New Rules for Immigration and Citizenship Consultants

Summary#

The final rule called the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Regulations sets detailed rules for how the new regulator for immigration and citizenship consultants will operate. It spells out a compensation fund for clients who lose money to dishonest licensees, committee roles and powers, what goes in the public register, and how investigations and discipline work. Most of the rules take effect on July 15, 2026 (90 days after registration on April 16, 2026); the new public register requirements come into force on April 16, 2027.

What it does#

• Defines key terms, including what counts as a dishonest act (theft, fraud, misappropriation of funds, certain failures to report to insurers, and knowingly giving false immigration or citizenship information).
• Sets rules for the compensation fund:
  • Describes what can finance the fund (penalties, recovered amounts, interest, and other amounts the College assigns).
  • Explains who can get paid and when an application is or is not required.
  • Gives the College the right to recover paid amounts from a licensee and to buy insurance to protect the fund.
• Creates and clarifies committee roles:
  • Establishes the Compensation Fund Committee and the Capacity Evaluation Committee and explains their duties.
  • Clarifies powers and membership rules for the Complaints Committee and the Discipline Committee.
• Lays out Registrar powers and complaint-handling:
  • Allows the Registrar to verify compliance, refer complaints, and take actions such as conditions on a licence, cautions, suspensions, or other measures.
  • Requires written reasons for Registrar decisions.
• Sets discipline and penalty rules:
  • Gives the Discipline Committee the power to order reimbursements, training, restrictions on access to client funds, and monetary penalties.
  • The Regulations state monetary penalty levels in different places, including amounts up to $30,000 in some disciplinary clauses and a maximum penalty of $50,000 in another clause.
• Expands what goes in the public register of licensees and requires the College to make it accessible (this register content rule is the provision that comes into force on April 16, 2027).
• Describes rules for investigations (how documents are handled, receipts, safe storage, and returns).
• Allows limited sharing of personal information with other authorities and foreign bodies, with safeguards.
• Repeals some older regulatory provisions tied to the previous regulator.
• Requires the College to report detailed operational and financial information each year to the Minister.

Who's affected#

• Immigration and citizenship consultants licensed by the College — specifically those called Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants and Regulated International Student Immigration Advisors.
• Clients of those consultants who suffer financial loss from dishonest acts. They may now be eligible for payments from the compensation fund after certain disciplinary findings.
• The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants itself, which must set up new committees, processes, a compensation fund, and a more detailed public register.
• Insurers, legal advisers, and others who may be involved in investigations, recoveries, or discipline proceedings.
• It is unclear from the text whether and how these changes will affect fees charged to licensees; the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement says implementation could lead the College to use various funding options and that fee changes are at the College’s discretion.

Why it matters#

• Consumers get a clearer route to compensation if a licensed consultant steals or otherwise cheats them. The Regulations tie client eligibility to findings by the Discipline Committee and set how the fund is run and replenished.
• The College gains stronger, clearer powers and formal procedures for investigating and disciplining licensees. That can lead to more complaints being processed, more hearings, and more oversight of consultant practice.
• The Government’s cost–benefit analysis estimates implementation and operating costs for the College over 10 years at $24,236,365, with monetized benefits of $7,377,141, giving a net cost of $16,859,225 (these are the Department’s estimates and reflect assumptions about complaint and penalty levels). This matters because the College may need to decide how to fund these costs (penalties, insurance recoveries, or possibly higher licence fees).
• The public register will include more information about each licensee and must be accessible. That should make it easier for people to check a consultant’s status, but the full register changes come in later so the College can update systems.