IRCC Updates Permanent Residence Terms and Definitions Aug 2026

One wrong definition can sink your permanent residence application, and IRCC just refreshed the official list.

On August 12, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada made administrative updates to its "Terms and definitions related to permanent residence" page. This is the glossary IRCC's own officers use when they assess your file. It's posted on the department's website as a courtesy to stakeholders, and it covers some economic and non-economic classes, plus the permanent resident card and status.

Here's the thing most people miss: the words in your application have legal meanings. "Full-time work." "Family member." "Canadian business." If your understanding of a term doesn't match IRCC's, you can lose points, lose time, or lose the application. This guide walks you through every definition on the updated page, in plain English.

One caveat straight from IRCC: this page covers only some programs. For anything beyond it, you should also consult the Program Delivery Instructions (PDIs) and the relevant Operational manuals.

What exactly changed on August 12, 2026?

According to the program delivery update, administrative updates were made to the "Terms and definitions related to permanent residence" page. The page's date modified now reads 2026-08-12.

Administrative updates typically mean housekeeping, clarifications, formatting, alignment with current regulations, rather than a new policy direction. But even small wording shifts in a definition can matter when an officer applies it to your file. So it's worth knowing what the page actually says right now.

Do your days outside Canada still count toward the 730?

If you're a permanent resident, you already know about the residency obligation: 730 days of physical presence in Canada within a 5-year period. The glossary defines exactly how those days get counted, and when days abroad can count as days at home.

Day of physical presence: For calculating compliance with paragraph A28(2)(a), a day includes a full day or any part of a day that you're physically present in Canada. Any part of a day spent in Canada, or otherwise in compliance with A28(2)(a), counts as a full day toward the 730.

Accompanying outside of Canada: Under subparagraphs A28(2)(a)(ii) and (iv), each day you spend outside Canada is deemed a day of physical presence in Canada if you're accompanying a:

• spouse
• common-law partner
• parent with whom you ordinarily reside (in the case of a child)

There's a catch. This only applies if the person you're accompanying is either a Canadian citizen, or a permanent resident employed full-time by a Canadian business or in the public service of Canada or a province or territory.

Child (for those same subparagraphs): a child of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, including an adopted child, who is not a spouse or common-law partner and is younger than 22 years of age.

Employment outside of Canada: The IRPR lets you meet the residency obligation while working abroad, but all of these must apply:

• You're under contract to, or a full-time employee of, a Canadian business or public service, and the assignment is controlled from the head office in Canada
• You're assigned full-time to a position outside Canada with the business where you're employed, an affiliated enterprise, or a client
• You maintain a connection to a Canadian business
• The assignment is temporary
• You'll continue working for the employer, in Canada, after the assignment

And what counts as a Canadian business? It covers both small and large businesses that meet one of these criteria: federally or provincially incorporated businesses with an ongoing operation in Canada; enterprises created by the laws of Canada or a province; or enterprises in which a majority of voting or ownership interests is held by Canadian citizens, permanent residents or businesses, and which have an ongoing operation in Canada, are capable of generating revenue, and are carried out in anticipation of profit.

Read this twice: under subsection R61(2), the definition does not include businesses created primarily to let a permanent resident satisfy the residency obligation while living outside Canada. A shell company won't save your status.

One more term that shows up in residency and sponsorship files: domicile. You're domiciled where you have your permanent home or principal establishment. An adult who has always lived in their country of birth stays domiciled there unless they take up residence elsewhere (mere presence isn't enough) with a fixed intention to remain indefinitely. An unmarried minor normally shares their parents' domicile. In most overseas spousal sponsorships, the sponsor is domiciled in Canada and the applicant abroad.

Which letter actually supports your bridging open work permit?

This is where the updated glossary earns its keep. IRCC issues two different receipt letters, and only one of them can back a bridging open work permit.

Express Entry lines of business, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Workers, Federal Skilled Trades, and the Provincial Nominee Program Enhanced Stream, work differently. There, you receive the electronic receipt letter before R10 is passed.

Picture Maria, a Provincial Nominee applicant whose work permit expires in three months. She gets the automatic electronic receipt the day she submits and assumes she's covered for a bridging open work permit. She isn't. Only the R10 passed letter counts for her, and that arrives later, after the completeness check. If she'd built her plan around the wrong letter, she'd be out of status before she knew it.

There's also a third document you've likely never heard of: the electronic facilitation counterfoil (eFoil). It's created automatically in the Global Case Management System when an officer generates a temporary resident permit or a Confirmation of Permanent Residence for a visa-exempt foreign national. This virtual document ensures visa-exempt travellers can board their flight, after the airline verifies their passport and travel documents through the Canada Border Services Agency's Interactive Advance Passenger Information system, which is currently available in air mode only.

Express Entry: what does every term on your screen actually mean?

Express Entry is the system IRCC uses to manage intake for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, Canadian Experience Class and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program. Here's the vocabulary, in the order you'll meet it.

