How to verify an immigration consultant on the CICC register (2026)

Before you hand money to anyone who offers to handle your Canadian immigration application, check that they are actually licensed. It takes a few minutes. The check is free, the records are public, and doing it protects you from the most common type of immigration fraud: paying someone who has no legal right to represent you.

Here is the part people miss. Being licensed is not the same as being in good standing right now. A consultant can appear in past Google results, on an old business card, or on a LinkedIn profile, and still have had their licence suspended or pulled. So you verify the person today, before you sign anything or send a deposit.

This guide walks through exactly how to confirm a representative is genuine, who counts as a legitimate rep in the first place, and what a refusal to answer should tell you.

Who is actually allowed to represent you

In Canada, only a few categories of people can charge a fee to give you immigration advice or act on your behalf with the government.

RCICs — Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants. This is the full consultant licence, issued by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC). An RCIC can advise on and submit most immigration and citizenship applications.
RISIAs — Regulated International Student Immigration Advisors. Also licensed through the CICC, but limited to international student matters only. If someone holds a RISIA licence and offers to run your spousal sponsorship, that is outside their scope.
Lawyers and paralegals who are members in good standing of a Canadian provincial or territorial law society.
Quebec notaries, who are members of the Chambre des notaires du Québec.

That is the list. Travel agents, "agents" overseas, relatives with experience, and anyone working off the books are not authorized to charge you for representation, no matter how confident they sound. The official rundown of who qualifies is on the canada.ca authorized representatives page, and we cover the distinction in more depth in authorized vs unauthorized immigration representatives.

One thing worth saying plainly: you do not need any of these people. You can prepare and submit your own application for free, and the government processes it the same way whether you used a rep or not. Hiring help is a convenience, not a requirement.

Step by step: verifying an RCIC or RISIA on the CICC register

The CICC keeps a public register of every consultant it licenses. This is your primary tool for anyone calling themselves a consultant.

Get their full name and licence number. Ask directly. A real consultant gives you both without fuss. If they dodge, stop here and read the red flags section below.
Go to the CICC site at college-ic.ca and open the public register search.
Search by name or by licence number. The number is the more reliable match, because names can be common or spelled several ways. If you only have a name, search that and confirm the result lines up with the person you have been talking to.
Confirm the licence type. Check whether they are an RCIC or a RISIA, and make sure it fits what you need. A RISIA cannot take on non-student files.
Check the status, not just the listing. This is the step that matters most. The register shows whether the person is currently in good standing. Look for that. A name appearing in the system is not enough on its own; a licence can be suspended or revoked while the historical record still exists.
Match the details. Confirm the name, and where shown, the business or firm matches who you are actually dealing with. Fraudsters sometimes borrow a real consultant's identity. If the person in front of you will not provide ID that matches the register entry, treat that as a problem.

If the search returns nothing, or the status is anything other than active and in good standing, do not pay that person. There is no grey area here.

Verifying a lawyer, paralegal, or Quebec notary

The CICC register only covers consultants. Lawyers and paralegals are regulated separately, so you check them in a different place.

For a lawyer or paralegal, go to the law society of the province or territory where they practise and search its public directory of members. Each province runs its own. Confirm the person is a current member in good standing, the same standard you applied to a consultant. A lawyer whose membership has lapsed or been suspended is no more authorized than an unlicensed consultant.

For a Quebec notary, check membership through the Chambre des notaires du Québec.

If you are weighing a consultant against a lawyer and are not sure which suits your situation, RCIC vs immigration lawyer breaks down what each can do and when the extra cost of a lawyer is worth it. You can also start from our overview of working with representatives.

Red flags that should stop you

Most immigration scams share the same warning signs. Any one of these is reason to slow down.

They won't give you a name and number. A legitimate rep hands over their full name and licence or membership number on request. Hesitation, excuses, or "you don't need that" is the clearest red flag there is.
The number doesn't check out. If the licence number returns no match on the CICC register, or matches a different person, walk away.
They claim a government connection. No honest representative promises a faster decision because of who they know inside the government, or guarantees approval. Nobody can guarantee an outcome.
They want to be paid off the books. Cash only, payment to a personal account, or pressure to pay before anything is in writing all point the same direction.
They ask to use their account or contact details on your application so the government can't reach you directly. This is a hallmark of so-called ghost consultants, the unlicensed operators who do the work invisibly and disappear when things go wrong. We have a full guide on how to avoid ghost consultants.

The pattern behind all of these is the same: a genuine professional is happy to be checked. Someone who resists verification is telling you something.

A quick checklist before you pay

Run through this before any money changes hands.

You have their full legal name.
You have their licence number (RCIC/RISIA) or law society membership number.
You searched the CICC register (for consultants) or the relevant law society or notary directory (for lawyers, paralegals, notaries).
The status reads as currently in good standing, not just listed.
The licence type matches your case (a RISIA only covers student matters).
Nothing on the red-flag list applies.

If every box is ticked, you are dealing with a properly authorized representative. If any box is not, treat that as your answer and keep your money in your pocket until it is resolved. The five minutes this takes is the cheapest insurance in the whole immigration process.

IRCC.com is an independent information site and is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Always confirm the current rules on canada.ca.

A small portion of this article — research support, fact-cross-checking, and copy-editing — was assisted by AI tooling. Editorial decisions, source verification, and final sign-off remain with our team. We cite primary sources from canada.ca for every factual claim.

Source: canada.ca · IRCC.com is an independent news site and not affiliated with the Government of Canada.