP  Canada Pension Plan
CSQ  Certificate du Selection du Quebec (Quebec Certificate of Selection)
DMP  Designated Medical Practitioner.
EAL  English as an Additional Language
EFL  English as a Foreign Language
EI  Employment Insurance (also sometimes referred to as unemployment insurance)
ELT  English Language Training/Teaching
ESL  English as a Second Language
ESOL  English for Speakers of Other Languages
ESP  English for Specific Purposes
GIC  Guaranteed Investment Certificate
GST  Goods and Services Tax
H&C grounds  Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds.
HRDC (see HRSDC)  former Human Resources Development Canada
HRSDC  Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.
IA  Initial Assessment
ICCS  International Council for Canadian Studies
ID  Identification
IELTS  International English Language Testing System.
IRPA  Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
IRPA  Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
IRPR  Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations
MSP  Medical Services Plan
NGO  Non – Governmental Organization
NOC  National Occupational Classification
OLA  Open Learning Agency
PNP  Provincial Nominee Program
PPR Passport Request
PST  Provincial Sales Tax
RCMP  Royal Canadian Mounted Police
RRPF  Right of Permanent Residence Fee
RRSP  Registered Retirement Savings Plan
SIN  Social Insurance Number
SWP  Skilled Worker Program
VSO  Voluntary Services Overseas
WCB  Workers’ Compensation Board
YMCA  Young Men’s Christian Association
YWCA  Young Women’s Christian Association

 

Canada:

IRCC Immigration, refugee & citizenship Canada
The IRCC is responsible for overseeing the entry of immigrants, providing refugee protection, and providing services to assist newcomers in settling in Canada. It also provides citizenship to Canadians and supplies travel papers such as passports.
CIC Citizenship and Immigration, Canada
This is the umbrella organisation that oversees all Canadian immigration. It has a CIO (Centralized Intake Office) in Nova Scotia and many satellite Canadian High Commission offices (also known as visa offices) around the world.
FSW Federal Skilled Worker
This is one of the three government programs that Express Entry manages.This program is for talented people with international job experience who desire to permanently relocate to Canada. Minimum qualifications for this program include skilled work experience, language proficiency, and education. To be qualified, you must meet all of the basic requirements.
FST Federal Skilled Trade
The Federal Skilled Trades Program is for skilled workers who want to become permanent residents based on their expertise in a skilled trade. As long as they can meet the job requirements for that skilled trade as per the National Occupational Classification, and can meet the minimum eligibility criteria, they can apply for the FSTP Program.
CEC Canadian Experience Class
The Canadian Experience Class or CEC program is aimed to help foreign workers or students who are staying on a temporary basis in Canada to become permanent residents. It considers their work experience or education and their contribution to Canadian society for granting PR status.
PNP Provincial Nominee Program
The Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) was  started by IRCC  to help the different provinces and territories in Canada to select immigration candidates who are willing to settle down in a particular province or territory in the country and have the skills and expertise to contribute to  the economic development of the province or territory.
ECA Educational Credential Assessment
The Educational Credential Assessment or the ECA is required if you have done your education outside Canada. The ECA is required if you are applying for a visa through the Express Entry program to prove that your foreign education degree or credential is valid and is equal to a Canadian degree.
CES Comparative Education Services
The University of Toronto developed the Comparative Education Service (CES). Assessment reports from the CES might assist you in finding work or obtaining the licences you need to practise your profession in Canada. Employers and professional agencies across Canada rely on CES.
ICAS International Credential Assessment Service of Canada
Individuals applying for immigration to Canada can use the International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS) to assess their educational credentials.The Canadian Immigration Assessment Package will assist you in determining how your education compares to the Canadian education system. When you come to Canada, you can utilise the report to hunt for work or apply for a job.
WES World Education Services
The WES is a system for assessing degrees and certificates obtained outside of Canada. You can meet IRCC immigration programme standards and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) standards (particularly the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program) criteria with a WES ECA, or you can qualify for IRCC’s Agri-Food Immigration Pilot. The validity of a WES ECA is five years from the date of issue.
IQAS International Qualifications Assessment Service
 Alberta’s International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS) is a government-run organisation. It conducts examinations and awards certifications that evaluate foreign educational credentials to Canadian educational norms.
If you hold a formal academic or technical degree, diploma, or certificate earned outside of Canada, you may be eligible for this sort of evaluation.
ICES  International Credential Evaluation Service
The International Credential Review Agency (ICES) is the provincially mandated credential evaluation service of British Columbia. It has been approved by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRCC) to offer Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) reports for Canadian immigration (Express Entry, Permanent Residency and Agri-Food Pilot).
MCC Medical Council of Canada
The MCC grants a qualification in medicine known as the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) to physicians who have met its requirements.   Candidates must take and pass the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part I and the MCCQE Part II to obtain the LMCC.
PEBC  Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada
The Pharmacy Examining Board is a non-profit organisation that evaluates pharmacist and pharmacy technician qualifications on behalf of provincial regulatory agencies. The Board assesses qualifications, creates and administers exams, including a national qualifying test, and provides Certificates of Qualification.
CELPIP Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program.
CELPIP  is one of only two English language testing organizations approved by CIC (IELTS is the other). CELPIP testing is only available in Canada (Vancouver and Toronto) and China.
IELTS  International English Language Testing System
Listening, reading, writing, and speaking are the four core English language abilities assessed by IELTS. Its purpose is to determine a person’s language ability in order to study, work, or immigrate to Canada.
TEF Test d’Évaluation du Français
The TEF is the only exam that can be used to demonstrate competency in French. It assesses four aspects of French ability: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The exam is available in a number of places throughout the world.
TCF Test de connaissance du français
TCF – French language proficiency test Canada is a French language competency examination that is recognised as one of the basic immigration tests by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).This French test for Canada immigration is open to people of any language or nationality, including French speakers and persons from French-speaking nations.
CRS Comprehensive Ranking System
Every applicant in the Express Entry system is assigned a CRS score out of 1200 points and if he scores highest points under the CRS, he will get an ITA for the PR visa. The CRS score keeps changing with every Express Entry draw
NOC National Occupational Classification
 NOC can assist newcomers in locating information about various occupations in Canada’s labour market.For job hunters, the NOC is a useful tool. You can use it to look for job descriptions, educational qualifications, required abilities, and occupations that are similar to yours.Employers frequently utilise the NOC to assist them in writing job descriptions and identifying skill requirements for new job ads.In addition, the NOC identify skills shortages in the Canadian job market.
ITA Invitation to Apply

