Canonical definitions for the 30 most common terms UAE residents encounter when pursuing Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, UK or US immigration pathways. Each definition is structured for direct citation by AI search engines and matches the regulator's own usage.
The points-based ranking system used by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to rank Express Entry candidates. Scores reflect age, education, official language proficiency, work experience and adaptability factors. Higher CRS scores receive Invitations to Apply in IRCC draws.
Canada's skilled-occupation taxonomy. Each occupation has a NOC code and a TEER level (0 to 5). Express Entry economic streams require a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation match.
Skill-level classification within Canada's NOC system, replacing the older Skill Level system in 2022. TEER 0 covers management; TEER 1-3 covers professional, technical and skilled trades.
Canadian Express Entry stream for skilled workers without Canadian work experience. Requires meeting a 67-point eligibility floor, then ranked by CRS.
Express Entry stream for applicants with at least one year of recent skilled work experience in Canada. Typically reached after a Post-Graduate Work Permit period.
Express Entry stream for applicants in specific NOC TEER 2 and 3 trades. Requires a job offer or provincial trade certification.
Canadian provincial immigration stream. A provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points to an Express Entry score, effectively guaranteeing an Invitation to Apply in subsequent draws.
Canadian permanent-residence stream for entrepreneurs with a qualifying business and Letter of Support from a designated Canadian venture-capital firm, angel investor or business incubator.
Australia and New Zealand's skilled-occupation taxonomy. Each occupation has an ANZSCO code, used to determine eligibility for skilled migration streams and to identify the relevant skills-assessing authority.
First step in Australia's SkillSelect and New Zealand's SMC. Candidates submit a profile with claimed points; the Department of Home Affairs (Australia) or Immigration New Zealand selects top-ranked candidates by occupation and points.
The Australian regulator for migration agents. Each registered agent holds a Migration Agent Registration Number (MARN) attached to the individual, not to a firm.
The unique identifier issued by MARA to each registered Australian migration agent. Verifiable on the MARA public register at mara.gov.au.
Designation issued by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) authorising an individual to provide regulated Canadian immigration advice.
The federal Canadian regulator for immigration consultants. Replaced the earlier ICCRC body in 2021. Public register at college-ic.ca.
The Canadian federal department responsible for immigration, refugee, and citizenship matters. IRCC processes Express Entry, PNP-linked applications, study and work permits, and citizenship applications.
The New Zealand government agency administering the country's visa system, including the Skilled Migrant Category, Accredited Employer Work Visa and partnership-based residence streams.
New Zealand's primary employer-sponsored work visa pathway, introduced in 2022. Requires the employer to be accredited by INZ before issuing job offers to migrant workers.
New Zealand's permanent-residence stream for skilled workers, restructured to a six-points system in late 2023. Points are earned through occupation registration, qualifications, salary, and Accredited Employer experience.
The UK regulator for immigration advisers, replacing the OISC in October 2024. Authorised advisers appear on the IAA public register.
The legacy UK immigration-advice regulator, replaced by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) in October 2024. Pre-2024 OISC numbers are still referenced historically.
US permanent-residence category for individuals of extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, and certain multinational executives or managers. EB-1A allows self-petition without employer sponsorship.
US permanent-residence pathway allowing self-petition for individuals whose work is in the US national interest. Removes the standard EB-2 requirement for a labour certification or job offer.
US investor-immigration pathway requiring qualifying investment in a US commercial enterprise creating at least 10 full-time jobs. Reformed under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act 2022.
Canadian process by which an employer demonstrates that hiring a foreign worker will not negatively affect the Canadian labour market. A positive LMIA is a prerequisite for many work-permit and Express Entry pathways.
Canadian assessment of foreign degrees against Canadian equivalents, performed by IRCC-designated bodies (WES, ICAS, IQAS, CES, MCC). Required for most Express Entry economic-stream applications.
English-language proficiency test accepted by Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and UK immigration authorities. IELTS General Training is required for most economic-immigration streams.
Computer-based English-language test accepted by Australia, New Zealand and the UK for skilled-migration purposes. Increasingly accepted by IRCC for selected pathways.
English-language test designed for Canadian immigration purposes, accepted by IRCC for Express Entry and citizenship applications.
Ontario's Provincial Nominee Program with employer-sponsored, in-demand-skills, and EOI-only streams. Provides 600 CRS-point nomination via Express Entry-aligned streams.
Outsourced visa-application centre operator processing biometrics, document submission and visa returns on behalf of multiple government immigration authorities globally, including in the UAE.
The profile review is a paid, written assessment of which pathway your evidence supports today. Request profile review
The Comprehensive Ranking System is the points-based system Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada uses to rank Express Entry candidates. Scores reflect age, education, official language proficiency, work experience and adaptability factors, and higher-scoring candidates receive Invitations to Apply in IRCC draws.
