The Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council, ICCRC, recently highlighted an Ottawa illegal immigration consultant who was sentenced to one year in prison and three years of surveillance for violating the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). According to the IRPA requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, only ICCRC members and lawyers are eligible to legally provide paid immigration counseling services to the public. The Canadian Immigration Consultants Regulatory Council, ICCRC, hopes that such a verdict will seriously warn illegal immigrants in their organizations that their unauthorised conduct is intolerable by the Canadian judicial system. The ICCRC’s social impact report to judges serves as an important reference for sentencing, which details the serious harm that illegal immigration consultants may have on consumers.
The Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council ICCRC is a national regulatory agency authorized by the Canadian government to protect the interests of clients in the immigration consulting industry. Prior to entering the Canadian immigration consulting industry, the ICCRC required candidates to complete a course in immigration consulting (approximately one to one and a half years) through a designated educational institution, and must pass a language test (IELTS Class A Listening and Speaking) Write no less than 6.5 points), and finally must pass the regulator’s own three-hour industry access exam. Candidates must have a criminal record if they have good character and behavior. Once the above conditions were met, these candidates became members of the ICCRC and were subsequently required to complete a series of PME courses and a CPD for at least 16 hours of continuing professional education each year. Canadian licensed immigration consultants must also participate in compliance audits each year to ensure they meet the ICCRC charter and code of ethics, and are also required to purchase occupational insurance on an annual basis. ICCRC also enforces a strict complaint and disciplinary procedures to ensure the interests of consumers.