Mandate

An independent, federally incorporated not-for-profit body operating at arms length from the federal government, the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC) is responsible for regulating the activities of immigration consultants who are members and who provide immigration advice for a fee. In addition, the Society is responsible for ensuring the education and competency testing of its members.

The Society’s mandate is to protect the consumers of immigration consulting services and ensure the competent and professional conduct of its members.

Why use a Certified Consultant?

A certified consultant is your assurance of quality. Certified consultants are equipped with the latest information on immigration law, procedures and practices and go about their business according to a strict, enforceable Code of Conduct.

To become certified, consultants must pass a rigorous application process, which requires evidence of good character, and tests knowledge and language skills.

For added security and client protection, certified consultants are fully insured for errors and omissions and can be subject to complaints that are all duly investigated by CSIC.

History

In 2002, the minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada created an advisory committee to identify the various problems within the immigration consulting industry. The committee’s task was to identify issues and propose recommendations on how to regulate the industry.

The need for regulation stemmed from a number of factors. For many years, there were no set standards for the level of education, the quality of services, or the professional accountability necessary to offer one’s services as an immigration consultant. The lack of standards resulted in a serious deficiency when it came to protecting consumers within the immigrant and refugee communities. Many applicants did not understand the differences between a lawyer, an immigration consultant and a non-governmental organization and were unfamiliar with Canada’s official languages and immigration laws. Even the filling out of forms was an intimidating task.

The committee found that some consultants were unscrupulous and held themselves out as experts on the subject of immigration despite the fact that they had little or no training or experience. There was also a concern that many victims were either afraid to complain or resided outside of Canada.

Also, there was no formal complaints process established to deal with those consultants who abused the trust of their clients and therefore tarnished the industry as a whole.
The Report of the Advisory Committee on Regulating Immigration Consultants and the committee’s recommendations resulted in the creation of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC) – an independent regulatory body for immigration consultants who are members and who charge a fee for their services.

The Government of Canada amended the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act Regulations on April 13, 2004 so that those who, for a fee, advise and represent potential immigrants before Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), and the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) need to be members in good standing with either the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants, a provincial or territorial bar, or the Chambre des notaires du Québec.