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Definitions

• Permanent residence
• Temporary residence
• Family Class
• Protected person

Permanent residence

Permanent residence status gives a non-Canadian the right to live in Canada. Certain residency obligations must be met to maintain one’s status as a permanent resident. A permanent resident may apply for Canadian citizenship after three years of residency in Canada.

Temporary residence

Temporary residence status allows a non-Canadian the possibility to remain in Canada on a temporary basis. Temporary resident status may be granted to foreign temporary workers and business people, foreign students and visitors.

Family Class

Members of the Family Class can be sponsored to come to Canada on the basis of the relationship to their Canadian citizen or permanent resident sponsor in Canada.

The Family Class applicant must be the sponsor's:

• spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner;
• dependent child, including a child adopted abroad;
• child under 18 to be adopted in Canada;
• parent or grandparent; or
• an orphaned child under 18 who is a brother, sister, niece, nephew or grandchild and is not a spouse or common-law partner

Protected person

A protected person can either be a Convention refugee or a person in need of protection.

Convention refugee
A Convention refugee is a person who is outside of their country of nationality or habitual residence and who is unable or unwilling to return to that country because of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, political opinion, nationality or membership in a particular social group.

Person in need of protection
A person in need of protection is a person in Canada whose removal to their country of nationality or former habitual residence would subject them to the possibility of torture, risk to life, or risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.