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IMMIGRATION NEWS - PAGE I
End of Transitional Period for
Applicants using Unauthorized Representatives - April 13, 2008
The Immigration and Refugee
Protection Regulations, as amended on April 13, 2004, state Citizenship and
Immigration Canada (CIC) can conduct business with authorized representatives
only. To be an authorized representative, the person an applicant pays to
assist them must be a member in good standing with the Canadian Society of
Immigration Consultants, a Canadian provincial or territorial law society or
the Chambre des notaires du Québec.
Individuals whose applications
were submitted before the coming into force of the new regulatory provisions
on April 13, 2004, have a four-year transition period during which CIC may
continue to deal with an unauthorized representative for that specific
application only.
If, at the end of the transition
period, on April 13, 2008, the applicant is still using the services of an
unauthorized representative, CIC must no longer communicate with that
representative.
CIC will inform the applicant that
the representative is not a member in good standing with one of the regulatory
bodies, and will continue to process the application. The applicant can choose
to proceed without a representative or hire another authorized representative.
Applicants are not obliged to hire
a representative for immigration matters. The Government of Canada treats
everyone equally, whether they use the services of a representative or not. If
an applicant chooses to hire a representative, the application will not be
given special attention nor can the applicant expect faster processing or a
more favourable outcome.
To learn more about the types of
individuals who may represent an applicant, visit our Web site at:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/representative/index.asp
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