Who is an immigration consultant?

An immigration consultant is an individual or organisation you hire to provide advice, guidance, or support in completing and submitting immigration or citizenship applications. Not everyone is authorised to offer these services and, in countries like Canada, the profession is highly regulated. The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), previously known as the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC), regulates consultants who offer citizenship and immigration consulting services for Canada. Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCIC) are authorised by the CICC to charge a fee to provide advice, representation, or to submit your Canadian immigration application on your behalf. The CICC also regulates qualified student immigration advisors, known as Regulated International Student Immigration Advisors (RISIA), who offer guidance and support specifically for study permit applications, but cannot submit applications for you. To become an RCIC or RISIA and register with the CICC, consultants must meet certain academic requirements, complete a one-year certification program, and pass the Entry-to-Practice Exam (EPE). Only Canadian permanent residents and citizens are allowed to appear for the Entry-to-Practice exam, but they are free to practice in other countries after getting certified. In addition to immigration consultants, immigration lawyers can also offer advice and representation for temporary visas, PR, and citizenship applications for Canada. Immigration lawyers are not regulated by CICC. However, they need to have a law degree and must be registered with the Canadian Bar Association and a Canadian province.

What services do immigration consultants or lawyers offer?

Many people choose to hire an immigration consultant to help with their temporary residence, permanent residence (PR), or citizenship applications. Authorised immigration consultants and immigration lawyers can charge a fee to provide you with some or all of the below services:

• Explain or give advice on immigration options: The best immigration consultants will typically help you understand the various Canadian immigration programs you can apply for, including their eligibility criteria, application process, required documentation, and fees.
• Help you choose the ideal program for you: Based on your qualifications, age, work experience, and other factors, an immigration consultant can help you identify immigration programs you are likely to qualify for. They cannot, however, provide any guarantee as to whether your application will be approved. For instance, if you want to apply for PR through Express Entry, but your estimated score is low, they may advise you to apply for a temporary program you have a better chance of qualifying for, such as a study permit.
• Submit your immigration application on your behalf: Authorised RCICs can also fill out and submit study permit, work permit, permanent residence, and Canadian citizenship applications for you. When you hire a consultant to submit your application on your behalf, you will need to share your personal information and essential documents with them. A consultant can also review any applications you’ve filled yourself and make sure you’re not missing out on any crucial information or paperwork.
• Communicate with the government of Canada on your behalf, if needed: When you apply for immigration, the government may send you communication regarding any further action that is required for your application, such as submission of additional documents. You may also need to contact them for more information on your application processing status. An authorised immigration consultant can act as your representative and manage such communication on your behalf.

In rare cases, immigration or citizenship applications may be subject to a legal hearing. This typically only happens if there’s evidence you’ve misrepresented information or may be inadmissible to Canada due to criminality or other reasons. In such cases, an immigration lawyer, unlike an immigration consultant, can represent you in a Canadian court of law.

Eight red flags to watch out for when hiring an immigration consultant

Hiring the wrong immigration consultant can seriously damage your chances of qualifying for immigration to Canada. During your search, it’s important to watch out for signs a consultant is not being honest with you. If you come across any of the following red flags, it’s best to find another consultant to help with your application:

• Reluctance to verify their authenticity: If an immigration consultant refuses to share their CICC identification number (or provincial law association listing, in the case of an immigration lawyer) or provide references you can contact, they may be running an unauthorised business.
• Inability to fill and submit an application on your behalf: Authorised RCICs and immigration lawyers are allowed to act as your representative and submit Canadian immigration applications on your behalf. If your consultant tells you that they can only guide you but can’t submit the application for you, they may not be licensed by the CICC. The only exception is RISIAs, who are only permitted to offer advice on study permit applications and cannot fill applications on your behalf.
• Contract terms that seem too good to be true: For instance, if a consultant asks for a fee that’s much lower than usual in your region, it could be a scam. In some cases, fraudulent consultants may also misrepresent their services, such as by advertising immigration services as free or quoting a lower price and then asking for more money to complete your application.
• Guarantees regarding your application: While immigration consultants and lawyers usually know from experience which applications are likely to get accepted, they cannot provide any guarantees. Similarly, if a consultant guarantees you’ll get a job offer or admission into a Canadian university or asks for money in exchange for a job in Canada, it’s likely fraud.
• Encouraging you to provide false information: Avoid consultants who ask you to misrepresent facts or provide false information or documents for your application. Lying on your application is a punishable offence and, even if your application gets approved, you can be denied entry into Canada or deported.
• Refusal to provide a written contract: Do not make any payments to an immigration consultant before you’ve received a written contract and verified its terms. Any consultant who refuses to give you a signed contract may be trying to scam you.
• Asking you to sign blank documents or documents you haven’t read: Never sign blank paperwork, documents you haven’t read, or don’t understand. If the documents your immigration consultant asks you to sign are in a language you don’t understand, ask someone you trust to translate them for you or hire an impartial translator.
• Irregular payment terms: Not getting a signed receipt for payments or being asked to pay in cash, by wire transfer, Paypal, or other hard-to-trace methods can be signs of fraud. Legitimate immigration consultants should accept payments through bank transfers or cheques. It’s also a good idea to ask your consultant to clearly specify the application fee for the immigration program you’re applying to and for their services. You can then verify the immigration application fee online to ensure you’re not being cheated.