College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants to Enhance Oversight of Immigration Consultants in Canada Starting July 2026

On May 6, 2026, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced that new regulations for immigration and citizenship consultants will take effect this summer in July.

These measures will be put in place to reinforce the role of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) and provide applicants with more reliable, transparent and accountable services when they retain a consultant.

The enhanced regulations will include:

• Allowing the College to strengthen its complaints and discipline process, including increased penalties for consultants who do not adhere to the rules.

• Requiring more information on the College's public registrar of licensed consultants starting in April 2027, to increase transparency and protect the public from unauthorized representatives.

• Improving transparency by adding new reporting requirements for the College.

• Improving the College's investigation process for misconduct by clarifying the rules.

• Giving the Minister the power to appoint someone to take over board duties if the board fails to meet its responsibilities.

• Establish guidelines for the College's compensation fund, created for victims of financial loss caused by dishonest acts from consultants.

Protecting yourself from fraudulent immigration consultants in Canada

If you or someone you know would like to hire an immigration consultant to assist with an immigration matter, here are some tips to avoid non-compliant consultants:

1. VERIFY THAT THE CONSULTANT IS AUTHORIZED TO PRACTICE

   
   

   In Canada, immigration representatives who charge fees must be licensed with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), or be a lawyer or paralegal in good standing with their provincial law society.

   
   

   Ask for their license number and check the CICC Public Registrar to ensure they are able to practice legally.

   
   

2. UNREALISTIC PROMISES SHOULD BE A RED FLAG

   
   

   Someone who tells you they can guarantee the approval of your application, or fast-track your application through processing, is not being honest with you.

   
   

   Immigration consultants can never guarantee the outcome of an application, nor do they have the any pull with immigration officers to speed up the processing of an application. Their job is to advocate for you based on their expertise and understanding of Canada's immigration laws - they are not IRCC employees or miracle workers.

   
   

3. NEVER SIGN BLANK FORMS OR DOCUMENTS THAT YOU HAVEN'T READ

   
   

   Best practice is to review any forms or documents in detail before you sign off on them. If your representative tells you that they will complete the information after you provide your signature, this should ring alarm bells for you. You should always be given the opportunity to understand what you are signing off on.

   
   

4. INSIST ON A CONSULTATION OR SERVICE AGREEMENT BEFORE WORK ON YOUR FILE BEGINS

   
   

   Per CICC regulations, consultants are required to provide a detailed agreement to the clients before any work begins on the file. This is in place to protect you as the client and so that you understand what the scope of services are that you will be paying for.

   
   

5. USE SECURE TRACEABLE PAYMENT METHODS

   
   

   Be wary of a consultant who only takes cash as payment. It is preferable to make payments that leave a paper trail.

   
   

6. ENSURE YOU RECEIVE A FULL COPY OF YOUR FINAL APPLICATION PACKAGE BEFORE IT IS SUBMITTED

   
   

   Don't be afraid to request a copy of your application package to review and sign off on before your consultant submits it to IRCC. In fact, this is best practice and you should have a chance to see exactly what is being submitted on your behalf.

   
   

7. UNDERSTAND THE FREQUENCY OF WHEN AND HOW YOU WILL BE RECEIVING UPDATES ON YOUR APPLICATION

   
   

   Your consultant should be updating you on the processing of your application at regular intervals. If they refuse to provide you with information (even if just to tell you there are no new updates), or they ignore your requests for information from them, this is a red flag.

Download our FREE red-flag checklist so that you're prepared when you decided whether or not to hire a consultant for your immigration matters.

Red Flag Check List.pdf

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