Find a Regulated Immigration Consultant or Lawyer

What do authorized immigration representatives do?

Authorized immigration representatives are people who can legally offer Canadian immigration advice. They advise and act on issues concerning Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Authorized representative do not have special access to immigration-related programs and services, and no one can guarantee your application will be approved.

There are two types of immigration representatives: paid and unpaid.

Paid representatives

Paid representatives are qualified professionals who are accountable to their regulatory body and required to abide by strict ethical and professional rules designed to protect consumers.

Only the following people may charge a fee or receive any other type of payment to represent or advise you with a Canadian immigration proceeding or application:

Unpaid representatives

Unpaid third parties include family members, friends, and non-profit or religious organizations.

When should you seek the services of an authorized representative?

At UBC, International Student Advisors (ISAs) are RCICs or RISIAs who offer a limited range of immigration advice to UBC international students and their immediate family members (spouses, common-law partners, and dependent children) at no cost.

International Student Advisors can help with:

  • Issues related to Canadian visas
  • Study permits
  • Certain work permits such as post-graduation, co-op, and spouse/partner work permits.

International student advisors are here to support you. However, in some cases we may advise you to seek the services of an authorized representative if:

  • Your questions go beyond the scope of our immigration services, including topics like permanent residency.
  • We do not have sufficient expertise or authority to advise competently on topics such as non-Canadian visas, complex inadmissibility, or multiple refusals.

How can you find an authorized representative?

Unfortunately, international student advisors cannot refer you to specific authorized representatives.

You can visit the links above to see a complete list of authorized representatives. When choosing a representative on your own, consider asking for information about their experience, knowledge, training, references, and/or client testimonials. Not all representatives are knowledgeable about international student issues.

See IRCC’s tips on choosing an immigration representative.

Contacting a lawyer

The Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) is funded by the Canadian Bar Association (British Columbia Branch) and operated by the Access Pro Bono Society.

LRS is available by telephone and online (limited areas). Please visit www.lrsbc.org for more information and for their contact information. The LRS program enables the public to access lawyers and provides the opportunity to have a consultation with a lawyer for up to 15 minutes free of charge.

Find more public programs provided by Access Pro Bono at www.accessprobono.ca.

International student resources

Find everything you need to know about life as an international student at UBC’s Okanagan campus.

 View resources

The information on this page may change

The immigration information in this tutorial has been reviewed and endorsed by Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) or Regulated International Student Immigration Advisors (RISIAs) in compliance with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Regulations. However, this is not a legal document and information may change without notice. Always refer to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for the most up-to-date information.