Open Letter to Canadian Colleges/Universities and Educational Institutions who use International Recruiters to bring Students to Canada

We are asking Canadian educational institutions to protect international students by encouraging their recruiters to operate within Canadian laws.

As the official body that oversees the regulation of immigration consultants for any immigration matter to Canada, we would encourage all Canadian institutions to be cautious of the type of practices their agents are engaged in.

It has come to our attention that foreign students are often victim of abuse and improper advice. Either they are being coerced into purchasing airline tickets at a higher fee, or they are threatened and intimidated by agents, especially when the students ask for a refund when applications are refused.

At the same time, some schools refuse to accept new students from Authorized Representatives, referring them to Educational Agents who do not follow Canadian law when it comes to providing immigration advice and services. It does not matter whether they are paid for this advice by the student, because they are compensated by the schools for their work, and are covered under the Act and Regulations.

We would like to raise awareness about this issue in light of new Canadian immigration laws that prohibit such kind of activity from unauthorized representatives. According to Immigration Processing Manuals from CIC (IP 9 Section 5.4 “Other Stakeholders”)

Educational agents abroad 

Educational agents, who are often engaged by Canadian educational institutions to assist their foreign students, typically charge a fee for their services up to and including sending a signed study permit application to the Canadian embassy. 

Under the Regulations, such agents must be authorized representatives if they provide immigration advice or representation to their clients, even if these activities occur prior to the submission of the application. 

Similarly, agents who wish to represent students on immigration matters after their student applications have been submitted need to be authorized representatives.

ICCRC's mandate is to fairly and effectively regulate immigration consultants with accountability and transparency, to protect the public interest, to maintain a public list of registered/regulated consultants and to administer a stringent complaint and discipline process to crack down on unauthorized providers of immigration services.