Using an Immigration and Citizenship Representative

Immigration and citizenship representatives:

• explain and give advice on your immigration or citizenship options
• help you choose the best immigration program for you
• fill out and submit your immigration or citizenship application
• communicate with the Government of Canada on your behalf
• represent you in an immigration or citizenship application or hearing
• advertise that they can give immigration or citizenship advice

Representatives could be:

• citizenship or immigration consultants
• lawyers
• friends
• family members or
• other third parties

You may choose to use a representative to act on your behalf for immigration or citizenship applications with:

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada or
• the Canada Border Services Agency.

You don't need to hire a representative!

It's your choice. Using one will not draw special attention to your application and does not mean that the CIC will approve it.

You can get all the forms and instructions you need to apply for a visa, a permit or citizenship for free on the Government of Canada website. If you follow the instructions, you should be able to fill out the forms and submit them yourself.

Beware of fraudulent representatives. Learn more about  how to protect yourself from fraud.

Beware of fraud

You are responsible for all the information in your application, even if your representative completes it for you.

Beware of representatives who:

• advertise their services as free and later ask you to pay a fee
• advise you to lie on your application. It is against the law to give false or misleading information in your application

Learn more about:

• How to choose a representative
• How to protect yourself from fraud

Types of representatives

There are two types of representatives: paid (and authorized) and unpaid.

Authorized paid representatives

Only some people can charge you a fee or receive any other type of payment. These people are called “authorized” representatives. They are:

• lawyers and paralegals who are members in good standing of a Canadian provincial or territorial law society
• notaries who are members in good standing of the Chambre des notaires du Québec and
• citizenship or immigration consultants who are members in good standing of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council

The Government of Canada will not deal with representatives who charge a fee but are not authorized. If you use an unauthorized representative, in Canada or abroad, the Government of Canada may return your application or refuse it.

Remember: if you pay a representative or compensate them in any way in exchange for their services, the Government of Canada may consider that paid and they must be authorized.

Find out how to check if your representative is authorized.

Unpaid representatives or third parties

Unpaid representatives could be:

• family members
• friends and
• other third parties who do not charge a fee

Unpaid representatives may give the same services as paid representatives, but they do it for free.

Learn about Representatives