There has always been confusion between an Immigration Consultant and an Authorized Representative.
There is a major difference between the two, especially when it comes to applying for immigration to Canada.
As per the rules set by the Government of Canada, there are only a few representatives who are authorized who can represent applicants at the Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
According to the Canadian government, an Immigration Representative is defined as someone who provides with his expertise and guidance to the applicants applying for Immigration to Canada.
Here, an applicant has a choice to appoint a representative to present their case and act on their behalf.
This means that the representative would be in touch with the CIC as well as the Immigration and Refugee Board and also the Canada Border Services Agency.
The Canadian government recognizes two kinds of Immigration Representatives.
These are the following: Paid Representatives - Those representatives who offer paid services for immigration and other related issues are known as Paid Representatives.
These include refugee cases with reference to the Canadian government.
These mainly include:
Unpaid Representatives - Those representatives who offer their services completely free of cost are known as Unpaid Representatives.
These mainly include family members or friends, non - governmental personnel or from any other religion association.
However, to maintain the privacy of all the applicants, the Citizenship and Immigration Canada does not give out any information without prior conformation from the applicant.
To do so, the applicant must submit consent in writing and he has to submit the IMM 5476 form.
Apart from the above two, there are others who provide with immigration guidance.
However, they cannot be accepted as being authorized representatives.
This also means that they might not be adequately skilled and would be imparting wrong advice.
They might not be updated with the latest.
In such cases, it is best recommended to seek professional advice such as those from law societies, CSIC and so on.
There is a major difference between the two, especially when it comes to applying for immigration to Canada.
As per the rules set by the Government of Canada, there are only a few representatives who are authorized who can represent applicants at the Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
According to the Canadian government, an Immigration Representative is defined as someone who provides with his expertise and guidance to the applicants applying for Immigration to Canada.
Here, an applicant has a choice to appoint a representative to present their case and act on their behalf.
This means that the representative would be in touch with the CIC as well as the Immigration and Refugee Board and also the Canada Border Services Agency.
The Canadian government recognizes two kinds of Immigration Representatives.
These are the following: Paid Representatives - Those representatives who offer paid services for immigration and other related issues are known as Paid Representatives.
These include refugee cases with reference to the Canadian government.
These mainly include:
- Attorneys who are also the members of the Canadian Provincial or the Territorial Law Society
- Members of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants
- Good standing members of the Chambre des notaires du Quebec
Unpaid Representatives - Those representatives who offer their services completely free of cost are known as Unpaid Representatives.
These mainly include family members or friends, non - governmental personnel or from any other religion association.
However, to maintain the privacy of all the applicants, the Citizenship and Immigration Canada does not give out any information without prior conformation from the applicant.
To do so, the applicant must submit consent in writing and he has to submit the IMM 5476 form.
Apart from the above two, there are others who provide with immigration guidance.
However, they cannot be accepted as being authorized representatives.
This also means that they might not be adequately skilled and would be imparting wrong advice.
They might not be updated with the latest.
In such cases, it is best recommended to seek professional advice such as those from law societies, CSIC and so on.
Source...