  (ITA) is sent to the immigration candidates in the Express Entry pool selected by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Immigration candidates with the highest CRS scores are issued an ITA. Every Express Entry draw has a minimum cutoff score and immigration candidates with a score equal or above the designated CRS score will get an ITA.

PCC Police Clearance Certificate
A police certificate is a declaration that you don’t have a criminal record, or a copy of your criminal record if you have one. They assist in determining whether you are inadmissible to Canada for whatever reason. Each country and region has its own set of police certifications.
POF Proof of Funds
Immigration candidates should  provide proof of funds called settlement funds to prove that they have the required funds to support their stay and that of their dependents once they come to Canada till they  are able to earn their income in the country.
RPRF Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF)
Permanent resident applicants must pay the Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF) when their applications are granted. The RPRF must be paid before permanent residency status can be given. The principal applicant and accompanying spouse or partner must pay this fee at any time before their Canada Immigration Visa is issued.
PPR Passport  Request
Once an application has been authorised and a final decision has been entered, the applicant receives a PPR. The applicant must receive the ‘Passport Request’ letter from the processing office via their MyCIC account.
LMIA Labor Market Impact Assessment
A Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), is issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). LMIA certification serves as proof that Canadian employers are not able to recruit the right candidate to fill a specific position/role in Canada, and so the employer is allowed to hire a foreign worker.
UCI Unique Client Identifier
Unique Client Identifier (UCI), is also known as a client identification number (client ID). It’s on official documents an immigration applicant gets from the IRCC.
VACs Visa Application Centers
VACS are centers in other countries to submit biometrics and photos for Canada immigration. They are situated all over the world.
CLB Canadian language benchmark
COPR  Confirmation of Permanent Residence
Once a PR application is approved, the applicant will receive a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and a a permanent resident visa (if you’re from a country that requires a visa). When you come to Canada, you must show your Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and Canadian immigrant visa to a Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officer at the Port of Entry.
AOR  Acknowledgement of Receipt
You will receive an “Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR)” after submitting your electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR), which confirms that IRCC received your application for permanent residence in Canada and has generated a file with your application number. This is also known as the AOR date, and it is the start date for your six-month processing time.
CIO Centralized intake office
Citizenship and immigration applications are received and processed by the centralised intake office (CIO) and the Operations Support Centre (OSC). You can send your application to these addresses by mail.
CHC  Canadian High Commission.
CHCs are located in different countries to accept visa applications from people in these countries who wish to migrate to Canada.
HRSDC Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
HRSDC/Service Canada ensures that Canadian citizens and permanent residents have access to job opportunities. Employers in Canada can hire foreign workers if doing so would not have a negative impact on the employment of Canadians and Permanent Residents, or if there are significant benefits to hiring a foreign worker.
RAP  Resettlement Assistance Program
The Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) is a contribution program  through which the Canadian government assists relocated refugees with settling into their new home. Income support and a variety of immediate basic services are the two primary components of the program.
GCMS Global Case Management System
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) uses the GCMS (Global Case Management System) to process immigration and citizenship applications. The only way for applicants to acquire the most accurate and comprehensive view of their IRCC file is to use GCMS notes.
e-APR Application for Permanent Residence
You will have 90 days from the date you receive your ITA to prepare and submit an electronic Application for Permanent Residence (eAPR) in Canada. The online web portal of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is used to submit this application.
Mis Ministerial instructions
PER  
MEC Minimum Eligibility Criteria
Qualifying score is the minimum points you need to score under the Comprehensive Ranking System or the CRS.  If your profile must be selected, you should be able to get 67 points out of 100
IRPA Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act is an Act of the Parliament of Canada, administered by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and Canada Border Services Agency,
ELN  Employer Liaison Network
The Employer Liaison Network (ELN) helps employers to use the Express Entry system efficiently.
RCMP Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Police in Canada which takes part in the immgration process
SIN Social Insurance Number
A social insurance number (SIN)  is issued in Canada to administer various government programs. The SIN was created in 1964 to serve as a client account number in the administration of the Canada Pension Plan and Canada’s varied employment insurance programs
ESDC Employment and Social Development Canada
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is the department of the Government of Canada responsible for developing, managing and delivering social programs and services.
PRC Permanent resident card
You’ll need a permanent resident (PR) card when you travel to verify you’re a PR when you return to Canada. Make an application for a PR card or a travel document, request expedited processing, or check the status of your application. You can renew your PR card if it has expired.
CBSA Canada Border Services Agency
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) helps lawful travellers and trade pass through the country. In addition, the organisation is responsible for enforcing over 90 statutes and regulations.