Legal Assistance

Over the years, there have been many instances of breach of ethics by Immigration consultants in Canada. Although certain rules and regulations of law now exist to discourage such practice, some consultants hold themselves out to be experts when they may have no training or experience handling complex files.
They may also mistreat their client's trust by promising the impossible and failing to deliver and sometimes by charging excessive fees for their services. In a number of reported cases, cutthroat consultants have charged fees based on an unfulfilled promise to file Immigration Applications. When their clients request information on the status of these non-existent Applications, the consultant will report back that the Canadian Government refused the Application and even provide false file reference numbers.
The actions of cutthroat Immigration consultants and the lack of regulation of the profession have been detrimental to clients, to the consulting profession, and to the reputation of the Canadian Immigration program in Canada and abroad. As a result, Citizenship and Immigration Canada tabled new Regulations, which, among other things:

• 1) Define the meaning of "authorized representative";
• 2) Specify that a fee-charging person who is not an authorized representative may not provide Immigration advice, represent or consult; and
• 3) Require applicants using authorized representatives to submit contact information, the name of the organization referred to in the definition "authorized representative," and their identification or membership number, if any, for verification purposes.

As of July 2011, any person, calling himself/herself an Immigration consultant must now be a member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council ("ICCRC") if he/she wishes to deal with Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Canada will not conduct business with consultants who are not members in good standing with ICCRC or one of the provincial or territorial law societies. Immigration officers will verify electronically if an applicant's representative is an authorized representative.
It is expected that applicants hire only qualified and ethical Immigration consultants. The practices of unscrupulous consultants will therefore be reduced significantly. As a result, this new regulatory approach will enhance public confidence in Canada's Immigration system and protect vulnerable clients. In addition, standards will be established for the Immigration consulting profession, which will enhance the profession's credibility.

The information regarding Immigration consultants does not apply to lawyers. Because provincial and territorial law societies (the professional bodies, governing the practice of law in Canada) already regulate their profession with long-established membership standards, codes of conduct, and effective complaint mechanisms and already are in the position to address unethical or illegal activities by their members, lawyers are not required to be members of the ICCRC. They are recognized by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and authorized to deal with the Department.
If you would like to verify our authenticity and the firm's ability to represent you before Citizenship and Immigration Canada, you are welcome to contact the Law Society of Upper Canada, which is the governing body for lawyers in the Province of Ontario, Canada. As professional lawyers, we have a professional obligation to act in clients' best interests and can be professionally disciplined for failure to do so.

If you were purchasing your first home, would it not be prudent for you to use the services of a real estate lawyer to review all of the related paperwork so that there were no unforeseen "surprises" when you took possession of the property? Likewise, if you intended on purchasing a business, would you not consider using the services of a corporate lawyer before signing your name on any documents to ensure that your rights are protected? The answer to both questions would probably be "yes". Why, then, should the answer be any different when deciding whether to use the services of a Canadian Immigration lawyer to help you to immigrate to Canada?
The decision to uproot yourself and in some cases your family from your home country and establish yourself in Canada is one of the biggest decisions you will ever make in your life. Given the investment of time, resources and emotion that the Canada Immigration process entails, you may want the professional assistance of a Canadian Immigration Lawyer to ensure that the process is as easy, straightforward, flawless and expedient as possible. We have been approached by countless individuals, who stated that they knew that they were qualified to immigrate to Canada and had all of the necessary documents and then went ahead to apply for Permanent Residence in Canada on their own and were unsuccessful, losing valuable time and money. Although your qualifications may be impressive, if you do not have effective representation whereby a lawyer will highlight your qualifications for Citizenship and Immigration Canada officials to review, your qualifications may get overlooked.
Among the services that we provide is ensuring that your letters of reference comply with Citizenship and Immigration Canada's standards; ensuring that your Application forms have been filled out correctly (incidentally, the forms are rarely filled out correctly); and drafting written, legal arguments, which will accompany your Application package and which will argue why you should be issued a Canadian immigrant visa. Furthermore, because We are situated in Canada, the firm is in the best position to advise you of any changes to Canadian Immigration laws, regulations, policies or procedures, which impact upon your proposed Canadian Immigration plans either positively or negatively.