College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants IN, Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council OUT?

The Government of Canada proposed the creation of a new regulatory body to govern and regulate immigration and citizenship consultants and ensure their professional conduct. If approved, this new body will be called College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) and will replace the current regulatory body, Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC).

ICCRC, a self-governing and not-for-profit institution was designated by the Government of Canada in 2011 to replace Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants as the new regulatory body.

In 2011, those who are already a Registered Members of CSIC were grandfathered by the new body and there was a smooth transition. It looks like the same approach will be done in case the proposed law is passed. Those who are already Registered with ICCRC will have a smooth transfer to the new College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants.

Video: ICCRC Webinar hosted by ICCRC’s Board Chair, John Burke, and John Murray, President and CEO as well as Brian Smith, Assistant Director, Immigration at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) discussing the proposed College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants.


It is not clear yet if ICCRC will be converted into the new College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants or a new body will be created from ground up. But among ICCRC's efforts to improve its mandate as a regulatory body is establishing a higher standards of admission:

• Starting July 2019, the language requirement to enter into the program will be increased to CLB Level 9
• Over the past four years, it increased pre-licensing immigration practitioner program requirement from 180 to 500 instructional hours
•  Starting January 2021, the current Immigration Practitioner Program will be replaced by Immigration and Citizenship Post Graduate Program to be offered by Faculty of Law of Queens University
• Along with the new Post Graduate Program requirement, new applicants will be required a Practice Experience Program

Among other things, the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act will:

• create a licensing regime for immigration and citizenship consultants and requires licensees to comply with a code of professional conduct established by the Minister of Immigration;
• authorize the College’s Complaints Committee to conduct investigations into a licensee’s conduct and activities;
• authorize the College’s Discipline Committee to take or require action if it determines that a licensee has committed professional misconduct or was incompetent;
• prohibit persons who aren’t licensed from using certain titles and representing themselves as licensees.

Clients of Canadian Immigration Consultancy are represented by Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC).