Canada has implemented a new regulatory framework for immigration consultants, allowing clients to claim compensation for losses incurred since 2021.
Effective July 15, 2026, regulations have been put in place mandating the establishment of a compensation fund accessible to clients of professionals licensed under the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC).
Eligible clients can now recover losses resulting from licensees’ dishonest acts committed on or after November 23, 2021, the day the CICC assumed its role as the regulator.
The regulations define dishonest acts as licensees knowingly providing false or misleading information, advising individuals to do so, theft, fraud, misappropriation of funds, and violating procedures for professional liability insurance.
To qualify for compensation, individuals must have engaged a CICC licensee or reasonably believed that services would be provided, without voluntary participation in or contribution to the dishonest act.
The regulations stipulate that payments to victims will be disbursed from a separate fund managed by the CICC, with provisions for the College to recover disbursements from the fund, along with fees and expenses.
Under Canadian law, anyone offering immigration advice for payment must be licensed by a provincial or territorial law society or by the CICC as a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or Regulated International Student Immigration Advisor (RISIA).
The CICC functions as an independent regulatory body under the federal legislative framework established by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act.
The new regulations introduce governance reforms within the CICC, including the establishment of a Discipline Committee, Complaints Committee, and Capacity Evaluation Committee, and require the College to submit an annual report to the federal government.
These regulations also grant the immigration minister the authority to appoint an executive administrator to assume control in place of the College’s board.
The regulations came into effect as planned, following a 90-day period after their publication in the Canada Gazette on April 16, 2026, stemming from draft regulations initially published in the Gazette on December 21, 2024.