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RCIC vs immigration lawyer in Canada: what each one can do

Both a licensed immigration consultant (RCIC) and a lawyer may charge you for Canadian immigration advice and represent you before IRCC. The differences are at the edges: only RCIC-IRB consultants and lawyers may appear before the Immigration and Refugee Board, only lawyers may act for you in the Federal Court, and Quebec files need extra recognition for consultants.

"Consultant or lawyer?" is one of the most common questions people ask before hiring help. The law answers part of it: it sets out who may do which kind of work. The rest comes down to cost, availability and your own preference, which no rule decides for you. This page sets out the scope of each profession from the statutes, the College's licence classes and the law society rules, as at 9 October 2026.

Both are on the list of people allowed to charge you

IRPA s.91(2) allows these people to represent or advise for a fee: lawyers who are members in good standing of a provincial law society; notaries of the Chambre des notaires du Québec; other law society members such as paralegals; and members in good standing of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (the College).

IRCC's "Learn about representatives" page lists the same three groups and gives the same list of what any of them can do: explain your options, help you choose a program, fill out and submit your application, communicate with the government for you, and represent you in an application or hearing.

For an ordinary application to IRCC (a visitor visa, a work or study permit, Express Entry, a sponsorship, citizenship), an RCIC and a lawyer are both authorized to do the work.

The consultant's licence classes

The College licenses consultants in classes, shown in the "Type" column of its Public Register: - Class L1 – RCIC: new consultants in their first year who have not yet completed the New-Licensee Mentoring Program. The College says they "can provide the same full scope of practice as L2 licensees." - Class L2 – RCIC: full scope of practice. The College says they "cannot practise before the IRB unless they also are a paralegal licensed by the Law Society of Ontario." - Class L3 – RCIC-IRB: the full L2 scope plus "the additional qualifications to represent clients before the IRB." - Classes L4 and L5 – RISIA: international student advisors who work for designated learning institutions. They may advise on study permits, visitor visas for students and related permits, and are not authorized to represent you or complete forms for you.

So if a matter is going to the Immigration and Refugee Board (for example a sponsorship appeal or an admissibility hearing), the class on the register matters.

The Federal Court is lawyers only

Judicial review of an IRCC decision happens in the Federal Court. IRPA s.91(10) says that for that section, "proceeding does not include a proceeding before a superior court", and the Federal Court sets its own rules on who may appear.

Rule 119 of the Federal Courts Rules says an individual "may act in person or be represented by a solicitor in a proceeding." A solicitor, under rule 2 and s.11 of the Federal Courts Act, is a barrister, advocate, attorney or solicitor of a province: a lawyer. A consultant cannot be your representative in the Federal Court.

This matters because judicial review has short deadlines: 15 days after being notified for a matter arising in Canada and 60 days for one arising outside Canada (IRPA s.72). People who expect a refusal to end up in court sometimes factor that in from the start.

Quebec: consultants need a second recognition

Quebec selects its own economic immigrants and has its own rules for consultants. The Quebec government's page says: "Détenir un permis en règle du Collège des consultants en immigration et en citoyenneté ne suffit pas pour agir comme consultante ou comme consultant en immigration au Québec. Vous devez obtenir la reconnaissance." In English: holding a College licence is not enough to act as a consultant in Quebec; recognition from Quebec's immigration ministry is also required. Recognised consultants appear in the Registre québécois des consultants en immigration on quebec.ca.

Members of the Barreau du Québec and the Chambre des notaires are excluded from that recognition requirement (same Quebec government pages). IRPA s.91(7.1) confirms that Quebec's own immigration law applies to College members who advise in Quebec.

Who regulates them, and where complaints go

Consultants are regulated by the College under the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act and the Code of Professional Conduct (SOR/2022-128). Lawyers are regulated by their provincial or territorial law society, and Quebec notaries by the Chambre des notaires.

The two systems handle money disputes differently: - The College says its complaints process "focuses on RCICs' or RISIAs' professional conduct, not on their fees," and that a dispute "only about fees" belongs in a local court. - The Law Society of Ontario says it "does not set fees for legal services and cannot reduce a lawyer or paralegal bill," but a lawyer's bill can be reviewed by an Assessment Officer of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Start within one month of receiving the bill, or you need a judge's permission. - The Law Society of British Columbia runs a no-cost Fee Mediation Program for disputes between $1,000 and $35,000, and a bill can be reviewed by a BC Supreme Court registrar ($80 fee paid by the applicant, as stated on the Law Society's page).

