Off-Campus Work Permit Program and the Electronic Notification System

Appendix A – Definitions (glossary)

Accept
This function triggers the system to complete the transfer of verification to the institution that is accepting the transfer. This function is only found in Transfer IN requests.

Access Key
An Access Key is a unique electronic credential that allows the user to communicate securely with online-enabled Government of Canada services. Access Key has replaced e-pass.

Activity Status
There are eleven (11) Activity Statuses in ENS for the Off-Campus Work Permit line of business. These statuses define the status of the request. For a full list, please consult Appendix A.

OCWPP Annual Compliance Report
This list of students is provided to institutions. It lists all students that will need to be verified by the institution during the current year’s compliance reporting exercise. The list is populated on the 15th of October each year.

Annual Report on Ineligible Students for the OCWPP
This is the report that is submitted once a year by each of the institutions that participate in the Off-Campus Work Permit program. The report lists all students that were determined to be ineligible by their Designated Institutional Representative.

The compilation of all of the submitted reports will be provided to CIC.

Designated Institution Representative (DIR)
The primary Designated Institutional Representative is an employee of a participating institution who is responsible for implementing the OCWPP at the institution. This includes completing and signing verification requests, checking student academic eligibility for the OCWPP and reporting to the provincial/territorial coordinator regarding students who have become academically ineligible for the program.

Electronic Notification System (ENS)
The ENS is a system developed with the objective of facilitating information exchange between CIC and external partners, such as provincial/territorial governments and education institutions, and supporting several processes and programs.

Eligibility Verification Number (EVN)
This is the “Eligibility Verification Number”. It is the number that is produced by ENS to confirm that the student meets the initial eligibility requirements. It is the output of a successful Eligibility Verification or Eligibility Verification with transfer. This number is sent to the student via a message to the My CIC message box, and is required to continue with the Off-Campus Work Permit application. In the DIR Queue, this is a searchable field, to assist the DIRs in locating the appropriate record.

MyCIC
MyCIC is the student’s space on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website. MyCIC allows the student to apply online for an Off-Campus Work Permit, request verification of good standing from his school, and pay online for his application. The student can also use MyCIC to update his email address and view his correspondence with CIC.

Partner Portal
The Partner Portal is a secure Web portal allows external partners of CIC to access the Electronic Notification System (ENS).

Personal Identification Number (PIN)
The PIN is an alpha-numeric activation code. In the case of DIRs, it is provided to the user by CIC via registered mail. In the case of Signatories, it is provided to the user by the DIR for the institution.

Reject
This function triggers the system to discard all changes made to the request, and changes the status to “Rejected”. Where the information provided does not allow a positive identification of the student, the request should be rejected. The student will be advised to contact their DIR directly.

Request Types
There are four request Types in ENS. For a full list, please consult Appendix C.

Save
This function triggers the system to save all changes made to the request. The user can return to the request at any time. The save will not affect the expiry date. The request will only be saved until it expires.

Signatory
The employee of an OCWPP participating institution who works alongside a DIR and has been delegated authority by the DIR to verify students’ eligibility.

Appendix B – Basic System Information

This section introduces the ENS system requirements and its basic system functions.

Secure Web Browser

To ensure the information is kept secure and confidential, individuals must use a Web browser such as Internet Explorer that has 128-bit secure sockets layer encryption. When anyone is ready to send identification information, CIC’s servers will check the encryption to ensure that the browser used can do this. CIC has tested four Web browsers that are proven to work with this service:

  1. Internet Explorer 6.0
  2. Internet Explorer 7.0
  3. Safari 3.1

If any other type of browser software is used, check with the software supplier to make sure that the browser has 128-bit secure socket layer encryption capability.

Note: CIC is not responsible for any difficulties in downloading and installing software. Software suppliers are responsible for providing technical support.

Security

CIC is committed to respecting the personal privacy of individuals who visit our Web site. All personal information provided is protected under the Federal Privacy Act.

Information on this site is sent between the user’s computer and our servers in an encrypted format. To use these CIC Access Key services, browsers must use 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) 3.0 encryption.

Access Key

An Access Key is a unique electronic credential that allows the user to communicate securely with online-enabled Government of Canada services. Some of these services require enhanced security measures, as they involve exchanging confidential information over the Internet. An Access Key provides this enhanced security.

For more information concerning Access Key, refer to the Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) Access Key website.

Time-Outs

For security reasons, a time-out feature is applied to the Partner Portal and ENS. After 20 minutes of inactivity, the system will time-out and the user will be required to login again. Any action that refreshes the page (such as navigating to another page, submitting, saving or rejecting a request) will reset the time-out period. If the user navigates away from the Partner Portal or the ENS, the 20-minute time-out period will commence, regardless of activity.

Note: No warning will be provided prior to time-out. Any unsaved data will be lost.

De-linking of enrolment to Access Key

After three consecutive unsuccessful login attempts, the security within Access Key automatically de-links the enrolment credentials and requires the user to re-enrol in the Partner Portal.

Note: You will need to contact CIC to receive a new PIN. Once you receive your new PIN, you will be able to re-enrol into the Partner Portal.

Top Navigation Bar

The top navigation bar is visible on all pages within the Partner Portal and the Electronic Notification System (ENS). It allows the user to:

  • Français: Select “Français”, and the information you are viewing on the Web page will switch from English to French. Select “English”, and the information you are viewing on the Web page will switch from French to English.
  • Home: Select “Home”, you will be redirected to the Citizenship & Immigration Canada Home Page.
  • Contact Us: Select “Contact Us”, you will be redirected to a page that contains information on how to contact CIC.

Note: It is important to read the information carefully, to ensure that the appropriate contact is reached. Please refer to the document ENS-related Problems – Who to Contact, which can be found in the Partner Portal.

  • Help: Select “Help”, you will be redirected to CIC’s Help Page.
  • Search: Select “Search”, you will be redirected to the CIC’s main Search page. This Search is not specific to the Partner Portal or the ENS.

Note: This search cannot be used to find requests in the ENS DIR Queue.

  • Canada.gc.ca: Select “Canada.gc.ca” to be directed to the Government of Canada Home Page.