When immigration issues come into the public eye, immigration consultants are, time and again, often blamed by some.

Read on to discover who immigration consultants really are and whether the blame game offers any real solutions.

After a few years of rapid growth in permanent and temporary residents, in 2024, Canada hit the brakes on immigration. This decision brought immigration issues into the spotlight. Many issues such as foreign worker and international student exploitation, the large number of undocumented foreign nationals in Canada, uncertainty of over a million temporary residents in Canada with soon-to-expire immigration documents, buying and selling Canadian jobs for immigration purposes, and an exponential increase of refugee claims generated much public attention and concerns.

Some blame immigration consultants or a few bad apples among them as if the profession as a whole is the primary cause of the issues. However, the numbers say otherwise. Blaming a group of professionals who have been working diligently for a better Canada does not lead to solutions to the issues. The facts show that a collective approach is essential to finding and implementing effective solutions.

Let’s start with the numbers.

The immigration data from immigration authorities are as follows:

- The number of foreign nationals in Canada whose immigration documents are to expire in 2025 is over a million.

- The undocumented foreign nationals in Canada are estimated to be from 300,000 to 600,000.

- The refugee claims waiting for the Refugee Protection Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) to process is more than 240,000. The IRB data show over 70% of claimants and appellants were represented by lawyers and around 10% were self-represented.

The growth rate of labour market impact assessments (LMIAs) from 2016 to 2023 is 225%. In 2023, 239,013 LMIAs were issued. By June 2024, 126,216 LMIAs were issued.

The total number of immigration consultants is 12,700. This includes 12,264 Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs), 1,358 of whom hold IRB designation and can represent refugee claimants before the IRB, and 436 Regulated International Student Immigration Advisors (RISIAs) who are employees of designated learning institutions (DLIs). Additionally, not all of these consultants work full-time in the sector.

A simple calculation presents this fact: The foreign nationals represented by immigration consultants in dealings with immigration authorities make up only a fraction of the total number of immigration applicants and asylum seekers.

So, when numbers speak otherwise, we must ask the question:

Why are immigration consultants singled out? The reasons are simple:

- Some advocate for the elimination of this profession for their own good in the name of public protection. The non-existence of immigration consultants will leave prospective immigrants no choice but to navigate the process themselves or turn to another group of authorized representatives.

- Some mistakenly identified unauthorized practitioners (UAPs) as immigration consultants. In reality, the largest and most egregious immigration fraud was committedby a UAP. Similarly, the recent fraud that impacted numerous international students was committed by a UAP.

- Some media outlets and government officials appear uninterested in learning and acknowledging the legal fact that UAPs are offenders, not immigration consultants. When issues arise in immigration, the stakeholders seem to have a knee-jerk reaction: blaming immigration consultants. They may get it wrong—and most of the time, they do—but this blame game is safe. Plus, it makes the condemners appear decent.

The data clearly shows that immigration consultants are not to blame. And remember, the goal is to solve the issues. To do this, we must be able to distinguish immigration consultants from UAPs.

Who are immigration consultants?

When someone presents themselves as a lawyer, you may not ask the question: “Are you licensed?” This is because, by default, lawyers must be licensed; otherwise, they can’t present themselves as a lawyer.

In the same way, when a person presents themselves as an immigration consultant, you may or may not ask the same question. However, this only reveals a lack of understanding of who immigration consultants are. Immigration consultants constitute a federally regulated profession. Just as individuals who are not members of a provincial/territorial bar cannot use the designation "lawyer," individuals who are not licensees of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants are prohibited from using the designation immigration consultants and its variations.

Therefore, keep in mind that, by default, immigration consultants are licensed. This leads to another question:

Will the blame game against immigration consultants make things better?

The answer is no. Immigration consultants are indispensable for both safeguarding the integrity of the Canadian immigration system and protecting the public interest for the following reasons:

First, the blame game blurs the line between UAPs and immigration consultants, allowing UAPs to prey on victims. Immigration consultants are essential for navigating Canada’s immigration system and protecting individuals from UAPs who can harm their cases.

Second, studies show that Canada’s immigration system is complex. People with immigration needs require immigration professionals to guide them through the maze, a need recognized by lawyers as well. Diminishing the immigration consulting profession is not in the best interest of the public. Instead, it only paves the way for UAPs to do more damage to the integrity of the Canadian immigration system and exploit people with immigration needs.

Third, the existence of three groups of authorized representatives, namely, members of the provincial/territorial law societies, members of Quebec Notaries, and immigration consultants, provide people with immigration needs more options. It’s a mechanism to facilitate access to justice.

Fourth, while bad apples exist in any profession, using the wrongdoing of a few to slander the entire profession only confuses the public. Confusion is the best ally to UAPs.

Since we learned that finger-pointing does not work, what does?

Come together to solve the issues

To solve the issues, we must identify the root cause. The change of policies shows that they play a vital role in immigration. The interception of 10,000 fraudulent letters of acceptance after the implementation of the letters of acceptance (LOA) verification system shows that UAPs and dishonest people are at work. The exponential increase in refugee claims shows that the refugee protection system may need reform to balance Canada’s capacity for refugee protection and compassionate tradition. With the Trump presidency taking a tough stand on U.S. immigration, the influx of foreign nationals from the U.S. to Canada is likely a new serious issue.

All of the above shows that we can no longer afford the blame game. Instead, it’s time for all Canadian immigration stakeholders—including government officials and the three groups of authorized representatives—to come together and find solutions to the issues.