In the beginning of April, Ottawa announced plans to create the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) to supersede the current Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC).
This move goes against the recommendations of the Standing Committee made in 2017 to disband the ICCRC and the regulation remitted by the federal government.
Ahmed Hussen, Canada Immigration Minister has defended the plans to proceed with a self-regulation policy for the immigration consultancy sector. He told the committee that the government considered the recommendation seriously but rejected it in the end.
Calls for improving the regulation of the sector arise from multiple reports of unscrupulous immigration consultants charging vulnerable immigrants exorbitant fees, making fake promises, and committing fraud against them.
The Canadian government has made plans to spend about $52 million over a period of 5 years in creating the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) and enhancing the regulation of the immigration consultancy sector.
Hussen said that it is the responsibility of the government to do whatever it can to stop this sort of unethical and disturbing behaviour. At the same time, he said that there’s a need to recognize that there are many honest, ethical professionals who offer important services to candidates and they assist them in navigating the immigration system. The Canadian Immigration Minister also said that it is imperative to form a system that offers better protection to all the involved parties.
