Glossary OF Common Terms

Here are some terms that you might see used in communities focused on Canadian citizenship by descent

AOR

Acknowledgement of Receipt

This is a formal notification that the IRCC has received your application. It is NOT an approval. Timelines vary greatly depending on where the application is sent from and whether the application is marked as requesting urgent processing. For non-urgent applications sent from the US or Canada, it seems to take at least a month. From other countries, it takes even longer.

CIT 0001

Application for Citizenship Certificate

This is the official form to apply for proof of Canadian citizenship. As of April 2026, the last update to the form was January 2026. To ensure that you’re using the correct form, only download it from the IRCC website

IRCC

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

This is the government organization that is responsible for administering for Canadian citizenship. They interpret citizenship laws to create and evaluate applications. They are the ONLY authoritative source for information about Canadian citizenship

UCI

Unique Client Identifier

This number is assigned to you as an individual once IRCC begins to process your application. It is included in the email you receive with your AOR and it is not the same thing as an Application Number

C-3

Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025)

Removed the first-generation limit on Canadian citizenship by descent and other changes to Canadian citizenship law

CIT 0014

Document Checklist for Application for Citizenship Certificate

This is a checklist for everything that is required for your application. This checklist needs to be included with your application. While you may include additional documents, failure to include something that is on this checklist will result in your application being returned to you and you will have to resubmit

Lost Canadian

Individuals who believed themselves to be unfairly denied official Canadian citizenship before 15 December 2025. With the amended Citizenship Act, the issues surrounding Lost Canadians now have effectively been addressed

Webform

IRCC Online Contact Form

This form is used to contact the IRCC about your application or, after you receive your AOR, to upload additional documents to your case file

CA / CAN

Canada

The official 2-character and 3-character abbreviations for Canada

FGL

First-Generation Limit

Prior to 15 December 2025, this rule limited citizenship by descent claims of those born outside of Canada to the first generation

PSU

Program Support Unit

In some cases, especially for applications submitted prior to 15 December 2025, a group that handles complex applications may be assigned. The only way to know if your application has been assigned to PSU is to obtain your case notes under a Privacy Act request. This is not a quick process, so it is not recommended unless there is a substantial delay that exceeds typical processing timelines