CIC

Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Credential
Assessment

The evaluation of degrees earned at foreign educational institutions to establish equivalency with similar degrees in the Canadian context.

First Official Language Spoken

A derived language variable that combines answers from questions on knowledge of official languages, mother tongue and home language.

Immigrants

Refers to persons with the status of permanent resident in the year indicated where CIC data is used. When the data is census-based it refers to persons who were born outside Canada and are, or have been, permanent residents in Canada.

Official language minority community (OLMC)

A community whose official language is not the language of the majority community.

Mother Tongue

Refers to the first language a person learned at home in childhood and still understands. Some people may declare that they learned two or more languages simultaneously.

Official Language Knowledge

Official language knowledge refers to the ability of a person to conduct a conversation in English only, in French only, in both English and French or in neither English nor French.

Provincial Nominee Program

Agreements between CIC and individual provinces/territories to facilitate the selection of immigrants by a province/ territory, allowing greater flexibility for specific needs to be addressed. Provinces/territories establish their own criteria and processes to nominate immigrants.

Regulatory body, regulated and unregulated occupations

Approximately 20 percent of occupations in Canada are regulated, mostly to protect the health and safety of the public (e.g. nurses, engineers, teachers, and electricians). Immigrants who wish to work in regulated occupations need to obtain a license from a provincial regulatory body, usually a professional association. Licensing requirements often include education from a recognized school, Canadian work experience and/or completion of a technical exam. Unregulated professions are those occupations that may be practised without licensing.

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