Unauthorized Immigration consultants and their impact on the integrity of the Immigration System

TORONTO, March 13, 2014 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants, is issuing the following statement as a reaction to the practice of 'unauthorized consultants', where on multiple accounts, they have represented and advised would-be immigrants for a fee, regarding immigration services, without being members of ICCRC- a designated body under the Act.

Such cases are very damaging to the profession of regulated immigration consultants on multiple levels. On one level, unauthorized consultants, also known as 'ghost consultants', are breaching the criminal code by practicing without a license. Despite the fact that they do not possess the necessary training, they provide services for a fee to individuals that seek advice on their immigration applications. We encourage members of the public to report them to CBSA or to file a complaint at ICCRC.

This in turn, affects the image of immigration consultants overall. When individuals encounter unqualified consultants that charge a fee for their services without being able to provide the adequate services, their opinion of all consultants alike, will be inadvertently affected by their personal experience. But most important of all, is the trust that is destroyed by such cases; trust that is lost from the immigration consultants' profession, and that could be prevented from happening by impeding such cases from occurring.

While 'ghost consultants' do not possess the necessary training, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) are educated and have the expertise to assist clients with their cases. In fact, CAPIC members are best placed in the industry to represent clients as they follow the highest standard of Continuous Professional Development Education Programs and adhere to a more stringent code of ethics. A list of such members, is available on the CAPIC website www.capic.ca, under the 'Find a consultant' search bar.

SOURCE: Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants

For more Information contact the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC) at [email protected]

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Eliza Madeanu
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416-483-7044
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