CIMM – Immigration Consultants – November 07, 2023
Key Facts And Figures
- Canada has taken decisive action to improve oversight, strengthen enforcement, and increase accountability among immigration and citizenship consultants by investing $48.3M over four years and $9.8M ongoing.
- Since November 2021, immigration consultants have been regulated by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants.
- The number of licensed immigration and citizenship consultants has increased from approximately 6,000 in 2018 to over 12,000 in 2022.
Key Messages
- While the vast majority of immigration consultants operate within the high standards of the profession, the industry can be exploited by dishonest individuals.
- The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants is an arm’s-length body that is mandated to license and regulate immigration and citizenship consultants. It protects both the public and practitioners from those who seek to take advantage of prospective newcomers. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) maintains oversight powers over the College.
- Since opening in 2021, the College has new powers and tools to investigate misconduct and discipline those who engage in exploitative activities. The College has also strengthened the standards of the profession through concrete actions.
- As part of the College’s new changes, the government implemented a Code of Professional Conduct for consultants in 2022. The Code establishes strong ethical and professional standards that all licensed consultants must abide by. In particular, it outlines obligations and conditions that licensed immigration consultants must follow if they are to also provide recruitment services. Examples include providing clear and transparent information about the employment contract to their client and not charging any recruitment fees to their client. This allows for improved oversight and regulation in this overlapping space with provinces and territories, which govern the regulation of labour recruitment.
- Other improved practices implemented by the College include:
- enforcing the Code of Professional Conduct through a rigorous complaint and discipline process,
- enhancing education of immigration and citizenship consultants,
- enhancing licensing requirements, and
- launching a mentoring program to standardize the quality of practice among immigration and citizenship consultants.
- Since opening in 2021, the College has taken a total of 77 disciplinary actions against licensed immigration consultants, ranging from fines and suspensions to revocations of licences. As part of these disciplinary actions, the College has issued a total of $302,600 in fines to licensed immigration consultants and ordered $365,810 awarded as restitution to clients. This includes disciplinary actions taken in the context of temporary foreign worker applications. All these disciplinary actions have been published on the College’s website to provide more transparency to the public.
- Information about all licensees of the College, including any disciplinary action against one, can be found online in the College’s Public Register.
Supplementary Information
- No government funding has gone to the College.
- Unauthorized practitioners (UAPs) are individuals who operate illegally by providing Canadian immigration and citizenship advice for a fee. They are not licensed by the College. The College has the ability to send cease and desist letters to UAPs and request court injunctions against UAPs.
- Those seeking support on their application are encouraged to consult an immigration and citizenship consultant of the College or a lawyer of a Canadian provincial law society. Both are regulated to high standards. Clients who are victims of fraud are encouraged to contact the regulator (e.g., the College or law society) if the representative is authorized, or to notify IRCC or the Canada Border Services Agency in the case of an UAP.
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