Authorised Canadian
immigration consultants
OTTAWA, April 8, 2004:
Judy Sgro, Minister of Citizenship
and Immigration, and Anne McLellan, Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, today announced
new regulations that will, on April 13, 2004, stipulate that the
Government of Canada will only recognize an immigration representative
who is a member of a self-regulating association.
“It is no secret that some individuals
prey upon people who wish to come to Canada, by providing bad
information and poor advice, and charging exorbitant fees,”
said Minister Sgro. “With these new regulations, everyone
will have access to accredited, qualified and ethical representation.”
The regulations, to be published
on April 14, 2004, in the Canada Gazette, will define who may,
for a fee, represent, advise or consult with an individual who
is the subject of any application or proceeding related to their
immigration or refugee status. Under the new regulations, only
the following people may act as paid representatives:
Immigration consultants who are members
in good standing of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants.
Lawyers who are members in good standing of a Canadian law society
and students-at-law under their supervision.
Notaries who are members in good standing of the Chambre des notaires
du Québec and students-at-law under their supervision.
The Government of Canada does not oblige anyone to have a representative.
Furthermore, the regulations do not apply to friends, family members
or organizations that do not charge a fee for providing advice
and services.
The regulations affect individuals
who pay a representative to provide advice and assistance on immigration
and refugee matters with Citizenship and Immigration Canada and
in proceedings before the Immigration and Refugee Board and the
Canada Border Services Agency.
“Incidences of fraud and other
questionable practices should be greatly reduced, while at the
same time increasing the Canada Border Services Agency’s
ability to meet its immigration enforcement mandate,” said
Minister McLellan.
Individuals with applications or
proceedings already under way as of April 13, 2004, may continue
to use the services of their paid representative until April 13,
2008. After this date, if their representative is not a member
of one of the organizations listed above, the individual may choose
to either continue unrepresented or hire an authorized representative
INDIA
City Director among
authorised Canadian immigration consultants
Chandigarh, April 26
The Government of Canada has made it compulsory for all professional
immigration consultants to get themselves registered by the newly
set up governing body, Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants
(CSIC). This amounts to the setting up of a formal qualification
and complaint redressal mechanism for all Canadian immigration
consultants, worldwide.
- Mr Anuraj Singh Sandhu, senior vice-president,
Canam Consultants Limited, Chandigarh , is among the first
few Canadian immigration consultants , all over the world,
that have been authorised as per the laws of the Government
of Canada to file immigration cases.
- On April 8, 2004 , the Ministry of Citizenship
and Immigartion, Canada , announced that the Government of
Canada was amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection
Regulations of Canada to require that paid representatives
should be authorised in order to conduct business on behalf
of clients when dealing with the Government of Canada in immigration
and refugee matters.
- “Unless a consultant is a member of
the CSIC, effective from April 13 , he or she CANNOT file
a new application on behalf of a client and will not be recognised
as an authorised representative by the Citizenship and Immigration
Canada (CIC), the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) and
the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA)”
- The conditions of qualification as an authorised
Canadian immigration consultant by the CSIC are very stringent.
All members of the society must pass the society’s ethics
and knowledge tests; pay an $ 1,800 annual membership fee;
be Canadian citizens or permanent residents; have one year
of full-time experience representing clients in immigration
and refugee pre-screening, selection or final decision on
applications, claims or appeals in the past five years; have
10 cases filed before Immigration Canada and/or the refugee
board since June 28, 2002, or have graduated from the Immigration
Practitioner Certificate programme at Seneca College or the
University of British Columbia after 2002; pass police background
checks from every country where the person has resided for
six months or more in the past 10 years; carry a minimum of
$ 1 million in insurance for professional errors and omissions.
