Evidence of meeting #53 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was iccrc.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:10 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I'm just trying to trace the history of this. It is my understanding that CSIC lost its status as the regulatory body. Then, that regulatory body authority was handed over to ICCRC. Now, we're hearing about problems with ICCRC, so my first question is this.
Mr. Dean, have the problems that you are identifying here today been in place since its inception, or are they a recent phenomenon?
4:10 p.m.
As an Individual
All of the irregularities that I found in the financial statements in the reports haven't been proven yet, because I don't have the records. These are just things that I am pointing out to them and that look like irregularities, so these may be the case, but we're being denied the records.
4:15 p.m.
As an Individual
They have other people slated. We're at odds with each other. I'm not their favourite person; that's for sure.
4:15 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Okay. Let me skip over then to this.
It seems like there are problems, and we don't know for how long. There is a split within the current board.
Ms. Fang and Mr. Dhillon, do the problems that you identified with respect to consultants in the examples you put forward concern unlicensed or licensed consultants?
4:15 p.m.
Chair, Canadian Migration Institute
In my case it is an unlicensed overseas agency, but they have a Canadian licensed consultant or lawyer working for them. However, the guy in Canada doesn't know about anything that's going on overseas. He just signs the representative form.
4:15 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Okay. Let me just stop you there.
Have there ever been complaints to ICCRC about those agencies, these licensed organizations who have unlicensed people working for them and, it appears, creating problems for the clients? Has anybody ever complained about them as the licensed body doing this work? Does anybody know?
Yes, Mr. Dean.
4:15 p.m.
As an Individual
I complained through the election process.
Just to follow up on your last statement, that the matters at ICCRC are nearly fixed. There are other—
4:15 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Sorry, thank you. I don't mean to be rude. I have seven minutes.
You're telling me that complaints have been made. What has come of those complaints? Are they being investigated?
4:15 p.m.
As an Individual
—but the electorate, the members know about it. They have thrown these people out of power, but there are little tricks on the internal—
4:15 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Thank you.
I want to ask this question on the fix.
Should the Canadian government accept situations where an application is being put forward on behalf of a client by an unlicensed body?
If the answer is no, then they would be rejected because of the representation of that client, but the application itself would not be rejected, if you know what I mean. The application should still be processed, so that the client is not prevented from getting their work or application in, but those unlicensed bodies would have no right to represent the clients. Is that not the best way to protect the client then?
4:15 p.m.
As an Individual
Yes, I believe so. We should have a licensed regulatory agency or body to regulate immigration consultants.
4:15 p.m.
Chair, Canadian Migration Institute
Yes, I actually suggested that, but the problem is that you need to be able to identify who is preparing the application, because a lot of ghost agents don't put their name on.
They register an email from the client. They charge a fee of the client. They submit a case as if they were the client, so you don't even know if somebody was charging a fee for submitting an application.
That's why I have suggested that if you don't have a representative, you sign a declaration that you don't have a representative and that you are completing the application yourself.