1. Come to Canada wizard (the wizard). An online IRCC tool that gives you a sense of whether you meet the eligibility requirements of certain programs. Everything happens in a non-secure environment, personal information like your name isn't collected.

2. Come to Canada number. A temporary number you get after completing the wizard. It carries your answers over to the profile builder in your IRCC Secure account, so you don't answer the same questions twice.

3. Express Entry profile. After the wizard, you create an IRCC Secure account and fill out a profile to express your interest in coming to Canada. You access it by logging into that account.

4. Candidate. Once you're in the system, that's you, a person in the Express Entry pool. The pool itself is where potential candidates who meet the minimum entry criteria are placed after submitting a profile.

5. Minimum entry criteria (MEC). You must meet the MEC to qualify for the pool and to be eligible for an Invitation to Apply, and you must still meet them when you submit your application for permanent residence. Details live in the MEC section of the Express Entry program delivery instructions.

6. Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The CRS determines your position in the pool. It ranks prospective skilled immigrants on skills, work experience, language ability, education and other factors known to lead to success in Canada.

7. Express Entry profile number. Given to candidates who successfully enter the pool. It's used to add your profile to the Job Bank so employers can confirm you're in the pool, by provinces and territories through the P/T Portal to verify your pool status, and by IRCC internally.

8. Job Seeker validation code. A four-digit, system-generated code you receive when you submit your profile. You need it to register for the Government of Canada's Job Bank, and provinces and territories need it to nominate you through the Provinces and Territories Portal.

9. Round of invitations. A specific time and day when IRCC issues Invitations to Apply to the top-ranking candidates. A round can cover the whole pool (CRS rank only) or a specific program, say, CRS rank for federal skilled workers only. Every round has instructions posted on the IRCC website beforehand: the date and time, the number of ITAs, and which program is included, if applicable. It's used as a noun, as in "the current round of invitations has resulted in…"

10. Invitation to Apply (ITA). Issued to candidates with the highest CRS scores at the time of a round. You then have three options: respond to it; ignore it (you're removed from the pool); or decline it (you return to the pool for future rounds).

The education and employment terms behind your CRS score

Arranged employment, under R82(1), an offer from a single employer (not an embassy, high commission or consulate in Canada, and not an employer referred to in subparagraphs 200(3)(h)(ii) or (iii)), for continuous full-time work in Canada lasting at least one year after the date a permanent resident visa is issued, in an occupation listed in TEER Category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the National Occupational Classification.

Canadian educational credential, per subsection R73(1), any diploma, certificate or credential issued on completion of a Canadian program of study or training at an institution recognized by the provincial authorities responsible for registering, accrediting, supervising and regulating such institutions.

Equivalency assessment, commonly called an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). Under R73(1), it's a determination by an organization or institution designated under R75(4) that a completed foreign diploma, certificate or credential equals a completed Canadian educational credential. It also includes an assessment of the document's authenticity.

Language skill area, speaking, oral comprehension (listening), reading and writing [R73(1)].

National Occupational Classification (NOC), the official governmental classification and description of occupations in the Canadian economy, categorizing jobs by the training, education, experience and responsibilities they require. The TEER category system, Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities, was introduced in the 2021 NOC and replaced the old skill type and level structure.

Full-time studies, for the Canadian Experience Class, this is deliberately not defined in the Regulations, to allow flexibility. The definition of the post-secondary institution that issued your credential applies.

Base or enhanced nomination, do you know which one you have?

Two more pieces of PNP plumbing worth knowing. A notification of interest is a system-generated message in your IRCC Secure account telling you a province or territory would like to consider you for nomination, provinces signal interest through the PT Portal. The Provinces and Territories Portal (PT Portal) itself is the secure, web-based portal where provinces and territories confirm your Express Entry profile number, identify candidates for their PNP, and track activity in the pool and the actions of candidates they've nominated.

Separate from that, the Permanent Residence Portal is a secure, web-based portal for submitting certain permanent residence applications, PR cards, permanent resident travel documents and confirmation of permanent residence status. Programs using it include, but aren't limited to, Privately Sponsored Refugees, Protected Persons, the Provincial Nominee Program (non-Express Entry), Family Class and Start-Up Visa programs.

Who legally counts as your family?

Family member, for the purposes of the Act (other than A12 and A38(2)(d)) and the Regulations, in respect of a person: your spouse or common-law partner; a dependent child of yours or of your spouse or common-law partner; and a dependent child of that dependent child [R1(3)(b)].

Dependent child, under R2, a child who is your biological child (if not adopted by someone other than your spouse or common-law partner) or your adopted child, and who either is under 22 and not a spouse or common-law partner, or is 22 or older, has depended substantially on your financial support since before turning 22, and can't be financially self-supporting due to a physical or mental condition.

Accompanying family member, your family member who is coming to Canada with you and is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Family member carries the same meaning as in subsection 1(3) of the Regulations. One hard rule: an accompanying family member cannot seek or be granted permanent resident status before the principal applicant.

