College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants to officially open
Today, Minister Marco Mendicino announced that the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) will formally open on November 23, 2021.
This new entity will become the official regulator of immigration and citizenship consultants across Canada. In a previous conversation that our firm had with a spokesperson from the IRCC Minster’s office, he emphasized this might not be a simple change of name. They intend to make significant changes to the existing system.
According to IRCC’s news release, the College will improve oversight and crack down on criminals.
“It will be an arm’s-length institution, regulating the profession” the news release said. It also emphasized that the College will protect both “the public and consultants” in good standing from those who take advantage of people.
Read: What is ICCRC, IRCC, RCIC, CIC, and CAPIC?
What exactly will the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants do?
The College will regulate immigration and citizenship consultants under a statutory framework. Moreover, this framework will be put in place by the CICC Act.
Further, the CICC will have significant new powers and tools to investigate professional misconduct and to discipline its licensees. It will also be subject to appropriate government oversight.
Why did they create this College?
According to our CEO and RCIC, Al Parsai, the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council are not powerful enough to fight illegal activities. Moreover, they haven’t had the tools to deal with non-members.
However, with the creation of the new College, the government expects to fight fraud in the immigration system. They have already invested $50 million -in the past few years. Of course, they also invested this money to provide new educational tools to help applicants identify fraudulent activity.
“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.” The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration.
What about the Current Practitioners?
There is no specific timeframe at this time, but they expect a relatively smooth transition. But, if you have hired a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, don’t panic. They remain the authorized representatives, and they will eventually transition into members of CICC.
Please read more information about what is going to happen to students and practitioners here:
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