Canadian · Professional Licensing
RCIC immigration consultant lookup (CICC).
Before you pay anyone to handle a Canadian immigration file, confirm they are licensed. The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants keeps an online Public Register of its licensees. This page explains what the register shows, how to read it and what it cannot tell you, then links you to the official search.
The College says the Public Register exists to help you verify whether a person is a College licensee, whether they are in good standing and whether they have been disciplined. Search the official register itself; a name on this page or in an advertisement proves nothing.
How the CICC Public Register search works
The register has two separate lists: Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) and Regulated International Student Immigration Advisors (RISIAs). You choose a list first. You can then search by first name, last name, College ID, company name, country or city, so a partial picture of the person (a surname and a city, say) is often enough to start.
Search results show the College ID, name, company, licence type and an Entitlement to Practise column. Selecting a licensee opens a profile with the licence status (Active or Inactive), licence history, contact information, agent details and discipline history, including suspensions, revocations, restrictions, current proceedings and past decisions.
Open the official CICC Public Register
Choose the RCIC or RISIA list, search, then read the profile rather than only the name in the results list.
Who is allowed to charge for immigration advice
Under section 91 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, nobody may knowingly represent or advise a person for consideration in connection with an application or proceeding under the Act unless they fall within the listed exceptions. Those exceptions include members in good standing of a provincial law society (lawyers, and other law society members such as paralegals), members in good standing of the Chambre des notaires du Québec, and members in good standing of the College. The Justice Laws copy of the Act that we read was current to 30 September 2026.
The College’s own register page puts the same point in plain words: it is an offence punishable by law to provide Canadian immigration advice for a fee or other consideration without being licensed by the College, a Canadian law society or the Chambre des notaires du Québec. That is why the register answers only part of the question. A person who is absent from it might still be a lawyer, so the next step is the relevant law society, not a conclusion.
Reading the status columns
Two columns matter more than the name. Licence Status tells you whether the licence is Active or Inactive. Entitlement to Practise tells you whether the licensee may currently provide immigration advice or services. The College’s home page describes an authorized consultant as one who is licensed and “active”. A licensee can appear in the register without being in a position to take your file today, which is why a name match on its own is not enough.
Discipline History sits on the profile, not in the results list. If you only read the list you will miss it. The College says the profile covers suspensions, revocations, restrictions, current proceedings and past decisions. Read it before signing a retainer, and note that the register gives the facts of the record rather than a recommendation.
Fraud tips the College gives
The register page warns that unauthorized practitioners sometimes pose as licensees online. Its advice is specific: confirm the person is listed, take the phone number, email address and company name from the register, and then contact them using those details instead of the ones in the message that reached you. It also suggests asking for references, reading reviews, and asking your employer or school if you are in a job or study program. If you are still unsure, contact the College.
A worked example (hypothetical)
A stranger messages you offering to file a study permit extension for a flat fee and gives the name “Jordan Sample” and a College ID. None of this is a real person; the steps are what matter.
First, open the RCIC list and search the surname with the city they claim to work in. If you have the College ID, search that alone to avoid common-name confusion. Second, compare the company name and the phone and email on the register profile with the ones in the message. If they differ, do not reply to the message; use the contact details on the register. Third, check that Licence Status is Active and that Entitlement to Practise reads Yes, then open Discipline History. If the profile matches and is clean, you have a licensed counterpart. If there is no match at all, ask whether the person is a lawyer or a Quebec notary and check the law society, and treat a refusal to say as a warning sign.
What this page does not cover
- It does not search the register for you, store anything you type, or tell you whether a particular person is licensed. Only the College’s Public Register can do that.
- It does not cover lawyers, paralegals or Quebec notaries, who are regulated by their own bodies and may also lawfully give immigration advice.
- It does not give immigration advice, assess your eligibility or comment on any application. The College itself does not process applications.
- It does not describe the format of a College ID, because the College pages we read do not state one.
- It cannot say whether a licensee is a good fit, what a fair fee is, or whether a past decision is relevant to you.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if an immigration consultant is licensed?
Search the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Public Register, choosing the RCIC or RISIA list, and look at both Licence Status and Entitlement to Practise on the profile. Do not rely on a logo, a screenshot or a number quoted in a message.
What does it mean if the consultant is not in the register?
The College says UAPs, unauthorized practitioners, are not regulated and you will not find them there. It also notes that you can check the Government of Canada site to see whether another organization authorizes them. Lawyers, for example, are regulated by law societies, not the College.
What is a College ID?
It is the identifier the register uses for each licensee, and you can search on it. The College pages we read do not describe its format, so treat the register as the authority on whether a given ID is real and whose it is.
What is the difference between an RCIC and a RISIA?
The register keeps separate lists of Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants and Regulated International Student Immigration Advisors. You pick the list to search, so look in both if you are unsure which type of licensee someone is.
Can I search by name only?
Yes. The register accepts first name, last name, College ID, company name, country and city. Combining a surname with a city narrows common names, and a College ID narrows to one licensee.
Is a consultant with an Inactive licence allowed to help me?
The register shows Licence Status as Active or Inactive and shows an Entitlement to Practise column. The College’s guidance is that an authorized consultant is licensed and active, so an Inactive status is a reason to stop and ask the College.
Where do I report someone giving immigration advice without a licence?
The College says to report a possible unauthorized practitioner through the College Portal, which requires creating a portal account to complete its online complaint form.
Does TNAADO verify consultants for me?
No. This page does not look anyone up or collect any details. It explains the official register and links to it, and the register is the only authority.
Sources
Retrieved
- CICC Public Register: what it is, search fields, profile contents and fraud tips
- College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants: home page (“Verify your Immigration Consultant”)
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, section 91 (Justice Laws Website)
Official register and regulator pages only. Each link was opened on the retrieval date and the facts above were read from it. The register itself is the authority.
Guide only — not a verification tool
This page explains a public register and links to it. TNAADO does not check anyone’s licence or registration, does not copy or proxy the register, and collects nothing you might look up. Nothing here is an official verification or professional advice. Details above were read from the regulator’s own website on 19 October 2026 and can change; always rely on the official register.