Regulatory changes to investigations, complaints, discipline take effect in July
Lena Metlege Diab – immigration, refugees, and citizenship minister – has highlighted new regulations updating the investigatory, disciplinary, and complaints processes of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), effective July 15.
“We look forward to the regulations coming into force on July 15, and the future finalization of by-laws and other supporting legal frameworks,” said Kate Lamb, the CICC’s interim president and chief executive officer, in a news release.
In its news release, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shared that the new measures will:
- Raise penalties for consultants who breach the rules
- Require further information on the CICC’s public register of licensed consultants starting in April 2027
- Add reporting requirements for the CICC
- Clarify the rules to improve the CICC’s misconduct investigations
- Allow the minister to appoint someone to assume the board’s responsibilities if it falls short of its duties
- Set guidelines for the CICC’s compensation fund in favour of victims of financial loss arising from consultants’ dishonest acts
On Dec. 21, 2024, the Canada Gazette published the draft regulations to enable stakeholders to review them and give their input prior to implementation.
Goals of regulations
IRCC’s news release explained that the new regulations aim to:
- Promote the integrity of immigration and citizenship consulting in Canada
- Reinforce the CICC’s role as the regulator of immigration and citizenship consultants
- Improve the CICC’s available tools
- Toughen the oversight of consultants
- Hold them to high standards
- Help applicants in immigration or citizenship matters access more reliable and accountable services during the process
- Make the CICC’s public register more transparent
- Protect the public from the fraud and misconduct of unauthorized representatives
“People looking to build their future in Canada deserve access to honest and reliable immigration and citizenship advice,” Diab said in the news release. “They need to have confidence that our government is taking effective steps to improve integrity.”
“The College remains committed to regulating the profession in the public interest and welcomes continued collaboration with our government partners to ensure that the regulations and associated operational, governance and communications structures uphold a system that is transparent and accountable,” Lamb added.
IRCC created the CICC in 2021 and oversees it to ensure it meets its mandate to safeguard the public. Licensees pay fees to fund the CICC, which receives no financial support from the government.
