How to Verify a Licensed Immigration Consultant or Lawyer in Canada

Only two kinds of people may legally advise you for a fee

Section 91 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act restricts who may represent or advise a person, for a fee, in connection with an immigration application or proceeding. In plain terms: a lawyer or Quebec notary in good standing with their provincial law society, or a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) in good standing with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC). A student-at-law may assist under direct supervision of one of those professionals. Everyone else charging a fee for immigration advice or representation is doing so without legal authority to.

This is a plain-language description, not a verbatim quote — read the exact wording at the official source: Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, s. 91 ↗

Check the official register yourself — never take a website's word for it

A licensed RCIC's registration is public and searchable, for free, in seconds. A license number on a website or a business card is a claim; the register is the record. Every professional listed on Navisa Relay shows their license as declared, with a direct link to the register below — but the same check works anywhere, independent of Navisa entirely.

Patterns that come up again and again

The specific stories vary; the patterns in confirmed fraud cases repeat. None of the following, on its own, proves fraud — but each is a reason to slow down and verify before paying anyone.

Government guidance on choosing a representative and reporting fraud: canada.ca — protecting newcomers from fraud ↗

Canada expanded the CICC's oversight and disciplinary authority, and introduced a victim compensation fund, effective July 15, 2026 (CP24 news coverage ↗, cited as reported news, not primary legislative text). Worth knowing precisely because of its limit: the fund covers losses caused by a dishonest licensed CICC member — it does not cover losses from an unlicensed operator. Verifying the license before paying anyone remains the step that actually protects you.

Where Navisa fits

Navisa Prep organizes your documents and compares your entered facts against every published criterion, cited to its source — information, never advice, and it never represents you. When you decide a licensed professional should take over, Navisa Relay is the bridge: browse licensed RCICs and lawyers who work inside Navisa, filtered by province and language, each with their license shown as declared and a direct link to the register above. Send your organized file with one request — nothing shared until you say so, and nothing re-typed once you do.

Organize your case, then bring in a verified professional

Navisa Prep compares your entered facts against every published criterion for your program, cited to its source, at no cost to start. When you decide a licensed professional should take it from there, Navisa Relay connects you to one — license shown as declared, verifiable on the register above.