Canada Moves to Regulate Immigration Consultants

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From IRCC

The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act came into force recently. 

This Act provides a statutory framework to regulate immigration and citizenship consultants, and will make the forthcoming College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants the official regulator of immigration and citizenship consultants across the country. The coming into force of the Act means that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is one step closer to the opening of the new College, which is anticipated in 2021. 

The College will be an arms-length institution mandated to regulate the profession in the public interest by protecting both the public and consultants in good standing from dishonest actors who take advantage of vulnerable people.

The new College will be subject to significant government oversight to ensure public protection. This includes government authority to establish a code of professional conduct for licensees of the College, to set the composition of the College Board of Directors, and appoint up to a majority of directors.

While coming into force of the Act is a required step, opening the College will also require the appointment of public interest directors to the College board by the government.

A notice of opportunity is posted on IRCC’s website for interested parties to apply for the public interest director positions on the College board.

The board’s mandate is to manage the activities and affairs of the College. 

The selection process for the public interest directors is open, transparent and based on merit criteria. 

It will help ensure that capable, diverse and well-qualified Directors are put in place.

“The announcement reaffirms that our government is committed to the implementation of a new professional governance regime,” said Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. 

“We’re taking decisive action to hold immigration and citizenship consultants to account by improving oversight and increasing accountability to protect both the public and consultants in good standing from dishonest consultants who are taking advantage of vulnerable people.”

The government of Canada continues to deploy efforts to better protect newcomers and applicants to Canada from unscrupulous and fraudulent consultants.

A Code of Conduct for the College is being developed. This will help establish strong ethical and professional standards that all licensees must abide by.