How to Choose a Licensed Immigration Consultant (and Avoid Fraud)

Every year, people lose money — and sometimes their chance to immigrate — to unlicensed “agents”. Before you share documents or pay a fee, take ten minutes to check who you are dealing with.

Who is allowed to charge you?

Under Canadian law, only these people can charge a fee to represent or advise you on an immigration or citizenship matter:

• Lawyers and paralegals who are members of a Canadian provincial or territorial law society
• Notaries who are members of the Chambre des notaires du Québec
• Licensed consultants regulated by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC)

RCIC vs. RCIC-IRB

A Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) can help with applications to IRCC — visas, permits, Express Entry and sponsorship. An RCIC-IRB has completed an additional specialization that allows them to represent clients before all four divisions of the Immigration and Refugee Board: refugee claims (RPD), refugee appeals (RAD), admissibility hearings and detention reviews (ID), and immigration appeals (IAD).

How to verify a licence

1. Ask for the consultant’s full name and licence number (it starts with “R”).
2. Search the public register on the CICC website.
3. Check that the status is “Active” and whether the licence includes IRB representation if you need it.

Questions to ask before you sign

• Will you be named as my representative on my application (form IMM 5476)?
• Can I have a written service agreement with fees and what’s included?
• Who will actually prepare my file?
• What happens if my application is refused?

Red flags

• Guaranteed visas or “special contacts” at IRCC
• Advice to give false information or hide a past refusal
• Refusal to appear as your representative on forms
• Pressure to pay immediately, in cash, or to a personal account

Bloomington Immigration Services is led by a licensed RCIC-IRB. You can verify our licence on the CICC register — and we always provide a written agreement before work begins. About us.