Top 20 Tips

on How to Prevent Immigration Fraud

 

Here are some tips to ensure that you are working with an authorized Canadian immigration consultant and how to keep from being a victim of immigration fraud.
 
Titles and Diplomas

1. Check your Canadian immigration consultant’s title.

Unauthorized practitioners may use a title that sounds official but is not. 

For example, the professional designation ”notario“  has nothing to do with a notaire du Québec, an immigration lawyer, or a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC). Notarios are not authorized to give you immigration advice.

The only people who can legally provide Canadian immigration or citizenship advice or representation for a fee (or for any other benefit) are:

  • Licensees in good standing with the College,
  • Members of a Canadian law society, or
  • Members of the Chambre des notaires du Québec.
In other words, if someone is not a lawyer or a notaire, they must have a licence from the College to work as a Canadian immigration or citizenship consultant.

 

2. Remember that a diploma alone is not enough.

Just because someone has taken an immigration education program does not automatically mean that they are authorized to give Canadian immigration or citizenship advice. 

Even if they have a diploma from an Immigration Practitioner Program or a Graduate Diploma Program, they still might not be a licensed Canadian immigration consultant. 

An immigration consultant must be licensed by the College to offer Canadian immigration services for a fee or other benefit. 

To find out if someone is licensed by the College, check the College’s Public Register. You may search by first or last name, company name, geographic location, or Licence Number. RCIC Licence Numbers begin with the letter ”R” followed by 6 numbers while RISIA Licence Numbers begin with the letter ”S” followed by 6 numbers.

 
Signatures and Forms

3. Always sign a service agreement.

The service agreement declares that an immigration consultant will offer you immigration services in exchange for a fee or other benefit. 

An immigration consultant must give you a service agreement or contract—and you and the immigration consultant must sign it - before any services begin. 

When you sign the agreement, keep a copy for your records.

4. Ensure the service agreement is signed by you and your immigration consultant.

Only you and the licensed Canadian immigration consultant who is providing you services should sign the service agreement. 

No one can legally ask you to sign an agreement with someone else or with the company your immigration consultant works for.

On the agreement, your immigration consultant must include their full legal name and their licence number. 

This number begins with the letter ”R” and has 6 digits (for example, R123456).

5. Sign a Use of a Representative Form (IMM5476).

The Use of a Representative Form (IMM5476) confirms your Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) is authorized to represent you in your immigration case. 

You and the immigration consultant must both sign and date this form. 

Any time your immigration consultant makes an enquiry related to your case, they must include a copy of the signed IMM5476 to prove to IRCC that they can represent you.

They must provide this form even if they are your friend or family member and even if they are not charging you for their services.

6. Do not sign a blank form or a form containing false information.

Ensure that everything on a form is complete and accurate before you sign it. 

Even if someone else completes your forms for you, you are responsible for the information on them. Watch out for incomplete or falsified forms.

7. Get a copy of all forms you have signed.

Keep a copy of any form you sign for your own records.
 
Services and Payment

8. Avoid paying in cash.

If you pay in cash, it may make it hard later to prove you paid them. 

Other payment methods — such as cheques, credit cards, and bank transfers—provide better proof because these payments appear on your bank statement.

9. Obtain invoices and receipts for all payments.

Your signed service agreement must outline the fees you will pay. 

Before you pay anything, ask for an invoice that outlines those fees. Then ask for a receipt that shows a record of your payment.

10. Ensure that your agreement is only for immigration services not recruiting or job placement.

If you pay for services other than immigration — for example, job placement — then those services should be listed in another agreement or contract. 

You should be provided with a detailed service agreement that outlines the amount you will pay for the immigration services you will be provided. 

If immigration services are provided for free, the service agreement should state that the total fee for those services is $0.00.

NOTE: Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) are licensed only to provide immigration services. If someone offers you other services under a separate agreement or contract, check that they can do so in the applicable province or territory. For example, if they offer to find you a job in Alberta, make sure they are qualified and allowed to provide job placement services there.

11. Be careful if a travel agent, an educational agent, or a recruiter offers you immigration services.

Some professionals may try to offer you immigration services as part of the other services they provide, such as:

  • Travel agents
  • Educational agents or student recruiters
  • Job recruiters
For example, a travel agent may offer to help you with a visitor visa. A recruiter might offer to put together your work permit. Or a student recruiter might say they will submit your study permit application with your school application.

