General Privacy Statement
The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (“the College”) is committed to respecting the privacy of individuals. Personal information collected by the College is governed by the Privacy Act. This includes personal information we collect from licensees, complainants, applicants for licensing, candidates for entry-to-practice exams, employees and others. This Privacy Statement is meant to provide an overview of the College’s information handling practices, including with respect to its website (www.college-ic.ca) and is not intended to describe every situation in which the College collects, uses, or discloses personal information.
GENERAL PRIVACY PRACTICES
Collection of Personal Information
The College collects personal information needed to operate statutory activities, as further described in this statement. Except in limited and specific situations (e.g., complaints submitted by other individuals), personal information is collected directly from an individual. When asking an individual to provide personal information, the College will provide a privacy notice linking to this statement and describing the purpose for collecting the personal information.
The term “personal information” means information about an identifiable individual recorded in any form, as defined in the Privacy Act. The personal information collected will depend on the intended purpose of the information.
Website
The College collects personal information from users of its website in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, when users visit the site and fill out any forms including the “Contact Us” and mailing list subscription forms. The personal information collected may include the user’s name and contact information, any other information provided (e.g., questions or comments submitted via the website), and usage information such as the user’s Internet Protocol (IP) address, type of browser used, date and time of visit, pages visited and documents downloaded.
Use and Disclosure of Personal Information
The College uses and discloses personal information for the purpose it was collected or for a consistent purpose, for a purpose authorized under the Privacy Act or by another law (such as complying with a subpoena, warrant or court order), or for a purpose to which consent has been provided.
For example, the College collects personal information for the following purposes:
- to communicate in response to inquiries, questions, and/or other requests;
- to send monthly bulletin to subscribers;
- to measure the use and performance of the site;
- to improve the experience of users to the site;
- for research, planning and reporting purposes;
- to provide you with the services requested; and
- to fulfill legal obligations.
Data collected on our website may be processed and stored by service providers outside of Canada. Personal information that travels outside of Canada may be subject to different laws. For example, data collected by Google Analytics (as described below) goes outside of Canada to the United States and would be subject to the governing legislation of that country.
For more information on Google’s data privacy and security practices relating to Google Analytics please see here.
Access to and Correction of Personal Information
Personal information pertaining to an individual may be examined or obtained by the individual by emailing the College’s Privacy Officer at the email address below, providing as much detail as possible to locate the information. The College will provide access to the individual’s personal information upon request, subject to certain limited exceptions in the Privacy Act. If there is an error or omission in the personal information, the individual may submit a request in writing to the Privacy Officer asking to correct the personal information.
Protection of Personal Information
The College protects personal information using a combination of administrative, physical, and technical safeguards that are based on the nature and sensitivity of the information being protected. Role-based access and other controls are used within the College for employees and service providers to access the information they need to know to fulfill their duties.
Changes to This Statement
Changes to this Privacy Statement may occur for corresponding changes to the personal information collected, or to College’s practices for handling personal information. The College will inform individuals of significant changes via a notification placed on this website.
Contact Us
Any questions, comments, or concerns regarding the administration of the Privacy Act and the College’s privacy practices may be directed to the College Privacy Officer by emailing atip-aiprp@college-ic.ca
If not satisfied with the response to the privacy concern, individuals have the right to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, including by email at info@priv.gc.ca or by telephone at 1-800-282-1376.
COOKIES, THIRD-PARTY LINKS AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Cookies
The College website uses “cookies” to enhance the user experience. A cookie is a data file transferred to an individual’s device by the web browser. Web browsers save cookies on the computer’s hard drive for record-keeping purposes and sometimes to track information and preferences. Users may choose to set their web browser to refuse cookies, or to alert them when cookies are being sent. If cookies are disabled, some parts of the College’s website may not function properly.
Web Analytics
The College uses Google Analytics to help understand visitor activity in order to improve the user experience. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information about a user’s visit to the site. The cookies used do not allow individuals to be identified. The type of information collected includes IP address, type of browser used, the pages visited and the date and time of request. The information collected is disclosed to Google Inc., an external third-party service provider.
Third-Party Links
The College website may contain links to other sites controlled by third parties. When visiting a third-party website, personal information will be subject to the terms, conditions and privacy policies of that third party. In these cases, the College strongly encourages users to take the time to read the specific privacy notices or statements that describe the third parties’ specific terms, conditions, and policies. The College is not responsible for the information or content contained in such third-party website or for a user’s use of such website.
Social Media
The College uses accounts on social networks, including Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and others to engage with the public on its work.
