Before you entrust your immigration file to an immigration consultant, a few minutes of checking can spare you lost money and serious mistakes. In Canada, only certain people may represent you before IRCC for a fee. This guide explains who they are, how to check a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) in the College's public register, how Québec's rules fit in, and which warning signs to watch for.
Who can represent you for a fee?
According to IRCC, a person who gives immigration advice or represents you in return for payment must be authorized. Authorized representatives are members of one of these bodies:
- The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), whose licensees are Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs)
- A Canadian provincial or territorial law society, for lawyers
- The Chambre des notaires du Québec, for Québec notaries
A family member or a friend may help you, but only without being paid. IRCC does not deal with a representative who charges a fee and does not belong to one of these bodies.
What the CICC does
The CICC is the regulator that licenses and oversees immigration and citizenship consultants across Canada. It keeps the public register of its licensees, which includes each licensee's status and any discipline history. It also receives reports about people who practise without a licence.
Step by step: checking an RCIC in the CICC public register
The register is public. Searching it is free and does not require an account.
- Open the CICC public register.
- Search by first and last name, by College ID (the licence number: the letter R followed by digits), or by company name, country or city.
- Open the matching profile and check the information it displays.
| What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Name and College ID | They must match the person you are dealing with |
| Licence status and entitlement to practise | The profile shows whether the licence is active or inactive when you hire the person |
| Licence history | It shows how long the person has held a licence and whether it has changed |
| Discipline history | It lists any suspension, revocation, restriction, current proceeding or past decision |
| Contact information | It lets you compare what the person told you with what the College has on file |
Check that the contact details match
Unauthorized practitioners sometimes pose as licensees online, using a real licensee's name or number. IRCC recommends confirming that the contact information you were given matches what is shown on the College's website. Use the details from the register, not only those from an advertisement or a social media page: call the phone number listed there, and check that the email address and the business address are consistent.
If your application involves Québec
Québec has its own recognition system. According to the Government of Québec, a person who acts as an immigration consultant must be recognized by the Minister of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI), and the names of recognized consultants are entered in the Québec Register of Immigration Consultants. The register can be searched on quebec.ca, and the government also publishes a list of consultants whose recognition has been suspended or revoked. Lawyers and notaries are treated separately, through their own professional bodies.
If you are dealing with a consultant in Québec, check both: the CICC register for the federal licence, and the Québec register for the MIFI recognition. See the Government of Québec's page on getting represented in your immigration procedures and its search tool for recognized consultants (in French).
Warning signs
Even before you check the register, some behaviours should make you hesitate:
- A guarantee of results. Nobody can guarantee an IRCC decision, and hiring a representative does not give an application special treatment
- A refusal to give a licence number, or a name that does not appear in the register
- No written contract that sets out the services and the fees
- A request to sign blank forms or to declare false information
- Payment demanded only in cash, with no receipt
- Pressure to pay immediately, or contact that goes only through a messaging app, with no verifiable address
False information has consequences
Even if someone else prepares your file, you are responsible for the information sent to IRCC. A misrepresentation can lead to a refusal and to a period during which you are inadmissible to Canada.
Why verify before you pay
A payment is hard to recover, and a file prepared by someone who is not authorized can put your application and your status at risk. Checking takes a few minutes and costs nothing. Before you pay, also ask for the service agreement in writing: it should list the services included, the fees and when they are due.
What to do if you have doubts
If the person does not appear in the register, or if something does not add up, do not hand over any further payment or document. Keep your exchanges (emails, messages, receipts). You can report the situation to the CICC, which receives reports of unauthorized practice. You can then ask a regulated consultant or a lawyer to review your file.
About Pro Immigration
Pro Immigration is an immigration consulting firm in Montréal, not a law firm. It is led by Mohamed Rachid Trissia, an RCIC whose College ID is R420535; he is also listed in the Québec Register of Immigration Consultants (MIFI no. 11450). You are welcome to check both before contacting us. A written service contract is signed before any engagement. If you would like to talk about your situation, you can book a 45-minute consultation (CAD $160), or read more about the firm.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know whether an immigration consultant is licensed in Canada?
Search for their name or their College ID (the letter R followed by digits) in the public register of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC). The profile shows whether the licence is active and whether there is any discipline history.
Is the CICC public register free?
Yes. Anyone can search the public register without an account or a registration.
Who can legally represent me before IRCC for a fee?
Members of the CICC (RCICs), members of a Canadian provincial or territorial law society, and members of the Chambre des notaires du Québec. A family member or a friend may help you, but not for payment.
What are the warning signs of an unauthorized consultant?
A guarantee of results, a refusal to provide a licence number, no written contract, a request to sign blank forms or declare false information, and payment only in cash without a receipt.
Does a consultant in Québec need to be recognized by Québec?
The Government of Québec says that a person acting as an immigration consultant must be recognized by the MIFI and listed in the Québec Register of Immigration Consultants. Check that the recognition is neither suspended nor revoked.
What should I do if I think I am dealing with an unauthorized consultant?
Do not hand over any further payment or document, keep your exchanges, and report the situation to the CICC. A regulated consultant or a lawyer can then review your file.
A question about your immigration plan?
Book a 45-minute consultation with a regulated consultant (RCIC R420535) in Montréal, by video call or phone.
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