UCI (unique client identifier) is a unique number assigned by the Government of Canada to each individual seeking immigration services. The UCI is also referred to as the client identification number (client ID) sometime. The UCI helps the Canadian government to identify and track each individual’s immigration file and is used for both temporary and permanent residency applications. In Canadian immigration, the UCI is considered a personal identifier and protected by privacy laws.

This number can be found on official documents issued by the government and is either in the format of four digits followed by a hyphen and four more numbers (e.g. 0000-0000) or two numbers, a hyphen, four numbers, a hyphen, and four more numbers (e.g. 00-0000-0000). If you are applying for Canadian immigration services for the first time, you will not yet have a UCI. In such a case, when filling out forms that ask for your UCI, you should write “Not Applicable” or “N/A.” If you are applying online and the form does not allow you to enter “N/A,” leave the space blank.