beneficiaries

Beneficiaries are the people or organizations that you leave something to in your will.

The people who get your property if you die without a will are also called beneficiaries.

estate trustee

An estate trustee is someone who:

• distributes your property after you die
• handles your personal affairs after you die by arranging your funeral, paying your debts, and filing your final income tax return.

An estate trustee is sometimes called an executor or personal representative.

If you do not name a person to be your...

revoke

When a will or Power of Attorney is cancelled or revoked, it's no longer valid. It's as if you never made it. If you do certain things, your will or Power of Attorney is automatically revoked. For example, your will is revoked if you destroy it. And your Power of Attorney is revoked if you make a Notice of Revocation or a new Power of Attorney.

Designated offence

The Criminal Code identifies certain crimes as designated offences because of the seriousness and circumstances of these types of crimes. Designated offences are usually violent or serious drug related offences. If you’re convicted of a designated offence, you can be ordered to give a DNA sample for the National DNA Data Bank.

Plea bargain

A plea bargain is an offer made by the Crown in exchange for a guilty plea. It’s called a “plea bargain” because, if you plead guilty instead of having a trial, you can ask the Crown to drop some of the charges against you, or you can ask for a lighter sentence.

humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) grounds

Sometimes people can ask for an exception to immigration rules because they have what are called humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

The grounds, or reasons, can be almost anything that makes others feel compassion for the person making the application or a child they're close to. The reasons often include hardship that they would face if...

port of entry

A port of entry is a place where people can enter Canada. Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) decides if a person can come into the country.

Ports of entry include international airports, land border crossings, such as border crossings from the United States, and maritime ports, such as the ports at Vancouver and Halifax.

designated foreign national

Designated foreign nationals are members of a group of people who:

• arrive in Canada together, and
• are called an "irregular arrival" by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

This can happen, for example, if the Minister suspects that they have been brought to Canada through human smuggling or...

foreign national

A foreign national is anyone who is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. For example, a refugee claimant, a visitor, or a person in Canada without any immigration status is a foreign national.

abandoned refugee claim

The Refugee Protection Division (RPD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board can decide, at a special hearing, that a refugee claimant has "abandoned" their claim. This means that the claimant loses the right to make their claim. This could happen if a claimant does not follow all the rules about making a refugee claim. For example, they do not...