RCIC vs. Immigration Lawyer

Author: Al Parsai, LL.M, RCIC-IRB

Last Updated On: July 24, 2024

Two major groups of professionals may legally offer immigration services: immigration lawyers and Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants. Some other groups may also provide limited immigration-related services. However, this article focuses on lawyers and consultants.

Who is a lawyer in Canada?
Who is an RCIC?
Comparing Lawyers and RCICs
About other Practitioners
About the Author

Who is a lawyer in Canada?

Canada has ten provinces and three territories. Each of these provinces or territories has a law society (e.g. the Law Society of Ontario, the Nova Scotia Barristers Society, or the Law Society of British Columbia). Canadian lawyers are members of one of those law societies. Under section 91 of IRPA, a lawyer who is a member in good standing of one of the law societies in Canada may represent clients to the immigration authorities. The scope of practice for lawyers is not limited to immigration. They may, for example, deal with criminal litigation, civil lawsuits, real-estate transfers, and more. Lawyers usually take less than three subjects related to immigration at law school. Nonetheless, they undergo rigorous training in the field of law, take the Bar exam, and work under the supervision of another lawyer before offering legal services.

Who is an RCIC?

Another group of licensed representatives is the Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants, also known as RCIC. An RCIC is a member of CICC or College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. A person needs to receive a post-graduate diploma in immigration from the Queen’s University Law School or Montreal University as the first step of becoming an RCIC. They must also show excellent knowledge of English or French languages, pass the Entry to Practice Exam, and more to become an RCIC. Almost all the training an RCIC receives is directly related to immigration law and practice. However, RCICs do not receive training in other fields of the law. In other words, RCICs are more into the process of immigration and lawyers in the field of litigation. Of course, some lawyers are dedicated to the immigration process as well.

You may also like to know that RCICs consist of two major groups:

RCIC: They offer various visa, immigration, and citizenship services.
RCIC-IRB: They represent clients to the Immigration Refugee Board (refugee and immigration hearings) on top of all other RCICs’ services.

Comparing Lawyers and RCICs

The following table shows a brief list of services offered by Lawyers and RCICs. In this table, “Yes” means the service could be provided by a competent professional; “Maybe” means they may need extra licenses to do the job; and “No” means the service is outside their scope of practice.

Service	Lawyer	RCIC
Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)	Yes	Yes
Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)	Yes	Yes
International Mobility Program (IMP) – Visa application under several treaties such as NAFTA, GATS, and CETA or under Canadian Interests, etc.	Yes	Yes
Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) for Tourists, Business Visitors, Speakers, and Performers	Yes	Yes
Temporary Resident Permit (TRP)	Yes	Yes
Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)	Yes	Yes
Study Permit and Visa	Yes	Yes
Economic Classes (Federal Immigration)	Yes	Yes
Sponsorship Applications for Spouses, Children, Adopted Children, Parents, and Other Family Members	Yes	Yes
Refugee Applications/Claims	Yes	Yes (only RCIC-IRB)
Detention Hearings (Immigration and Refugee Board – IRB)	Yes	Yes (only RCIC-IRB)
Inadmissibility Hearings (IRB)	Yes	Yes (only RCIC-IRB)
Immigration Appeal Division Hearings (IRB)	Yes	Yes (only RCIC-IRB)
Refugee Protection Division and Appeal Hearings (IRB)	Yes	Yes (only RCIC-IRB)
Representing Applicants/Travellers to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)	Yes	Yes
Offering Canadian Immigration, Visa, and Citizenship Advice	Yes	Yes
Citizenship applications	Yes	Yes
Rehabilitation applications	Yes	Yes
Authorization to Return to Canada (ARC)	Yes	Yes
Immigration, study permit and work permit to Quebec	Yes	Only if they are also a Quebec Consultant
Judicial Review (Federal Court)	Yes	No
Offering legal advice	Yes	No (only offering advice in immigration and citizenship areas)
Assisting with other legal matters, such as corporate law or family law	Yes	No
Immigration to other provinces	Maybe	Maybe

About other Practitioners

Some other legitimate practitioners could offer limited immigration services besides RCICs and lawyers. I have posted another article that introduces all those groups.