In most cases, these people are not authorized to offer you Canadian immigration services (they can do so only if they are also a Canadian lawyer, a notaire du Québec, or a licensee of the College).

Before hiring someone like this for immigration services, check our Public Register to confirm they are a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or Regulated International Student Immigration Advisor (RISIA).

NOTE: If the person you are working with says they are partnering with an RCIC or a RISIA, double-check by directly asking that RCIC or RISIA (use the contact information on our Public Register). Also make sure you sign a service agreement directly with the RCIC.
 
Guarantees

12. No one can guarantee a specific processing time.

No one can guarantee a processing timeline for any type of Canadian immigration application. IRCC sets out approximate timelines (for example, 8-12 weeks) and an immigration consultant can relay this information to you. 

13. No one can guarantee that you can get a job and immigrate to Canada at the same time.

While immigrating to Canada and finding a job are often connected, you may need different representatives for each process. 

For example, you may need to work with both a Canadian immigration consultant and a licensed recruiter.

Beware of promises like, ”For a single fee, we will find you a job and get your immigration papers.” 

No one should charge you a fee for finding you a job—not an employer, a recruiter, or an immigration consultant.

NOTE: Your future employer may need to submit a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application. If so, your immigration consultant will submit the approved LMIA with your work permit application (depending on eligibility, some foreign nationals may be exempt from an LMIA or a work permit).

14. No one can guarantee that your application will be approved.

A visa officer will decide on your Canadian immigration application. 

No one will know the outcome of your application until you receive a written decision from that visa officer.
 
Connections

15. No one can influence the outcome of your immigration application.

The visa officer processing your application will make an independent decision based on the merits of your case. In other words, they will only consider the reason for your application and your supporting evidence and documents.  

Watch out if someone tells you “I have a friend” or “I know someone” who can help make things easier for you.

16. Always check that the person you are considering hiring is listed as “active” on the College’s online Public Register.

Before you start working with a Canadian immigration consultant, use the College’s Public Register to check that they are licensed as an “active” Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or Regulated International Student Immigration Advisor (RISIA).

“Active” consultants are in good standing with the College and can legally offer you Canadian immigration advice in exchange for a fee.

If an immigration consultant has a status of “Revoked” or “Suspended,” then they are not currently authorized to practise.

17. Do not engage with an immigration website that uses the College’s corporate logo.

The College’s corporate logo looks like this:

Only the College and our staff can use this logo. Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) and Regulated International Student Immigration Advisors (RISIAs) use special Licensee Insignias which look like this:

The licensee Insignia on a website must be linked to our Public Register to help you verify that the immigration consultant is licensed by the College.

 

18. Ensure the person you are considering hiring has professional liability insurance.

All licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) must have professional liability insurance. 

Regulated International Student Immigration Advisors (RISIAs) must be covered by their employer’s professional liability insurance.

If you are unsure of whether the person is insured, ask them. They must show you proof that they are covered.

19. The person you are considering hiring should be able to answer your questions about immigration or the College’s Code of Professional Conduct.

Licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) and Regulated International Student Immigration Advisors (RISIAs) have met standards that prove they can competently and ethically help you.

They must also keep learning every year as a part of our Continuing Professional Development education program.

Unauthorized practitioners are less likely to know about immigration. They also do not have to follow a Code of Professional Conduct. 
 
Ethics

20. You should not lie on your immigration application even if you are encouraged to.

If you lie or put misleading information on your immigration application, you will commit what is called “misrepresentation.” 

If you are found guilty of misrepresentation, you will be banned from submitting an application to Canada for 5 years. 

Your misrepresentation charge will also become part of your immigration record and may affect your ability to apply for any application to Canada in the future.

If the person representing you encourages you to lie on your immigration application, you should make a complaint with the College.
 
Tips for working with a Canadian immigration consultant

  • Verify your immigration consultant’s status on our Public Register. Ensure that they are listed as an “active” Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or Regulated International Student Immigration Advisor (RISIA). If your immigration consultant has a status of “Revoked” or “Suspended”, then they are not currently authorized to practise.
  • Check disciplinary notices in our Disciplinary Proceedings and Tribunal section.
  • Ask your immigration consultant for references.
  • Read reviews about the immigration consultant.
  • Compare the immigration consultant’s fees with those of others.
  • Directly contact the immigration consultant who will handle your application. Always use the contact information on our Public Register.
  • Contact any prospective employer or school if you have questions about a job or study program.