How to verify a consultant

We don't copy the consultant register. Licences change, and only the official register is current. It takes about a minute:

  1. Ask the consultant for their full name and licence number (RCIC numbers usually start with an "R" followed by digits). A real consultant will give it right away.
  2. Open the College's Find an Immigration Consultant page and search the Public Register by number or name.
  3. Check that the status is Active (or Active – Practice Restricted, with the restriction listed) and Entitled to Practise = Yes. If it says No, they cannot legally give immigration advice or services.
  4. Check that the name matches the person or company you're dealing with, and that the contact details match what's on the register.
  5. Not on the register? They might be a lawyer (check the provincial or territorial law society) or a Quebec notary (Chambre des notaires du Québec). IRCC explains who can be a paid representative on its representatives page.

Why it matters: the College says it is an offence to give Canadian immigration advice for a fee without a licence from the College, a Canadian law society, or the Chambre des notaires du Québec.

Sources: College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, Find an Immigration Consultant (checked Oct 17, 2026); IRCC, Using an immigration and citizenship representative.

Recruited in the Philippines? Recruitment agencies must be licensed by the DMW. Check an agency's licence status →