Both systems run compensation funds for losses caused by dishonesty. The College's fund applies to Discipline Committee decisions made on or after 15 July 2026, with a maximum payout of $7,000 per successful claim.

Paperwork you should expect from each

A consultant must sign a written consultation agreement with you before the first consultation, stating the fee (Code s.23), and a written service agreement before further work (Code s.24). Advance payments must go into a client trust account, and the consultant may invoice you only once services have been provided (Code s.32 and s.33).

Lawyers have their own engagement and billing rules under their law society's code. In Ontario, a lawyer who advertises fees must be "reasonably precise as to the services offered for each fee quoted," say whether disbursements, third-party charges and taxes are extra, and stick to the advertised fee (LSO rule 4.2-2). Lawyer marketing must also "specifically identify" that they are licensed as a lawyer (rule 4.2-1.1).

What the rules do not settle

Nothing in the statutes says a lawyer is better than a consultant for an ordinary IRCC application, or the reverse. Both must be competent and both are regulated. Experience with a specific program, availability, language, price and how they explain things to you are all matters the rules leave to you.

What the rules do settle: check the person's status before paying. Consultants appear on the College's Public Register with an "Entitled to Practise" column; lawyers appear in their law society's directory. IRCC links all of them on its "Check if your representative is authorized" page.

Finding a regulated adviser

Migratio is a directory and booking platform, not an immigration consultant or law firm, and it does not give immigration advice. Advisers listed in our Canadian directory are licensed immigration consultants and lawyers who have signed up with us themselves. Each listing shows the adviser's registered name and licence number, with a link to the official register so you can check it yourself before you book.

Whoever you choose, from our directory or anywhere else, check them on the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Public Register (register.college-ic.ca) or on their provincial law society's directory first, and ask for the written consultation agreement before the consultation starts.

Questions people ask

Is an RCIC the same as an immigration lawyer?

No. An RCIC is licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants; a lawyer is licensed by a provincial law society. Both may charge for immigration advice and represent you before IRCC under IRPA s.91(2), but only lawyers can act for you in the Federal Court.

Can an immigration consultant represent me at the IRB?

Only if they hold the Class L3 RCIC-IRB licence, or are also an Ontario-licensed paralegal. The class is shown in the "Type" column of the College's Public Register.

Can a consultant do my judicial review in Federal Court?

No. Under Federal Courts Rules rule 119, an individual may act in person or be represented by a solicitor, which means a lawyer.

Do I need a Quebec-recognised consultant for a Quebec application?

For a consultant, yes: Quebec says a College licence alone is not enough to act on Quebec immigration files and recognition from the ministry is required. Members of the Barreau du Québec and the Chambre des notaires are excluded from that requirement.

Who do I complain to about a consultant versus a lawyer?

Consultants: the College, through its online portal. Lawyers: the law society of their province or territory. Quebec notaries: the Chambre des notaires du Québec.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • Do I need an immigration consultant to apply to Canada? — No. IRCC's own answer is "No. The Government of Canada treats everyone equally, whether they use a representative or not." If you do pay someone for advice, the law says they must be a licensed consultant, a lawyer or paralegal, or a Quebec notary.
  • How to check an RCIC licence on the College's Public Register — Search the consultant on the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Public Register (register.college-ic.ca). Only people with an "Active" status and "Yes" in the "Entitled to Practise" column may legally give you immigration advice for a fee. Then contact them using the details on the register, not the ones in an ad or a message.
  • Immigration consultant fees in Canada: what you pay for and how it must be billed — There is no official fee scale: the College says "RCICs set their own fees," and they must be "fair and reasonable." What the rules do fix is the paperwork. The fee for a first consultation must be in a written agreement before it starts, the full job needs a written service agreement with a fee estimate, and money paid in advance must sit in a trust account until the work is done.
  • Judicial Review of an IRCC Refusal: The 15-Day and 60-Day Deadlines — To challenge an IRCC decision in the Federal Court you first need leave. The application must be filed within 15 days if the matter arose in Canada, or 60 days if it arose outside Canada, after you're notified (IRPA s.72). Any appeal right, such as an IAD appeal, must be used first.
  • How to Complain About an Immigration Consultant in Canada — Complaints about an RCIC or RISIA go to the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants through its online portal. The College looks at conduct and competence, not fee disputes; refunds usually need a court. Lawyers and paralegals are complained about to their law society.