What Is an RCIC — and Why It Matters Who You Hire

If you are paying someone for Canadian immigration advice or representation, the law requires that person to be authorized: a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), a lawyer, or a Quebec notary.

What RCIC-IRB means

An RCIC-IRB is a consultant with an additional class of licence that permits representation before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) — the tribunal that hears refugee claims and certain appeals. Not every consultant holds this class of licence.

How to verify any consultant

If you are wondering how to find an RCIC, the answer is the same everywhere: every licensed consultant appears on the CICC public register. Search their name or registration number before you sign anything or pay anyone. If they are not on the register, they cannot legally charge you for immigration services — and 'ghost consultants' are a leading source of refused applications and lost money.

Two habits protect you. First, find a licensed immigration consultant on the register yourself rather than trusting a business card, a WhatsApp profile, or a friend-of-a-friend introduction. Second, check the licence class against the work you actually need — a consultant who is not an RCIC-IRB cannot represent you at an IRB hearing, no matter how experienced they are with paper applications.

Tri-Star Immigration Services is founded by Meena Sharma, RCIC-IRB. You can verify her licence on the CICC public register at any time — and we encourage every client to do exactly that. When you are ready, review our immigration services and book a consultation.