Who may charge for representation or advice (IRPA section 91)
Under section 91(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), no person may knowingly, directly or indirectly, represent or advise a person for consideration in connection with an immigration or citizenship application or proceeding, or offer to do so, unless authorized. Section 91(2) authorizes three groups:
- members in good standing of a law society of a province or territory, including lawyers and paralegals;
- members in good standing of the Chambre des notaires du Québec;
- members in good standing of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC).
Contravening section 91 is an offence under section 91(9), punishable on conviction on indictment by a fine of up to C$200,000 or imprisonment for up to 2 years or both, or on summary conviction by a fine of up to C$40,000 or imprisonment for up to 6 months or both.
Source: IRPA section 91; IRCC: Find out if your representative is authorized, checked 2026-10-18.
Appointing a representative with form IMM 5476
IRCC states that you do not need to hire a representative; using one does not draw special attention to your application and does not mean it will be approved. If you use a paid representative or authorize someone to act on your behalf, you must submit the Use of a Representative form (IMM 5476).
- The authorized representative must sign and date the declaration and provide their membership ID, and the applicant must sign the form as well.
- IRCC does not deal with unauthorized paid representatives and returns the application. Withholding or misrepresenting material facts on an application makes a person inadmissible to Canada for 5 years under IRPA sections 40(1)(a) and 40(2)(a).
Source: IRCC: Use of a Representative (IMM 5476); IRCC: Learn about representatives; IRPA section 40, checked 2026-10-18.
Service agreements, client files and supervision under the Code
CICC licensees are governed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Licensees Code of Professional Conduct (SOR/2022-128):
- Written service agreement and fees (sections 24 and 31): before services begin, the licensee must enter into a written service agreement setting out the scope of services, a fee estimate (hourly rate and anticipated hours, or a fixed fee), payment terms and refund policy; fees must be fair and reasonable, and any amount above the estimate requires the client's written agreement.
- Status updates and return of documents (sections 14(2) and 22(3)): on the client's request, the licensee must provide timely written information on the status of the application, copies of submitted documents, and all client documents in the licensee's possession.
- Delegation and supervision (section 38): a licensee may delegate tasks to a non-licensee only if the licensee supervises the work, assumes full professional responsibility, and ensures the non-licensee does not contravene IRPA section 91.
You can verify a consultant on the CICC public register by first name, last name, College ID, company, country or city. See how to choose an immigration consultant for the verification checklist.
Source: Code of Professional Conduct (SOR/2022-128); IRCC: Find out if your representative is authorized, checked 2026-10-18.