THE GOOD, BAD & THE UGLY
Immigration consulting industry has long been operating with minimal oversight and thanks to CSIC (Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants), predecessors of ICCRC (current governing authority for regulated immigration and citizenship consultants and international student advisors) efforts in bringing some relief to this issue,(by creating a minimum baseline for a governing authority) however the question remains in many people's mind - when trying to seek an immigration consultant or advisor is that, is the person we are approaching, genuinely looking out for my best interests in transitioning to a new country? . I am sure you or someone you know has gone through this dilemma even in smallest of daily projects we overtake.
The Ugly:- Many unlicensed consultants/agents practicing overseas or in Canada are what our industry coined terminology refers to as 'ghost consultants'. these consultants are agents who represent clients for paid services in immigration matters, some of them very knowledgeable & experienced but the UGLY side is that some are clients getting entangled in frauds, inconsistent service, inexperienced advise leading to delays or further complicating the cases. In some case more personal harm has been brought upon the client than financial loss, which in most cases in turn is more expensive to fix with time, labor of correcting the files, re-doing the case, explanations to the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) in this case IRCC, CBSA, IRB etc... Over all these agents have no governing body to account for their actions towards their clients and public at large.
The Bad:- Even with the changes that took place after 2011 in the governing body by changing the regulator from CSIC to ICCRC there is still plenty of room for advancement and fine tuning of the way we regulate this industry to provide better & fair advise to every client seeking such remedy. furthermore in wake of serious accusations/allegations against ICCRC, A new regulator will be formed with the passing of the the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act: so as the saying goes 'having a half informed is twice deadly than a fully informed person. Having a consultant who is not fully apprised of the legal system can be very dangerous for a client looking to start a new life.
The Good:- Most of your are thinking if the regulators are in midst of changing, why hire a licensed consultants now? well, let us explain to you with an analogy of hiring a professional engineering consultant to build a house that will be designed to suit your needs, just as we professional immigration consultants have the know how to provide you guidance on immigration matters and will provide our expert advise to suit your needs. We have undertaken specific education in related field and are regulated by an overseeing authority which means we are competent to work in the best interest of the public or our clients and can face serious repercussions if not so. Part of our success and genuine approach is also having to keep abreast with latest developments in our industry via continuing education which is mandated by our regulator to keep us informed of latest changes in immigration sector.
Section 91(2) of the Immigration & Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and Section 21.1 of the Citizenship Act requires that anyone who provides Canadian immigration or citizenship advice for a fee or other consideration, must be a member in good standing of a law society in Canada, the Chambre des notaires du Québec, or ICCRC.
Anyone found guilty of violating IRPA can face a fine of up to $100,000, be imprisoned for up to two years, or both.
Check this official link for more on finding the right representative. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigration-citizenship-representative/choose.html Coming post's we will be sharing more in-depth information about more tidbits on immigration & benefits of using an RCIC. In meantime, Please connect with us for any inquiries or clarifications.
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