The following are eligible for CIC funded programs:  Permanent Residents of Canada (This includes persons who have been determined to be Convention Refugees or persons in similar circumstances under a visa application and who become permanent residents under the visa application ).  Protected persons as defined in Section 95 of IRPA: - Persons determined by the Immigration and Refugee Board (Refugee Protection Division) to be Convention Refugees. - Persons determined by the Immigration and Refugee Board (Refugee Protection Division) to be Persons in need of protection. - Persons for whom the minister has allowed an application for protection (successful PreRemoval Risk Assessment); and - Persons determined to be Convention Refugees, or persons in similar circumstances (Asylum Class or Source Country Class) under a visa application and who became temporary residents, under a Temporary Resident Permit, for protection reasons.  Persons in Canada whose applications for Permanent Resident status are being processed in Canada and who have been informed by a letter from Citizenship and Immigration Canada of the initial approval of their application subject to an admissibility assessment: - Applicants for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds; - Members of the Spouse or Common-Law Partners in Canada Class; - Members of the Temporary Resident Permit Holders Class; - Members of the Temporary Protected Person Class; - Members of the Canadian Experience Class; and - Any other classes as determined by the IRPA Regulations (for persons whose applications are processed in Canada)

Proof of eligibility for CIC programs Newcomers wishing to participate in a language training program must provide to the assessment centre the documents that are necessary to enable verification and confirmation of eligibility. A sample list of documentary evidence that a prospective client may be asked to produce for determination of eligibility includes, but is not limited to, the following:  Record of Landing (IMM 1000)  Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292 or IMM 5509)  Permanent Resident Card  Letters from Citizenship and Immigration Canada informing clients of the initial approval of their application for Permanent Residence subject to an admissibility assessment  Notice of Decision Letters issued by the Immigration and Refugee Board (Refugee Protection Division) confirming that the individual has been determined to be a Convention Refugee.  Letters issued by CIC indicating that an individual’s application for protection has been allowed (successful Pre-Removal Risk Assessment).  Work or Study Permits that include a notation indicating initial approval of a concurrent Application for Permanent Residence. The Work or Study Permit must have words like “Initial Approval of PR” written on it.

Immigration Category Notes

Note:  To be eligible for the LINC program applicants must be of legal school-leaving age (18 years old in Ontario).  Refugee claimants are not eligible for CIC-funded language training.  Canadian citizens are not eligible for CIC-funded language training.  Live-in Caregivers are not eligible for CIC-funded language training.

Questions and Answers to Clarify Eligibility and Proof of Eligibility: Basic Immigration information about Temporary Residents: 

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Temporary Residents include Visitors, Students, and Workers. The general rule is that a person has to apply for a visa or a permit abroad before coming to Canada in order to enter Canada as a tourist, as a student, or as a worker, unless authorized under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). The exceptions to this requirement are: o Visitor (Tourist) – nationals of some countries can enter Canada without a Visitor visa – for example France o Students – children of persons under a study or work permit can study in Canada without a study permit. o Workers - There are some occupations that do not need a work permit – e.g. diplomat o Temporary Resident Permit – special permit to allow people, who are otherwise inadmissible to Canada, to enter Canada temporarily for that specific time, such as: rock stars, athletes, politicians.

Are Temporary Residents and Work Permit permits holders ineligible for assessment for CIC programs? Temporary Residents and Work permit holders, as described above (people who are here only temporarily) are not eligible for assessment or language training because they are here only temporarily. But people who have also been determined to be a protected person, or who have applied for Permanent Resident processing from within Canada may also have a temporary resident permit, a study permit, or a work permit. They are eligible for assessment and language training only because they ALSO have a:  Letter from Citizenship and Immigration Canada informing them of the initial approval of their application for Permanent Residence subject to an admissibility assessment  Notice of Decision Letters issued by the Immigration and Refugee Board (Refugee Protection Division) confirming that the individual has been determined to be a Convention Refugee.  Letters issued by CIC indicating that an individual’s application for protection has been allowed (successful Pre-Removal Risk Assessment).  Think of it as a 1 + 1 rule – a work permit or study permit plus the letter from CIC or the IRB.