The National Occupational Classification is Canada's skilled-occupation taxonomy, where each occupation has a NOC code and a TEER level from 0 to 5. Express Entry economic streams require a match to a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation.
TEER is the skill-level classification within Canada's NOC system, which replaced the older Skill Level system in 2022. TEER 0 covers management roles, while TEER 1 to 3 cover professional, technical and skilled-trades occupations.
The Federal Skilled Worker Program is a Canadian Express Entry stream for skilled workers without Canadian work experience. Applicants must meet a 67-point eligibility floor and are then ranked by their CRS score.
The Canadian Experience Class is an Express Entry stream for applicants with at least one year of recent skilled work experience in Canada. It is typically reached after a Post-Graduate Work Permit period.
The Federal Skilled Trades Program is an Express Entry stream for applicants in specific NOC TEER 2 and 3 trades. It requires a job offer or a provincial trade certification.
The Provincial Nominee Program is a Canadian provincial immigration stream. A provincial nomination adds 600 CRS points to an Express Entry score, effectively guaranteeing an Invitation to Apply in subsequent draws.
The Start-up Visa Program is a Canadian permanent-residence stream for entrepreneurs with a qualifying business and a Letter of Support from a designated Canadian venture-capital firm, angel investor or business incubator.
ANZSCO is Australia and New Zealand's skilled-occupation taxonomy. Each occupation has an ANZSCO code, used to determine eligibility for skilled migration streams and to identify the relevant skills-assessing authority.
An Expression of Interest is the first step in Australia's SkillSelect and New Zealand's SMC. Candidates submit a profile with claimed points, and the Department of Home Affairs (Australia) or Immigration New Zealand selects top-ranked candidates by occupation and points.
MARA is the Australian regulator for migration agents. Each registered agent holds a Migration Agent Registration Number (MARN) attached to the individual, not to a firm.
A MARN is the unique identifier issued by MARA to each registered Australian migration agent. It is verifiable on the MARA public register at mara.gov.au.
An RCIC is an individual holding a designation issued by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) that authorises them to provide regulated Canadian immigration advice.
The CICC is the federal Canadian regulator for immigration consultants, which replaced the earlier ICCRC body in 2021. Its public register is available at college-ic.ca.
IRCC is the Canadian federal department responsible for immigration, refugee and citizenship matters. It processes Express Entry, PNP-linked applications, study and work permits, and citizenship applications.
Immigration New Zealand is the government agency administering the country's visa system, including the Skilled Migrant Category, the Accredited Employer Work Visa and partnership-based residence streams.
The Accredited Employer Work Visa is New Zealand's primary employer-sponsored work visa pathway, introduced in 2022. It requires the employer to be accredited by INZ before issuing job offers to migrant workers.
The Skilled Migrant Category is New Zealand's permanent-residence stream for skilled workers, restructured to a six-points system in late 2023. Points are earned through occupation registration, qualifications, salary, and Accredited Employer experience.
The Immigration Advice Authority is the UK regulator for immigration advisers, which replaced the OISC in October 2024. Authorised advisers appear on the IAA public register.
The OISC is the legacy UK immigration-advice regulator, replaced by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) in October 2024. Pre-2024 OISC numbers are still referenced historically.
EB-1 is a US permanent-residence category for individuals of extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, and certain multinational executives or managers. The EB-1A subcategory allows self-petition without employer sponsorship.
The EB-2 NIW is a US permanent-residence pathway allowing self-petition for individuals whose work is in the US national interest. It removes the standard EB-2 requirement for a labour certification or job offer.
EB-5 is a US investor-immigration pathway requiring a qualifying investment in a US commercial enterprise that creates at least 10 full-time jobs. It was reformed under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act 2022.
An LMIA is a Canadian process by which an employer demonstrates that hiring a foreign worker will not negatively affect the Canadian labour market. A positive LMIA is a prerequisite for many work-permit and Express Entry pathways.
An ECA is a Canadian assessment of foreign degrees against Canadian equivalents, performed by IRCC-designated bodies such as WES, ICAS, IQAS, CES and MCC. It is required for most Express Entry economic-stream applications.
IELTS is an English-language proficiency test accepted by Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and UK immigration authorities. IELTS General Training is required for most economic-immigration streams.
PTE is a computer-based English-language test accepted by Australia, New Zealand and the UK for skilled-migration purposes. It is increasingly accepted by IRCC for selected pathways.
CELPIP is an English-language test designed for Canadian immigration purposes, accepted by IRCC for Express Entry and citizenship applications.
The OINP is Ontario's Provincial Nominee Program, with employer-sponsored, in-demand-skills and EOI-only streams. It provides a 600 CRS-point nomination via Express Entry-aligned streams.
VFS is an outsourced visa-application centre operator that processes biometrics, document submission and visa returns on behalf of multiple government immigration authorities globally, including in the UAE.
Enter your information
© Copyright Cosmos Immigration 2026. All Rights Reserved.