How to verify a Canadian immigration consultant before you pay

A short checklist for confirming that the person advising you is authorized to represent you, and what to ask before you sign a service agreement.

Choosing who helps with your immigration matter is one of the most important decisions you will make. In Canada, only authorized representatives may charge a fee to advise or represent you in an immigration or citizenship matter. Authorized representatives include licensed immigration and citizenship consultants regulated by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), and lawyers and Quebec notaries who are members in good standing of a provincial or territorial law society.

Check the public register yourself

The CICC keeps a free public register. Search it yourself rather than relying on a screenshot or certificate someone sends you.

• Search by the consultant’s name or licence number (an “R” followed by six digits).
• Confirm the licence status is active.
• Check the licence class. An RCIC-IRB licence class allows the consultant to represent clients before the Immigration and Refugee Board, in addition to immigration and citizenship applications.
• Confirm that the name on the register matches the person who will sign your forms and represent you.

At MAMI, you are welcome to verify Malik Ashraf, RCIC-IRB, licence number R713294 on the CICC website.

Questions to ask before you hire anyone

1. Who will actually work on my file, and who will sign the forms as my representative?
2. Will I receive a written service agreement that sets out the scope of work and fees?
3. Which fees are your professional fees, and which are government fees paid to IRCC or a province?
4. How will you communicate with me, and how quickly do you typically respond?
5. What are the main risks or weaknesses in my case?

Warning signs

• A promise or “guarantee” of approval, a job, or a specific processing time.
• Pressure to sign or pay immediately.
• Advice to leave out information or to submit false documents. Misrepresentation can lead to refusal and a ban from applying for five years.
• Someone who will not tell you their licence number or asks you not to tell IRCC they are helping you.

What a good representative will do

A good representative explains your options in plain language, tells you about weaknesses as well as strengths, puts the engagement in writing, and is open about fees. No representative can guarantee an outcome, because decisions are made by government officers.

This article is general information, not advice about your situation.