Are Temporary Foreign Workers' Permits the same as Work Permits? Yes

Immigration Category Notes

Who are Protected Persons? Persons are determined to be “Protected” either in Canada or overseas: In Canada, persons are determined to be in need of protection either by the Immigration and Refugee Board (Refugee Protection Division) or when the Minister allows an application for protection during a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) recognizes the plight of foreign nationals who have reached Canada in their efforts to escape persecution in their country of origin or former habitual residence. These people are eligible for CIC funded language assessment, referral, and training. Foreign nationals who have been granted protected person status in Canada may wish to make an application for permanent residence for themselves and their family members Overseas, persons are determined to be in need of protection under the Urgent Protection Program (UP). The principal objective of the Urgent Protection Program is to ensure that Canada is able to respond to requests from the UNHCR and other partners, to provide urgent protection to persons who qualify for resettlement and who are in need of urgent protection because of immediate threats to life, liberty or physical safety. Whenever possible, the person should be en route to Canada within 3 to 5 days of referral to the visa office. Resettlement in urgent protection cases is undertaken as a priority where there is no other way to guarantee the security of the person concerned. Resettlement in these cases is the best and often the only protection response. If not protected, their life, liberty or physical safety is under immediate threat and if not protected, the person is likely to be: (a) killed; (b) subject to violence, torture, sexual assault, abduction or arbitrary imprisonment; or (c) returned to their country of nationality or of their former habitual residence (where they still face a well-founded fear of persecution, etc.). The immediacy of the threat faced by the refugee necessitates their removal from the threatening conditions within a few days. Are Live-in Caregivers eligible for CIC programs? Live-in Caregivers are eligible for CIC settlement services but not for CIC funded language assessment or language training. Are members of the Canadian Experience Class eligible for CIC language assessment and training? In order to be eligible, people applying under this class must either have their Letter from Citizenship and Immigration Canada informing them of the initial approval of their application for Permanent Residence subject to an admissibility assessment or have received the Permanent Resident Card or Confirmation of Permanent Residence Document. I've seen Work Permits and Study Permits and Temporary Foreign Worker Permits with the words "Initial Approval of PR" written on them. Are these documents acceptable for proof of eligibility for CIC funded language assessment and training? It’s not that the work permit in itself is acceptable, it’s that the work/study permit also says “Initial Approval of PR” that makes it acceptable as proof of eligibility for language assessment and training.

Immigration Category Notes

The words “Initial Approval of PR” is the immigration officer’s short way of saying that the newcomer has initial approval of his/her application for Permanent Residence (PR) subject to an admissibility assessment. (The newcomer has applied for the work or study permit while he is waiting for his concurrent Application for Permanent Residence to be processed.) In this case you don’t have to follow the 1 + 1 rule (mentioned above) because the immigration officer has written it right on the Work Permit. If any other work or study permits have those words “Initial Approval of PR” (or similar wording) written on them, then you can use them as proof of eligibility for CIC language assessment and training. POLICY GUIDELINES FOR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES TO GOVERNMENT ASSISTED REFUGEES (GARS) AND PRIVATELY SPONSORED REFUGEES (PSRS) This policy guideline has been updated to reflect Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) GAR & PSR immigrant categories.

LINC Assessment Centres and LINC Training Providers are reminded that GARs and PSRs must be given priority access to Language Assessment and Referral and LINC Training as outlined in Schedule 1 of their Contribution Agreement. HARTs allows users to identify (flag) GARs and PSRs. The following table will assist you in identifying these permanent residents so that they are accorded priority access to services:

How to Identify Government Assisted and Privately Sponsored Refugees Convention Refugees Government Assisted Refugees

Privately Sponsored Refugees

CR1 CR4 (Self Supporting – no income support) CR5 (Joint Assistance Sponsorship – JAS)

CR 3, CRC, CRS, CRG, CRX

Humanitarian Protected Persons Abroad : Country of Asylum Class Government Assisted Refugees

Privately Sponsored Refugees

RA 4 (Self Supporting – no income support) RA5 (Joint Assisstance Sponsorship – JAS)

RA 3, RAC, RAS, RAG, RAX

Humanitarian Protected Persons Abroad : Source Country Class Government Assisted Refugee RS 1 RS4 ((Self Supporting – no income support) RS 5 (Joint Assistance Sponsorship – JAS) NOTE:

Privately Sponsored Refugees RS3, RSC, RSS, RSG, RSX

Immigration Category Notes

If included on a language assessment or language training waitlist GARs and PSRs should be the first ones to be placed when space becomes available.

Immigration Category Codes