Advocate for Safe Passage of Immigrants to Canada Awarded Prestigious International Consumer Protection Award

Director of Communications of Canadian immigration regulatory body honoured for trailblazing work protecting immigrants

BURLINGTON, ON, Aug. 8, 2016 /CNW/ - Daniel Roukema, Director of Communications at the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC), is being recognized by the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation's (CLEAR) as a champion for protecting consumers of Canadian immigration services.  The US-based organization awarded Roukema the 2016 Consumer Protection Award, which recognizes one individual annually who has innovatively contributed to enhancing a broader public understanding of regulatory issues with respect to consumer and public protection, outreach and citizen advocacy.

Roukema, the son of two immigrants himself, is credited with launching the ICCRC's confidential whistleblowing tool to inform law enforcement of unauthorized representatives providing immigration services.  Canadian law requires that persons who provide immigration or citizenship advice for a fee or other consideration must be members in good standing of ICCRC, the Chambre des notaires du Québec, or a Canadian law society.

The tool led to thousands of tips and a dramatic increase in potentially fraudulent cases reported by the regulatory body to law enforcement.  Roukema also spearheaded ICCRC's annual participation in the federal Competition Bureau's Fraud Prevention Month campaign, and his innovative approach to protecting Canadian immigrants includes directing and producing a successful multilingual educational video viewed over 50,000 times in the first month, as well as using social media and traditional advertising to extend and amplify ICCRC's message, which has reached tens of millions worldwide.

"This recognition is extraordinary and well-deserved," said Christopher Barry, interim President & CEO of ICCRC.  "Daniel Roukema understands the challenges faced by immigrants, and he has worked tirelessly to assist with their safe passage to Canada.  I am proud that this acknowledgement certifies ICCRC's dedication to playing a key role in this nation's immigration process, while also contributing to Canada's global reputation as a welcoming and caring nation."

"Some of the world's most vulnerable people seek new lives in Canada, and I'm proud to work for an organization that is so committed to ensuring people achieve that opportunity legally, efficiently and safely," said Roukema. "While my name appears on this award, I accept it on behalf of my committed colleagues, and the thousands of Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants whose professionalism and experience helps new Canadians achieve new beginnings each and every day."

In addition to his current career at ICCRC, Daniel Roukema has worked to integrate refugee children and youth into Canadian society through the YMCA's settlement programs in Halifax. Nova Scotia.  He published a whitepaper for government on integrating immigrants into the Canadian workplace, and has worked for the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, a national, non-profit charity that helps accelerate new citizens' integration into Canadian life through original programs, collaborations and unique volunteer opportunities. 

Roukema, whose parents pursued careers overseas, lived abroad until he was a teenager. In 1994, while studying international development in university, he found himself in the midst of the Rwandan genocide and barely escaped assassination. This experience, among others gained through working and traveling abroad, left Roukema with a profound personal understanding of how war and terror leave a permanent mark on immigrants.

Roukema will be honoured by CLEAR at the organization's Annual Educational Conference on Friday, September 16 in Portland, Oregon.

About ICCRC

Designated by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, ICCRC is the national regulatory body that governs Canadian immigration and citizenship consultants as well as international student advisors. The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and the Citizenship Act stipulate that persons, who provide immigration or citizenship advice for a fee or other consideration, must be regulated by ICCRC as Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) or Regulated International Student Immigration Advisors (RISIAs). Exceptions are members in good standing of provincial or territorial law societies or the Chambre des notaires du Québec.

NOTE TO EDITORS/PRODUCERS: Additional biographical information on Daniel Roukema is available at www.iccrc-crcic.ca. ICCRC's education video, directed by Roukema, can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkcOe8472hN2HgutqwrvdIQ

SOURCE Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC)

or to arrange an interview with Daniel Roukema, please contact: Amani Singhera, Communications Coordinator Coordonnatrice des communications, Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC), Tel. : [phone], Email : [email protected]