
Whether you have just started thinking about immigration or have downloaded forms and are confused by them and the process, you may be asking yourself:
“Should I hire a representative?”
If you are wondering if you need a paid representative, here are a few things to consider.
First, remember that there is never an obligation to use a representative to prepare and submit an immigration or citizenship application.
However, the upside to hiring a representative is that they can help you avoid costly and time-consuming mistakes, especially as Canada’s application processing times grow longer. With continued Covid waves and turbulent world events, processing times continue to increase.
Forms can be confusing to fill out and versions can change without notice, resulting in potential cancellations or refusals. Self-help websites or chat groups can often give you conflicting or outdated directions as immigration information is always changing, and government websites can be complicated to navigate. There may even be programs you have not yet considered or do not know about that might be great (but missed) opportunities for you to come to Canada.
If you have a paid representative, it is their job to know the ins and outs of Canadian immigration. They can often simplify the myriad steps for you and make submitting an application a smooth process, which brings us to our second point.
If you are hiring a representative, make sure they are authorized. It is critical that your paid representative be a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC), a lawyer, or a Quebec notary. They must be in good standing with their relevant organisations – if you pay someone who is not authorised, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) may return or refuse your application.
Make sure you know your eligibility before investing a lot of time and money in an application. You can check the status of an Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant here and check a lawyer’s status here. You can also learn more about hiring a representative here.

Our team
Canadian Visa Specialists offers a free assessment to evaluate your situation and see how we can help you. We are happy to look at your details and examine your potential immigration or permanent residency pathways.
If you are interested in an initial consultation or full representation, we have two fully licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants on staff to help you. We are up to date on immigration changes and have been helping people for twenty years now, and we are licensed to help with federal and provincial applications across Canada.
Take your first step towards coming to Canada and take your free assessment today.
About Us
Canadian Visa Specialists is a professional and ethical organisation that was established to provide prompt and professional assistance to people throughout the world who wish to migrate to Canada. We have been helping people come to Canada for twenty years, and we can help you with personal or corporate migration to Canada.
Contact us at info@canadianvisaspecialists.com. Visit our website at www.canadianvisaspecialists.com. You can also follow us on social media on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.