The College’s social media accounts are publicly accessible. Individual posts, comments, replies to, and mentions of, the College may be publicly visible, depending on the individual’s privacy settings. Privacy and the retention of information on social media accounts are governed by the privacy policies of the parties that operate them. Some social networks may allow individuals to control the information made available to the College. Individuals should review privacy agreements and the terms and conditions of the third parties that operate these networks prior to participating and using their services. The College has no responsibility or liability for the manner in which third parties that operate such linked platforms collect, use, disclose, secure and otherwise handle your personal information.
The College may collect and analyze information available from social media activity to provide content that is relevant and potentially interesting to users of these social media platforms. Information collected during this process is typically aggregated information. Personal information may be collected, which the individual shares voluntarily when interacting with the College’s social media pages.
General Privacy Practices Applicable to Licensees’ Personal Information
This privacy statement describes how the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (“the College”) protects the privacy of licensees, applicants, and candidates to the professions regulated by the College, i.e., Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) and Regulated International Student Immigration Advisors (RISIAs) (collectively referred to herein as “licensees”) and candidates to write the Entry-to-Practice Exams, in compliance with the Privacy Act and other applicable legislation. It describes how the College collects, uses, discloses, and protects the personal information of licensees, applicants, and candidates as well as their associated rights and choices with respect to that personal information; it is not intended to describe every situation in which the College collects, uses, or discloses personal information. Please refer to the College’s General Privacy Statement, which describes the personal information handling practices applicable to the College as a whole, including those related to the use of our public website, mobile app and social media pages.
“Personal information” means information about an identifiable individual that is recorded in any form, as defined in the Privacy Act.
Changes to This Statement
Changes to this Privacy Statement may occur for corresponding changes to the personal information collected, or to College’s practices for handling personal information. The College will inform individuals of significant changes via a notification on this website.
Contact Us
Any questions, comments, or concerns regarding the administration of the Privacy Act and the College’s privacy practices may be directed to the College Privacy Officer by emailing atip-aiprp@college-ic.ca.
If not satisfied with the response to the privacy concern, individuals have the right to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, including by email at info@priv.gc.ca or by telephone at 1-800-282-1376.
APPLICATION AND RENEWAL
Collection of Personal Information
The College collects personal information when individuals apply for a licence to be an RCIC or a RISIA, and when becoming a candidate to write the Entry-to-Practice Exam as set out in our Privacy Notice.
The College collects additional personal information when renewing an existing licence, which may include declarations of financial status, information relating to continuing professional development (CPD), case practice statistics, fitness-to-practise declarations, and other applicable information as determined to be required.
Additionally, the College collects financial information to process payment for exams, licensing, and renewal fees.
Use of Personal Information
The College uses personal information provided on applications and exams in accordance with our Privacy Notice. The College collects personal information provided on licence renewals for the same purpose for which it was collected initially or for a consistent purpose, including to evaluate ongoing eligibility for licensing, process payment at the time of renewal, and to communicate with you.
Disclosure of Personal Information
The College may not disclose your personal information unless your consent is obtained, or if the disclosure is authorized by law, including as set out below.
Under the authority of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act (“College Act”), the Registrar of the College may make the following information public: licensees’ names, location, licensee number, status, and any additional information required by the College Act, regulations, and College by-laws.
The College’s Registrar may also notify in writing all licensees “In Good Standing” of the name of any individual who has resigned their licence or taken a leave of absence or whose licence has been suspended or revoked.
LICENSING REQUIREMENTS
The College requires individuals to complete specific licensing requirements which may require the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information.
Collection of Personal Information
In facilitating licensing requirements for licensees, and in accordance with the College’s regulations, personal information may be collected through the course of administering continuing professional development (CPD) activities and education programs and services.
The College collects the name, email address, contact information, and College ID of the licensee, to identify and communicate with the licensee. The College may collect personal information such as qualifications, professional experience, information relating to complaints, and other relevant information to evaluate licensee applications for certain programs or when designating subject matter experts. Licensee health information may be collected to evaluate requests for assessment accommodation.
Depending on the nature of the program or activity, licensee feedback may be collected to evaluate and improve the College’s programs and services.
As part of CPD audit or investigation activities, the College may also collect documentation from a licensee, such as proof of payment, registration, attendance, and certificates of CPD completion.
Financial information for payment purposes may also be collected.
Use of Personal Information
Personal information collected for licensing requirements is used for evaluating and confirming completion of mandatory requirements, and for supporting, managing, facilitating, and improving educational opportunities, including courses.
Disclosure of Personal Information
Information relating to licensing requirements may be disclosed, when necessary for the operation of the College’s various programs. Personal information may also be disclosed to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada and the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada pursuant to the requirements of the College Act.