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What is an Immigration Representative?

Notice: Read this important notice about who may represent you.

Who does this affect?

Individuals, whether in Canada or abroad, seeking to hire a representative with regard to their immigration application or status.

You are not obliged to hire a representative for immigration matters. The Government of Canada treats everyone equally, whether they use the services of a representative or not. If you choose to hire a representative, your application will not be given special attention nor can you expect faster processing or a more favourable outcome.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) realizes that the use of a representative to assist in completing your immigration application is a personal choice. Please note, the Government of Canada does not recommend or endorse any individual representative.

• What is an immigration representative?
• Who can be an immigration representative?

What is an immigration representative?

An immigration representative is someone who is appointed by a person to conduct business on their behalf with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

Who can be an immigration representative?

There are two types of immigration representatives: paid and unpaid.

1. Paid representatives

The regulations that deal with representatives state that representatives must be authorized in order to charge a fee for conducting business on behalf of clients when dealing with the Government of Canada in immigration and refugee matters.

Authorized representatives are:

• lawyers who are members in good standing of a Canadian provincial or territorial law society and students-at-law under their supervision;
• immigration consultants who are members in good standing of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants; and
• notaries who are members in good standing of the Chambre des notaires du Québec and students-at-law under their supervision.

If you have an application or proceeding already underway as of April 13, 2004, you may continue to use the services of your paid representative until April 13, 2008. After April 13, 2008, if your paid representative is not a member of one of the organizations listed, you must choose to either continue unrepresented or to hire an authorized representative.

To protect your privacy, you must provide written consent to CIC before any personal information may be shared with your representative. You must complete the Use of a Representative (IMM 5476) form to provide your consent. If you appoint a paid representative who is not a member of one of these designated bodies, your application will be returned.

2. Unpaid representatives

A person or organization that does not charge a fee for the service may represent you.

For example:

• Family member or friend
• Member of a non-governmental or religious organization
• It is also possible that a member of a Canadian provincial or territorial law society, the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), or the Chambre des notaries du Québec could represent you without payment.

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