Hello, Mr. Chair and honourable committee members.
My name is Gabrielle Frédette Fortin. I'm here today as an individual.
I'm one of the youngest regulated Canadian immigration consultants, or RCICs, in the profession. I believe I can speak to you today as a representative of this new generation of RCICs, who are looking to the future, focusing on the objectives, and learning what was done in the past, but without dwelling on it.
When I chose this profession, I quickly understood that I would have to deal with a rather negative label. I tolerate this label, but sometimes I defend my profession. Some criticisms are completely justified, while others seriously and unnecessarily damage the reputation of my profession and undermine the integrity of the immigration system.
People need to stop blaming us in this fight against unauthorized representatives, or those you call ghost consultants. The Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council, or ICCRC, has no power under the legislation to investigate or discipline these individuals. I also recommend that we immediately stop using the term “ghost consultant”, because it ridicules my profession and thereby undermines the integrity of our immigration system. We could just as easily use the term “ghost lawyer”, which designates unauthorized representatives who practice Canadian law illegally.
With all due respect, I'm asking the committee to pay particular attention to the recommendations made by my colleagues and the credible witnesses on the limits of the profession and on the regulatory body, as well as on how we can better protect the public together.
I'll focus on the following recommendation. The ICCRC and the regulatory body should develop a close relationship and work together on an ongoing basis, since that's how we'll manage to better protect the public. The committee's other priorities should be clearing up the ambiguity and preventing individuals from providing immigration advice without authorization under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The government can pressure settlement agencies, international student recruiters, adoption agencies and human resources professionals to comply with the act. A regulatory body will help us protect newcomers from this scourge of unauthorized representatives.
First, let me tell you about the international student advisors case. It's a good example of the success resulting from this joint work and of how we can apply the rules to the groups mentioned previously.
At the time, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, or CIC—now IRCC—determined that international students constituted a group of vulnerable consumers. It was crucial that the students receive advice from qualified Canadian immigration professionals. CIC informed educational institutions about the issue and made it known that international student advisors shouldn't provide immigration advice to international students. The ICCRC and CIC worked together to reach a consensus and create a new professional designation, the regulated international student immigration advisor, or RISIA. Since the government funds these organizations, it's logical that they comply with the immigration legislation.
Settlement agencies help newcomers settle in Canada and integrate into their community. The agencies are largely funded by the government, most of the time directly by IRCC.
Some settlement officers are very competent and qualified. However, most of them don't have any immigration training. They work with vulnerable consumers, such as refugees and illegal immigrants. Since these officers don't have the training required to properly understand immigration issues and legislation, they can easily provide very harmful advice. This can lead to misrepresentation, the refusal of an application or even deportation.
IRCC could make a major difference by funding the ICCRC. The ICCRC could therefore create a professional designation that would provide a framework for the practice of these workers.
There's also the issue of international student recruiters. In 2012, the ICCRC contacted schools to warn them that international student recruiters shouldn't prepare the students' immigration applications. It's quite common for recruiters to prepare the immigration application and for the student to submit it. The goal is to hide illegal activities. Since they're paid by an educational institution to recruit students, it constitutes an indirect compensation. This contravenes section 91 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
By ensuring that student recruiters operate under a regulatory body, we would help better protect these students, who are looking for an opportunity to study in Canada.
Human resources professionals often end up working on labour market impact assessments, or LMIAs, or on immigration cases. They lack training, and they're unable to establish the essential ties the way a qualified professional would establish them. These professionals can place foreign workers in very precarious situations. Employers such as Deloitte and the Cirque du Soleil work with immigration consultants, a practice that should be recognized and bolstered by the government.
We must give the regulated immigration consultant profession the respect it deserves. Immigration is an integral part of Canada's social fabric. I served my country as a military member, and I'll serve it again as a regulated Canadian immigration consultant. Each day, I help build Canada's future by promoting the country, protecting the public, and helping to ensure the integrity of the system.
Thank you.