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How to check an immigration consultant is licensed in Canada
The short answer
Only three kinds of representative may charge for Canadian immigration advice: a consultant licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, a lawyer or Quebec notary who is a member in good standing of a provincial law society, or an Ontario paralegal. Check the College's Public Register, and read the Entitled to Practise column rather than simply finding the name.
On this page
IRCC puts the stakes in one sentence: you are responsible for all the information in your application, even if a representative completes it for you. Whoever fills in the form, the refusal and the ban attach to you. That is the entire reason to spend ten minutes checking before you pay anyone.
Who may legally charge you
Three categories, and no others.
- A consultant licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship ConsultantsMay charge
- A lawyer or Quebec notary in good standingMay charge
- A paralegal licensed by the Law Society of OntarioMay charge
- An unpaid friend or family memberUnpaid only
- Anyone else taking a feeNot allowed
IRCC’s own instruction is blunt about what to do with the answer: if they are not members in good standing, you should not use their services.
The register is not a yes or no
This is where most checks stop too early. Finding the name proves the person exists in the system. It does not prove they may work.
Read the Entitled to Practise column
The College is explicit: only RCICs and RISIAs marked Yes in the Entitled to Practise column can legally provide immigration advice or services, and anyone marked No cannot. People remain listed while suspended, resigned or on leave. A screenshot of a name on the register is not evidence of anything by itself.
Two statuses are compatible with practising. Active means a licensee in good standing, authorised to provide services. Active, Practice Restricted means a licensee whose practice has been restricted by an interim order or a disciplinary finding, with the specific restriction listed beside the status. The second one is still allowed to work, and the restriction is the part worth reading closely.
The statuses that mean no
Seven statuses come with No in the Entitled to Practise column, and a few of them are worth recognising on sight.
Leave of Absence
Resigned
Resigned, Called to the Bar
Resigned, While Under Investigation
Administrative Suspension
Administrative Revocation
Disciplinary Suspension
RCIC is not the only licence
The register’s Type column carries five classes, and they do not all mean the same thing. Someone described as “licensed by the College” could hold any of them.
RCIC, the full scope
- Class L1: newly licensed, mentoring programme not yet completed, same full scope as L2
- Class L2: full scope of practice
- Class L3, RCIC-IRB: L2 scope plus representation before the Immigration and Refugee Board
RISIA, a narrower licence
- Class L4: licensed on or after 1 July 2022, mentoring programme not yet completed
- Class L5: licensed before 1 July 2022, or mentoring completed
- A Regulated International Student Immigration Advisor, aimed at advising international students
One consequence is easy to miss. A Class L2 RCIC cannot practise before the Immigration and Refugee Board unless they are also a paralegal licensed by the Law Society of Ontario. If your matter is heading to the IRB, the Type column has to say L3, or you need a lawyer.
What it costs you if they are not licensed
The penalties for using an unauthorised representative are not levied on the representative alone.
Your application will be refused
You could be banned from Canada for at least 5 years
You could have a permanent record of fraud with IRCC
Your temporary or permanent resident status, or Canadian citizenship, could be taken away
You could be banned from applying for citizenship for 5 years
You could be removed from Canada
IRCC does say it focuses on identifying those responsible for fraud rather than punishing people affected by it. That is a stated posture and a fair one, but it is not a rule you can rely on, and it does not undo a refusal. The Canadian law guide covers misrepresentation in more detail.
How to check us
Everything above applies to this firm, so here is the check run on ourselves.
Our licensed representative holds RCIC number R710507. Search that number on the College’s Public Register, read the Entitled to Practise column, and read the status and Type beside it. If any of it fails, you should not use our services either, and that is the correct conclusion to draw.
A number, not an adjective
“Licensed”, “registered”, “government approved” and “certified” are words anyone can put on a website. A licence number is a claim that resolves to a record maintained by someone else, and it is the only kind of claim worth anything here. Ask for one before you ask for anything else.
Our licence covers Canadian immigration advice. For the other countries we work on, we are an experienced consultancy rather than a licensed representative, because no equivalent licence exists to hold. That distinction is worth asking any firm about, since a Canadian licence says nothing about anyone’s authority over a UK or Schengen file.
What to do next
Get the number before you get the invoice. A firm that will not give you a licence number, or gives you a company registration number instead, has answered the question.
Then check it yourself rather than accepting a screenshot. The register is public, free and takes a couple of minutes, and the columns beside the name are where the information actually is.
If someone has already taken your money without a licence, the representative pages on IRCC’s site include a route to file a complaint, and the College accepts reports about unlicensed practice. Report it even if you also intend to continue with the application, because the application and the complaint are separate matters.
Common questions
How do I check if an immigration consultant is licensed in Canada?
Search the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Public Register by name or licence number. Finding the person is only the first step: read the Entitled to Practise column, which must say Yes, and the status, which must be Active or Active with a stated practice restriction. A name on the register with No in that column cannot legally provide immigration advice or services.
What does the Entitled to Practise column mean?
It is the column that decides everything. The College states that only RCICs and RISIAs marked Yes in that column can legally provide immigration advice or services, and that anyone marked No cannot. People do get listed on the register while suspended, resigned or on leave, so the presence of a name proves nothing on its own.
Is an RCIC the same as a RISIA?
No, and the difference matters. A Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant holds the full scope of practice. A Regulated International Student Immigration Advisor is a narrower licence, aimed at advising international students. Both appear on the same register under the Type column, so someone described loosely as licensed by the College may hold either.
Can any licensed consultant represent me at the Immigration and Refugee Board?
No. A Class L2 RCIC cannot practise before the IRB unless they are also a paralegal licensed by the Law Society of Ontario. Representation at the IRB requires a Class L3 RCIC-IRB licence, or a lawyer. The Type column on the register tells you which class someone holds.
What happens if my consultant turns out not to be licensed?
The consequences land on you, not only on them. IRCC states that you are responsible for all the information in your application even if a representative completes it for you. False documents or information can mean refusal, a ban from Canada of at least five years, a permanent fraud record, loss of status, and removal. IRCC also says it focuses on those responsible for fraud rather than on people affected by it, which is a posture, not a guarantee.
Can a friend or relative help with my application for free?
Yes. The rule bites on payment. It is an offence to provide Canadian immigration advice for a fee or other consideration without being licensed by the College, a Canadian law society or the Chambre des notaires du Québec. An unpaid friend or family member helping you is not caught by that, though you remain responsible for what the form says.
Are immigration agents in India regulated for Canadian immigration advice?
Not by anyone Canada recognises. Canadian law governs who may charge for Canadian immigration advice, wherever they sit, and the three authorised categories are all Canadian bodies. An agency in India can legally help with logistics, coaching or paperwork handling, but paid advice on your Canadian application has to come from someone on one of those Canadian registers.
Related guides
The route to staying
Settled here. Now make it permanent.
Express Entry, a provincial nomination, or sponsoring the family you left behind. Each one is a file with a deadline, not a forum thread, and the licence on it is his.
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