Key Highlights
- Only an RCIC, a lawyer or paralegal in good standing, or a Quebec notary may represent you for a fee.
- The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants keeps a public register. Checking a licence takes a minute.
- Ask what happens if the application is refused. The answer tells you whether it is a practice or a filing service.
- Nobody can guarantee approval, and points for arranged employment no longer exist.
- A proper retainer sets out scope, fee, disbursements and what happens if either side ends the engagement.
Choosing an immigration consultant in Ontario starts with one check that takes under a minute, and it is the check most people skip.
Searching for an immigration consultant near you produces a long list of people who all describe themselves in more or less the same words. Very little of it tells you what actually matters, which is whether the person is licensed, whether they are permitted to do the work you need, and whether they will still be there when something goes wrong. These are the checks worth making before any money changes hands.
How to verify an immigration consultant in Ontario
Only three categories of people may represent you for a fee in a Canadian immigration matter: a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, a lawyer or paralegal in good standing with a provincial law society, and a notary in Quebec.
Every RCIC has a licence number. Ours is R536007, held by Dikshit Soni. The College maintains a public register and it takes under a minute to search a name or a number and see whether the licence is current and whether there are conditions on it. Do that before the first meeting, not after.
An unlicensed representative is not a cheaper version of a licensed one. IRCC will not deal with them, their name cannot properly appear on your forms, and if the file goes wrong you have no regulator to complain to and no professional insurance behind the advice.
2. Ask what happens if the application is refused
This is the question that separates a practice from a filing service. A refusal is not an unusual event and the response to it is where experience shows.
You want to hear that the representative will obtain and read the officer’s notes rather than relying on the refusal letter, that they will tell you honestly whether a fresh application or a challenge is the better route, and that they can access the remedies you might need. Some of those remedies are outside what a consultant may do. Judicial review at the Federal Court is legal work. If the answer to what happens next is vague, that is the answer.
Judicial review is legal work. Matters that require Federal Court intervention are escalated to our affiliated law office.
3. Read the retainer before you sign it
A proper retainer agreement sets out the scope of the work, the fee, what is included and what is not, disbursements, and what happens if you or the representative ends the engagement. It should be signed by the client and the representative. Use of the standard Use of a Representative form, IMM 5476, is not optional.
Be careful about fees quoted for the whole journey with no breakdown. An application refused at stage one should not leave you owing for stage three.
4. Be sceptical of guarantees
Nobody can guarantee an outcome, because nobody decides these applications except an officer. A representative who promises approval, or who offers to arrange a job offer that produces points, is describing something that is either impossible or improper. Points for arranged employment were removed from the Comprehensive Ranking System in 2025, and paying for a job offer was never lawful in any event.
What can reasonably be promised is a competent assessment, a properly prepared application, honest advice about the chances, and someone answering the phone.
5. Ask who is actually doing the work
In some practices the licensed person meets you and unlicensed staff prepare the file. The licensed representative is responsible for the work either way, but you are entitled to know who is drafting your submissions and who will speak for you if IRCC calls.
6. Local matters more than people expect
Immigration is federal and most applications are filed online, so in principle geography is irrelevant. In practice it is not. A representative in your region knows the local employers, the local colleges and the provincial programs that apply to you, and can sit across a table from you when a file becomes difficult. Interviews, document signing and the harder conversations are all better in person.
We work from two offices in Ontario. Our head office is in Mississauga, serving the Peel region and the western Greater Toronto Area, and we have a second location serving Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. Clients from either region are welcome at either office, and we work remotely with clients across Canada and abroad.
7. Check the reviews for substance, not for stars
A five star average tells you very little. Read the text. Reviews that describe a specific situation, a specific outcome and a timeline are worth more than a hundred that say excellent service. Look particularly for reviews from people whose applications were difficult, because that is where the work actually is.
Questions worth asking in the first meeting
- What is your licence number and what is your class of licence.
- Have you handled this specific application type recently, and what happened.
- What in my file worries you, and what would you fix before we file.
- What is the realistic processing time, and what is the realistic chance.
- What happens, in concrete terms, if this is refused.
- Who will prepare the application and who will sign it.
A representative worth retaining will welcome all six. Any of them being brushed aside is useful information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is legally allowed to represent me for a fee?
A Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, a lawyer or paralegal in good standing with a provincial law society, or a notary in Quebec. Nobody else may charge a fee to represent you.
How do I check whether a consultant is licensed?
The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants maintains a public register. Search the person\u2019s name or licence number and confirm the licence is current and whether any conditions apply.
Can a consultant handle a Federal Court judicial review?
No. Judicial review is legal work outside the scope of practice of an RCIC. A consultant should be able to tell you clearly how that work will be handled and by whom.
Can anyone guarantee my application will be approved?
No. Only an immigration officer decides an application. Any guarantee of approval, or any offer to arrange a job offer for points, should be treated as a warning.
Does it matter where my consultant is located?
Applications are federal and filed online, so it is not essential. In practice a representative in your region knows the local employers, institutions and provincial programs, and being able to meet in person matters when a file becomes difficult.
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Related reading
Check the licence before you pay anyone
Dikshit Soni, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, licence R536007, in good standing with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. Ask us the six questions in this article and see how the answers compare.
