Article Navigation:
- Who is an Immigration Consultant?
- What Does an Immigration Consultant Do?
- Who is Responsible for Collecting All Supporting Documents?
- How to Verify an Immigration Consultant
- Is it Required to Hire an Immigration Consultant?
- What are the benefits of hiring an Immigration Consultant?
- How Much Do Immigration Consultants Charge?
- Does an Immigration Consultant Guarantee Approval of My Immigration Application?
- Difference Between Immigration Lawyer and Immigration Consultant
- Immigration Lawyers Education Requirements
- Immigration Consultants Education Requirements
- Which company should I connect with?
- Are you ready for your free consultation?
There is more than one way to find an immigration consultant, here is a couple of the most popular:
- Referrals from clients who have successfully been able to immigrate or change their status in Canada.
- Look up an immigration consultant online, either through organic search or through paid ads.
Establishing a good working relationship with your consultant is the key to success. When you’re performing your initial research, ask the consultants you’d like to work with the following questions:
- Are you providing your services as an immigration consultant or as an immigration lawyer?
- Is your consultant status with your regulating body active and in good standing?
- How long have you been on the market?
- How many clients have you helped to successfully complete their immigration journey?
- Where can I read your client’s reviews?
Once you receive first responses, you will have a good idea how trustworthy this person is and if it’s ok to work with him/her.
Now, let’s elaborate a little bit on who immigration consultants are, what they do, how they work and why they should be hired.
Who is an Immigration Consultant?
An immigration consultant is a paid professional, who has been trained, accredited and officially registered with The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. Immigrationconsultants provide services to all applicants within their expertise and they can represent clients before Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
What Does an Immigration Consultant Do?
The main task of an immigration consultant is to maximize your chances for approval from the Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC for short). Consultants work with you to fully represent your case to the immigration authorities, showcase your life and work experience, collect maximum relevant information, prepare paperwork, making sure it is comprehensive, accurate, and submitted according to the official requirements and law.
Who is Responsible for Collecting All Supporting Documents?
Ultimately, it’s the clients responsibility to collect all required paperwork. Consultants work with the collected documents and file them on your behalf, having previously checked that these documents are valid and accurate.
How to Verify an Immigration Consultant
All regulated immigration consultants should be in good standing with their governing authority RCIC and have an identification number (RCIC number). You should ask for this number and then verify it on the CICC database before moving forward.
If the consultant fails to produce his/her number or if his/her status does not show as ‘ACTIVE’, this person isn’t authorized to be your official representative. A person without an active status with IRCC is legally not allowed to provide paid immigration services.
Is it Required to Hire an Immigration Consultant?
Hiring an immigration consultant to represent you is not legally required – you can submit your file on your own. However, if you are not feeling confident about your case, what documents to collect and what to do, hiring a consultant would be a good idea.
What are the benefits of hiring an Immigration Consultant?
- Consultants are licensed and authorized by the regulatory body and government of Canada
- Full representation before Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
- Customised and personalised immigration strategy for you and your family
- It will save you hours of paperwork and unnecessary stress
- Knowledge of Immigration Law, requirements, available programs and systems.
How Much Do Immigration Consultants Charge?
Charges will vary from case to case. We suggest that you reach out to your immigration consultant and request for a quote directly, quotes are free!
Does an Immigration Consultant Guarantee Approval of My Immigration Application?
Short answer is – no, the immigration consultant cannot guarantee that your case will be automatically approved. The final decision is always made by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
The goal of the immigration consultant is to make sure all your documents are valid, accurate and filled correctly, thus maximizing your chances for approval.
Difference Between Immigration Lawyer and Immigration Consultant
For the most part immigration consultants can offer the same range of immigration services as immigration lawyers. The difference lies in that an immigration lawyer can represent a client in a federal court, while an immigration consultant can only go up to the appeal tribunal level.
Immigration Lawyers Education Requirements
Immigration lawyers must complete a 3 year degree to become a lawyer. They are also required to take a bar exam to become a lawyer.
Immigration Consultants Education Requirements
Immigration consultants must earn a graduate diploma in immigration and citizenship, then pass the entry-to-practice exam. This process can take from 12 months to 3 years, depending on your enrollment (full-time or part time).
Taking into consideration all this information, note the potential red flags to look out for…
- No accreditation or registration number (RCIC number)
- Not in good standing with the ICCRC
- Asks for credit card details
- Sends you strange emails
- Makes any guarantees regarding a visa or a job offer
- No client reviews, or too many negative reviews
Which company should I connect with?
There are countless companies focused on immigration services in Edmonton. How can you find the best one? LIVIN Immigration Services has the best immigration consultants in Edmonton and in whole Canada.
We understand the unique issues and challenges that you’ll face during your immigration journey, and we’re focused on helping you through each of those obstacles together.
The process of moving to a new country doesn’t have to be intimidating. We want it to be exciting, smooth, and as easy as possible.
Are you ready for your free consultation?
Contact LIVIN Immigration Services today for your free consultation with the best immigration consultant in Edmonton. During this session, our immigration consultants will put their knowledge and understanding of Canada’s complex immigration system to work.
The first step is to complete our free assessment and then our consultants will help to determine your eligibility for immigration to Canada. Get started today!
