The Canadian Bazaar
TORONTO: To root out immigration fraud, Canada is opening a brand-new College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants in November.
The College, which opens on November 23, will be the official regulator of immigration and citizenship consultants under the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act passed in 2020.
The College will crack down on criminals who take advantage of vulnerable people. It will have w powers and tools to investigate professional misconduct and discipline immigrant consultants.
The officials of the College will have the power to enter the premises of an immigrant consultant for the purpose of gathering information to support an investigation and the power to compel witnesses to appear and testify before its Discipline Committee.
The College will have the ability to request court injunctions to address unlicensed actors providing immigration or citizenship advice without authorization.
The College will have an initial board of directors of 5 public interest directors and four members of the College (consultants).
Public interest directors will be appointed by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship prior to the College opening.
A code of professional conduct for the College is currently in development as part of the regulatory process. The code will play a major role in establishing and maintaining strong ethical and professional standards that all licensees must abide by.
Making the announcement, Immigration Minister Marco E. L. Mendicino said, “Those who wish to come to Canada deserve honest, professional and ethical advice—and we have a responsibility to ensure they’re getting it. Our new College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants is a major milestone in these efforts. The creation of the new College delivers on our promise to better protect newcomers and bolsters Canada’s immigration system so it can continue to be the envy of the world.”