Spouse, not defined in the Act or Regulations; the ordinary and usual meaning applies. Common-law partner is defined in R1(1). Marriage, for one that took place outside Canada, means a marriage valid both under the laws of the jurisdiction where it occurred and under Canadian law [R2].

Caregiver pilots: are you Category A or Category B?

Under the Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots, your category decides your whole process.

Category A (Gaining experience): For applicants inside or outside Canada with less than the required eligible work experience, targeted by subsection 2(3) of Ministerial Instructions 32 (MI32), as later amended in MI63 and MI73. You must apply for an occupation-restricted open work permit (OROWP) at the same time as your permanent residence application. Processing runs in two stages: a positive Stage 1 decision (on selection criteria, education, language, job offer, ability to perform the work, admissibility) leads to the work permit if all other work permit requirements are met; Stage 2 and the final PR decision come once you've acquired and submitted proof of the required Canadian work experience.

Category B (Direct to permanent residence): For applicants who've already completed the required eligible Canadian work experience, targeted by subsection 2(4) of MI32 (as amended in MI63 and MI73). This is a regular PR process, no OROWP, though you may apply for a bridging open work permit if eligible. It's processed like other economic immigration classes.

For these pilots, full-time work means at least 30 hours of work over one week [R73(1)], and "work" means an activity for which wages are paid or commission is earned [R73(2)].

Work, trade and business terms you can't afford to guess at

Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA): Formerly a Labour Market Opinion, an LMIA is an assessment a Canadian employer must apply for before hiring a foreign worker. A positive LMIA, sometimes called a confirmation letter, shows a foreign worker is needed and no Canadian or permanent resident is available for the job. Employers apply through Employment and Social Development Canada.

Province or territory certificate of qualification: A document from the body governing trades in a province or territory, proving you've passed a certification exam and meet all requirements to practise your trade there. Depending on the province, it may be called a "certificate of qualification" or a "qualification certificate."

Skilled trade occupation [R87.2(1)], an occupation in one of these groups, unless designated restricted by the Minister:

Restricted occupations: R73 defines these as occupations designated by the Minister after a review of labour market activity and stakeholder consultations. Under R75(2)(a), experience in a restricted occupation can't satisfy the minimum requirements of a skilled worker, and under R80(2), no points can be given for it under the experience factor. At the time of publication, no occupations were designated as restricted.

Business or investment activity: A private-sector, for-profit activity, excluding anything related to a state-owned enterprise. Net worth means the fair market value of all assets of you and your spouse or common-law partner (excluding your primary residence), minus the fair market value of all associated liabilities. And the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital Fund is the capital from payments made by approved immigrant investors under the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital class, plus any income, interest and capital gains included, generated by investing those payments as venture capital.

Refugee and protection definitions, in plain English

Convention refugee [A96]: A person with a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion, per the 1951 Refugee Convention, who is outside each country of nationality and unable or unwilling, because of that fear, to seek those countries' protection, or, having no country of nationality, is outside their country of former habitual residence and unable or unwilling to return.

Person in need of protection: Someone in Canada whose removal to their country (or countries) of nationality, or former habitual residence, would personally subject them to a danger of torture, believed on substantial grounds to exist, under Article 1 of the Convention Against Torture; or to a risk to their life or of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment, where they can't or won't seek that country's protection because of the risk, the risk exists in every part of the country and isn't faced generally by others there, it isn't inherent or incidental to lawful sanctions (unless imposed in disregard of accepted international standards), and it isn't caused by the country's inability to provide adequate health or medical care.

Protected person [A95(2)]: A person on whom refugee protection is conferred under A95(1), whose claim hasn't since been deemed rejected under A108(3) or A109(3), or whose refugee protection application is deemed rejected under A114(4).

Protected temporary residents class [R151.1]: You're a member if you hold a temporary resident permit and either became a temporary resident under one for protection reasons after claiming refugee protection outside Canada under A99, or were issued a Minister's permit under section 37 of the former Act after seeking admission under section 7 of the former Regulations or section 4 of the Humanitarian Designated Classes Regulations.

What officers must, and must not, show you

Extrinsic information must be disclosed to you so you can respond. It's information from a source other than you, that you don't have access to or aren't aware of, being used in the decision. Examples: information from an anonymous source integral to the decision; a visa office's reply that your documents aren't authentic, even though you submitted them (if authenticity becomes the basis or a determinative factor in the decision); and opinions from medical officers and provincial health authorities.

Intrinsic information doesn't need to be disclosed, it's provided by or readily available to you, and you know it will be used. Example: what your spouse says at an interview about the bona fides of your marriage, since you have access to it and would reasonably expect it to factor into the decision.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Government of Canada (canada.ca), IRCC Help Centre. Last verified: August 12, 2026. This article is general information, not legal advice. Consult IRCC or a qualified legal aid service for guidance on your specific situation.

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