Questions to Ask an Immigration Consultant: Top 15

Hiring help with a Canadian immigration application is a decision you make before anyone has done any work, which means the questions you ask in the first conversation are your best protection. A licensed, competent consultant will answer them clearly and put the important answers in writing. Someone who avoids them is telling you something too. Unlicensed advisers are a real problem, and our guide to fraud targeting newcomers covers the wider scam landscape.

The 15 questions below are grouped into four stages: confirming the consultant is authorized, testing their view of your case, reviewing the service agreement, and agreeing how your file will be handled. They apply whether you are preparing an Express Entry application, a sponsorship or a temporary permit.

Immigration Consultant Licence and Authorization Questions

Start here, before you share personal details or pay anything. These three answers can be checked independently in a few minutes.

1. Licence Number and Register Status

Ask: "What is your licence number, and is your licence active?" Every Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) is licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) and has a number made up of the letter R and six digits. Search that number on the College's public register and confirm three things: the status is active, the consultant is entitled to practise, and the name matches the person you are speaking with. If IRCC finds you used a paid representative who is not authorized, it may return or refuse your application.

2. Licence Class and Scope of Practice

Ask: "Does your licence class cover my type of file?" Not every licence covers every matter. Since July 1, 2023, an RCIC must hold the RCIC-IRB class to represent clients before the Immigration and Refugee Board, which includes refugee hearings, admissibility hearings and sponsorship or removal order appeals. A RISIA licence is limited to advising international students. If your case involves Quebec selection, the consultant must also be registered with Quebec's immigration ministry.

3. Representative Named on Your IRCC Forms

Ask: "Will you be named as my representative on the Use of a Representative form?" A paid consultant should appear on your file. Someone who charges you but asks you to declare the application self-prepared, or leaves the representative section blank, is hiding their involvement. You remain legally responsible for everything submitted in your name, so an invisible adviser leaves you carrying all the risk.

Case Strategy Questions for Your RCIC

Once authorization is confirmed, the next questions test whether the consultant has actually looked at your situation or is offering a standard package.

4. Recommended Program and the Alternatives

Ask: "Which program do you recommend for me, why, and what else did you consider?" A good answer compares routes. For a skilled worker with a modest CRS score, that might mean weighing the Express Entry pool against a Provincial Nominee Program stream. Be cautious of anyone who recommends a single program without explaining why the others do not fit.

5. Weak Points and Realistic Chances

Ask: "What are the weakest parts of my file?" Honest consultants point to gaps in work history, language scores, documents or relationship evidence. If a licensed consultant believes your proposed application is futile or has little hope of success, the Code of Professional Conduct requires them to give you a written opinion explaining why, and to get your written acknowledgement of the risks if you still want to proceed.

6. Experience With Similar Files

Ask: "How many files like mine have you handled recently?" Experience with a spousal sponsorship is not the same as experience with a work permit, an appeal or a business application. Ask for the types of cases the consultant handles most, and whether they bring in another authorized professional when a file falls outside their competence.

7. Family Members on the Application

Ask: "Can my spouse and children be included, and how does that change the work involved?" Rules on accompanying family differ between programs, and adding people adds forms, medicals, police certificates and evidence. The consultant should explain both the eligibility side and how any change in scope will be reflected in your agreement.

Service Agreement and Consultant Fee Questions

The service agreement is where verbal promises either become enforceable commitments or disappear. These four questions are worth asking before you sign anything.

8. Draft Service Agreement Before Signing

Ask: "Can I review a draft of the service agreement first?" A licensed consultant must sign a written service agreement with you before providing services and must give you a draft beforehand. Read it at home, and do not sign a document you cannot read or understand. Never sign blank application forms.

9. Services Covered From Start to Finish

Ask: "Which stages does this agreement cover, and what is not included?" The agreement must contain an itemized list of services and estimated time frames. Check that it covers the whole process you need, for example both the Express Entry profile and the full application after an invitation, or the sponsorship and any request for more documents.

10. Fees, Disbursements and Government Charges

Ask: "What is the total professional fee, which disbursements should I expect, and are taxes included?" The agreement must state the fee estimate or fixed fee, expected disbursements, applicable taxes, payment terms and any additional costs. Disbursements cannot be marked up, and any increase beyond the agreed amounts needs your written consent. IRCC processing fees are set in Canadian dollars and are the same worldwide.

11. Advance Payments, Trust Account and Refund Policy

Ask: "Where will my advance payment be held, and what is your refund policy?" Advance payments must go into a client trust account at a College-approved financial institution, and you should receive a receipt. The consultant can only withdraw funds after invoicing you for work done. Payment requests to a personal account are a warning sign.

File Handling and Communication Questions

Many disputes with representatives are about communication rather than outcome. Settle these points at the start, and keep the answers in writing alongside the questions below.

12. The People Working on Your File

Ask: "Who will prepare my application, and who reviews it?" Your service agreement must name the people likely to assist the consultant. Staff can help with parts of the work, but the licensed consultant must supervise them and take professional responsibility, and unlicensed staff cannot give you immigration advice. More detail is set out in the Code of Professional Conduct for licensees.

13. Updates and Copies of Submitted Documents

Ask: "How will you update me, and will I get copies of what you submit?" Consultants must give you timely written updates, including when documents are submitted or received on your behalf, and provide copies on request. Ask how often to expect updates and whether you will have direct access to your own online account.

14. Refusals, File Transfers and Continuity

Ask: "What happens if my application is refused, or if you can no longer act for me?" Find out what support is included after a refusal. If you ask to move your file to another representative, the consultant must deliver it within 10 business days, even with an unpaid balance. The agreement must also explain what happens to your file if the consultant becomes unable to continue.

15. Complaint Handling Procedure

Ask: "How do I raise a concern, and how do I reach the College if needed?" The agreement must describe the consultant's own complaint procedure and the College's complaints process. IRCC also explains how to raise problems with a representative on its guide to choosing a representative.

Red Flags in an Immigration Consultant's Answers

How a consultant answers matters as much as what they say. Treat any of the following as a reason to stop.

Guaranteed Approval or Special Connections

Licensed consultants are prohibited from guaranteeing the success of an application or implying a relationship with the federal or a provincial government. Only immigration officers decide applications.

Requests to Hide Information or Stay Off the Forms

Advice to leave out a refusal, a relationship or a past overstay, or to submit documents you know are inaccurate, puts you at risk of a misrepresentation finding. The same applies to a paid adviser who refuses to be named on your file.

Pressure, Vague Fees and No Written Agreement

Pressure to pay today, fees that stay vague, or a refusal to put the agreement in writing all fall short of the obligations licensed consultants work under. Ask for a signed receipt every time you pay.

If you would like these questions answered for your own situation, our licensed team, including an RCIC-IRB consultant for tribunal matters, can review your file and set out the options in writing. Bring your documents and any previous IRCC correspondence to your consultation.

This article is general information, not legal advice, and the rules governing representatives can change. Verify any consultant on the CICC public register and confirm current requirements on canada.ca; information is current as of October 2026.