What is your status in Canada?
ISSofBC offers a range of programs and services to support newcomers, but eligibility depends on your immigration status.
This Resource explains the various definitions ISSofBC uses when checking eligibility for our programs. If you are unsure about your status in Canada, we hope that this Resource will help you understand which programs can support you.
Below, you will find explanations of different immigration statuses, including:
- Asylum Seekers
- CUAET (Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel)
- Provincial Nominees
- Naturalized Canadian Citizens
- Non-Immigrant Foreign Caregivers
- Permanent Resident
- Post-secondary International Students
- Protected Person/Refugee
- Refugee Claimants
- Temporary Foreign Workers
Asylum Seekers
An asylum seeker is someone who asks Canada for refugee protection because they cannot safely return to their home country due to a well-founded fear of persecution, torture, or serious harm.
- ISSofBC services that can support you:
- BC NSP
- BC SAFE HAVEN (Excluding formal language, employment, and short-term emergency accommodations).
CUAET (Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel)
The Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) lets Ukrainians and their families stay, work, and study in Canada temporarily until it is safe to return home.
As of March 30, 2025, CUAET visa holders are not eligible for ISSofBC English language (LINC) or career support programs that are funded by the IRCC (such as Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants). CUAET visa holders are still eligible for provincially funded programs like our BC Newcomer Support Program.
Provincial Nominees – British Columbia
A Provincial Nominee is an individual selected by a province or territory to immigrate as a permanent resident through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) because they possess skills needed for the local economy. Depending on the region’s needs, PNP streams focus on students, business people, and skilled or semi-skilled workers.
ISSofBC programs that can support you:
Naturalized Canadian Citizens
A naturalized Canadian citizen is someone who was not born a Canadian citizen but became one through the formal naturalization process. This typically involves first becoming a permanent resident and then completing the requirements to be granted citizenship.
ISSofBC programs that can support you:
- BC NSP
- MY Circle
- Newcomer Women Support
- Senior Newcomer Support
- Volunteering and Community Connections
- LCC
- B-Hired
- Global Talent Loans
- Skills Hub
Non-Immigrant Foreign Caregivers
Non-immigrant Foreign Caregivers are workers hired from outside Canada under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) to provide full-time care for children, seniors, or persons with medical needs when no Canadians are available. These caregivers must meet government requirements and may work as nannies, home support workers, or nurses on a live-in or live-out basis.
ISSofBC programs that can support you:
Permanent Residents
A permanent resident (PR) is someone who has been granted PR status in Canada through immigration but is not a citizen. PRs can live, work, and study anywhere in Canada and receive most social benefits, including healthcare and legal protections. However, they cannot vote, run for office, or hold certain security-sensitive jobs. They must have been in Canada for at least 730 days to keep their status over the last five years.
ISSofBC programs that can support you:
Post-secondary International Students
Post-secondary International Students are individuals from outside Canada with a study permit to attend a designated learning institution (DLI) at the post-secondary level. They must actively pursue their studies, follow permit conditions, and respect work, medical, or travel restrictions on the permit. If they stop qualifying as students, they must leave Canada when their permit expires.
ISSofBC programs that can support you:
Protected Person or Refugee
A Protected Person or Refugee in Canada is someone granted protection under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Refugees flee their home country due to persecution based on factors like race, religion, or political views.
A protected person is someone who has been determined by Canadian authorities to be either a Convention Refugee or a person in need of protection. The second category includes individuals who may not meet the exact criteria of a Convention Refugee but are still considered to be in a refugee-like situation as defined by Canadian law. This may include those at risk of torture, cruel treatment, or life-threatening harm if they return to their home country.
ISSofBC programs that can support you:
- Settlement Support
- BC NSP
- MAP Case Management
- MY Circle
- Newcomer Women Support
- Senior Newcomer Support
- Volunteering and Community Connections
- LCC
- LINC
- B-Hired
- Career Paths for Skilled Immigrants
- Global Talent Loans
- Skills Hub
Refugee Claimants
A refugee claimant is a person who has made a claim for protection as a refugee and is waiting for a decision on their claim from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.
This term is somewhat equivalent to asylum-seeker and is standard in Canada, while asylum-seeker is the term more often used internationally.
ISSofBC programs that can support you:
Temporary Foreign Workers
A Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) is a foreign national hired temporarily when no qualified Canadians are available. They can work under two programs:
1. Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP): includes streams like high-wage, low-wage, agriculture, Global Talent Stream, and Caregiver Program. Employers must obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to prove hiring a TFW won’t negatively impact the Canadian labour market.
2. International Mobility Program (IMP): This program covers work permits exempt from LMIAs and focuses on broader economic or cultural benefits. It includes international graduates and is larger than the TFWP.
ISSofBC programs that can support you:
