CIC/IRCC abbreviations are explained & what they (AIP SA DM etc...) mean during spousal sponsorship

[barsarah]

A small contribution back to the forum/community and as some people may find it useful, especially if you are new into the process.., here are all the abbreviations and their meanings that I came across during our spousal sponsorship application process:

CIC/IRCC: Citizenship and Immigration Canada rebranded itself as Immigrations, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in late 2015 and early 2016.
PR: Permanent Resident or Residence
PA: Principal Applicant (a foreigner who is being sponsored to live in Canada)
Sponsor: A Canadian or Canadian PR who is sponsoring a foreigner to live in Canada
AOR: Acknowledgment of Receipt (very first contact/email from CIC/IRCC saying they have your app - most get it but some don't - if you get it, your application is considered all complete and it is not going to be returned to you for any missing information or signatures)
MR: Medical Request (comes at different times for each person, no effect on timeline)
BGC: Background check (criminality, misrepresentation, security and documents check - takes the longest in the process - usually 3 to 6 months)
SA: Sponsor Approval (comes early for Outland and towards the end for Inland)
AIP: Approved in Principle (first stage approval for Inland Applicants but pretty much guarantees your PR, happens towards the end)
DM: Decision Made (happens towards the end, could be either positive or negative but mostly you'd get a procedural fairness letter before DM to prove yourself if it was a negative DM, see: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/service-delivery/procedural-fairness.html for more details)
OWP: Open Work Permit
SOWP: Spousal Open Work Permit (has nothing to do with Spousal Sponsorship - it's for the spouses of international students who wants to work and live in Canada while their spouses are studying)
CSQ: Certificat de sélection du Québec (only for those who will reside in Québec)
eCAS: E-Client Application Status (I will proved more info later: https://services3.cic.gc.ca/ecas/authenticate.do)
GCKey: Government Canada Key - government managed service that uses electronic credentials (usernames and passwords) so you can access federal government services online (i.e MyCIC, CRA and other online-services)
MyCIC: Online access to your CIC/IRCC account using your GCKey (was initially introduced to replace eCAS but now both run independently from each other)
PPR: Passport Request (for outland apps only)
MP: Member of Parliament (I will update this with more info later but basically s/he is legally allowed to access and/or request detailed information/review/actions on your file more than the applicants/sponsors can obtain themselves)
VO: Visa office
TRV: Temporary Resident Visa, also known as Visitor Visa (for visitors from visa-non-exempt countries)
eTA: Electronic Travel Authorization. It is not a Visa and does not give status. It's for those from Visa Exempt countries who are flying to Canada.
FLAG-POLING: The process of applicants living within Canada (but applied for outland sponsorship) going to the nearest land border to obtain CoPR by neither exiting Canada nor entering the USA.
POE: Point of Entry (customs office where you initially entered Canada - i.e airports and/or land border crossings)
CBSA: Canada Border Services Agency (an agency that facilitates and controls the flow of travellers and trades - incoming, outgoing and already entered and/or staying legally and illegally)
UCI: Unique Client Identifier (this number never changes. Stays with you from the first contact with CIC/IRCC for tourist, student, and/or work visa, PR and/or citizenship)
GSMS Note: Global Case Management System note (will provide more information later but this is basically a tool for CIC/IRCC agents and officers to leave a note/share/exchange information about your application. You can request this note under the Access to Information Act (ATI) for $5 through https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/transparency/access-information-privacy/requests-information-act.html - requesting this note is sometimes believed to expedite the process of your application)
PRE-ARRIVAL SERVICES LETTER: letter showing services available to help you settle in Canada. Has no bearing on your timeline.
LANDING INTERVIEW: The interview when you get your Permanent Residency (for inland applicants only)
RELATIONSHIP INTERVIEW: Different than landing interview, happens during BGC to clarify information gaps, possible misrepresentation, red flags etc. and also to make sure that no marriage fraud or marriage of convenience is taking place to get spousal PR
CoPR: Confirmation of Permanent Residence (the document you receive when you become a PR during Landing Interview, Flag-poling or at initial border crossing at POE)
IVR: Interactive Voice Response system (the selection you go through and responses you hear when you dial the CIC/IRCC 1-888 Call Centre number)

Lemme know if you have anything else need explaining and/or LIKE and SHARE if it was useful or informative to you in any way

 

[Aiesline]

When I first started this process I looked so hard for a post like this.

Thank you for taking the time to do this. It should be stickied in my opinion.

 

[zardoz]

One correction about flag-poling. Legally, you do leave Canada and attempt to enter the USA, but are administratively refused past the border, effectively being returned to Canada.
Second correction : GCMS not GSMS. Simple typo.
Third correction : POE is Port of Entry normally but are used interchangeably.