About the Author

I am an RCIC-IRB. I received my license and started my independent practice in January 2011. Since receiving my license, I have represented thousands of clients in their immigration applications. Moreover, I have experience in many fields, including but not limited to:

Federal visa and immigration matters
The Provincial Nominee Program
The Immigration and Refugee Board hearings (both refugees and immigrants)
Enforcement issues
Resolving inadmissibility and travel bans

Please book your consultation session today or contact our team using the following form.

Security Screening Delays: Abdelrahman v. Canada, 2026 FC 1076

Oct 11, 2026

Refugee Claims: November 3 Portal Changes and Proposed Reforms

Oct 8, 2026

Citizenship by Descent after Bill C-3: Canada’s New Rules Explained

Oct 3, 2026

Job Offer Genuineness: Why IRCC’s 2026 Work Permit Update Matters

Oct 2, 2026

If you are interested in visiting or immigrating to Canada, please complete our free assessment form.

There is no fee for this assessment. We will review your information and contact you if we identify a suitable immigration pathway or other meaningful option for you.

If you would prefer direct advice about your specific situation, you may book a consultation session. This is a paid service and includes formal immigration advice from a licensed Canadian immigration practitioner.

Al Parsai, LLM, MA, RCIC-IRB
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant

Adjunct Professor, Queen’s University Faculty of Law

Instructor, Ashton College, Immigration Consulting Program

Author of 88 Tips on Immigration to Canada and Inadmissibility to Canada for Human Rights Violations

Complete Our Free Canada Immigration Assessment Form in Your Language:

English
Spanish
Persian

Disclaimer: The information on this website is provided for general informational purposes only and may not reflect the most current developments in immigration law. None of the authors or contributors to settler.ca are lawyers, and we do not provide legal advice. This content does not constitute legal or immigration advice and should not be relied upon as such. Accessing or using this website does not establish a consultant-client or any other professional relationship between you and Al Parsai or settler.ca. We make no warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information and disclaim liability for any errors or omissions.

Important Notes:

No Offices Outside Canada: We do not have any offices outside Canada. Therefore, anyone who claims to be our agent or representative outside Canada is committing fraud.
Official Contact Information: For our official contact information, please refer only to this website (settler.ca).
No Issuance of Immigration Documents: We do not issue work permits, study permits, or any other immigration documents. Only the Government of Canada has the authority to issue such documents.

Use of AI: We use AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Grammarly, to assist in generating content and images for this website. While we make reasonable efforts to review and monitor the materials, we cannot guarantee their accuracy, completeness, or compliance with current laws and regulations. AI-generated content may contain errors or omissions, and readers should not rely solely on this information without seeking professional advice.

Changes in Immigration Law: Immigration laws and regulations are subject to change without notice. If you have specific legal concerns, please consult a qualified lawyer. For personalized immigration (not legal) advice, you may book an appointment with Al Parsai, a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC-IRB) and Member in Good Standing with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC). We recommend verifying any information with official government sources or consulting a professional before making decisions.

Fictional Characters and Locations: Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all characters and locations mentioned in the articles are fictional. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, or real locations are coincidental.

Click to read the disclaimer.

Al Parsai, LL.M, RCIC-IRB

Al Parsai is a distinguished Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (L3 RCIC-IRB – Unrestricted Practice) hailing from vibrant Toronto, Canada. Al's academic achievements include an esteemed role as an adjunct professor at prestigious Queen's University Law School and Ashton College, as well as a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from York University (Osgood Hall Law School). A respected member of CICC, Al's insights are further enriched by his experience as the dynamic CEO of Parsai Immigration Services. Guiding thousands of applicants from over 55 countries through the immigration process since 2011, Al's articles offer a wealth of invaluable knowledge for readers.