For visas, permits, permanent residence, sponsorship and citizenship applications, a licensed consultant (RCIC) and a lawyer are both allowed to represent you, and either can do the job well. The title matters in three places. At the Immigration and Refugee Board, you need an L3 consultant or a lawyer. At the Federal Court, only a lawyer can represent you, unless you represent yourself. For Québec’s selection programs, a consultant must also be recognized by Québec.
The difference in one table
Canadian law names who may advise or represent you for pay on an immigration matter: members of a provincial law society (lawyers, and in Ontario, paralegals), Québec notaries, and consultants licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC). Friends, relatives and community organizations can still help you, as long as nobody is paid.
| Where or what | Licensed consultant (RCIC) | Lawyer |
|---|---|---|
| IRCC applications | Yes, any class (L1–L3) | Yes |
| IRB hearings & appeals | Only with the L3 (RCIC-IRB) licence | Yes |
| Federal Court | No | Yes |
| Québec selection | Only if also recognized by Québec | Members of the Barreau du Québec (Québec notaries too) |
| Regulator | CICC | Their provincial or territorial law society |
| How to check | CICC public register | The law society’s member directory |
Both are regulated. Both can lose the right to practise. Neither can promise you a result, and IRCC says using a representative won’t draw special attention to your file. You can also apply on your own: a representative is your choice, not a requirement.
Answer four questions
Answer what you know. The result updates as you go. It’s a starting point, not legal advice.
Which do I need?
Your result
Answer the questions above and your result appears here.
- If you want to go to the Federal Court: Only a lawyer can represent you there, or you can represent yourself. Consultants can’t. For most immigration decisions, the deadline to ask the Court for leave is 15 days if the decision was made in Canada and 60 days if it was made outside Canada.
- If your case is at the Immigration and Refugee Board: Only consultants with the L3 (RCIC-IRB) licence can represent you at the Immigration and Refugee Board. L1 and L2 consultants can’t. A lawyer can.
- If criminal charges or convictions are involved: For applications such as individual rehabilitation or a temporary resident permit, a licensed consultant or a lawyer can help. If your case goes to an admissibility hearing at the IRB, you need an L3 consultant or a lawyer. Defending the charge itself in a criminal court is work for a criminal lawyer.
- If you are applying through a Québec selection program: For the Québec stage, a consultant needs Québec’s recognition on top of a CICC licence, and must be listed in the Registre québécois des consultants en immigration. Members of the Barreau du Québec and the Chambre des notaires du Québec can also represent you. The federal stage with IRCC follows the usual rules.
- If none of these apply: For an ordinary IRCC application, any licensed consultant (L1, L2 or L3) or any lawyer can act for you. Compare them on experience with your kind of file, the written quote, and how clearly they explain your options.
Most IRCC applications: a licensed consultant is a fine fit
Visitor visas, study and work permits, Express Entry, family sponsorship and citizenship are all applications to IRCC. For these, the law authorizes a licensed consultant and a lawyer alike. Either can explain your options, fill out and submit your application, and deal with IRCC for you.
A consultant’s licence covers immigration and citizenship only. That focus can be an advantage for paperwork-heavy files where the risk is a missing document or the wrong program, not a legal argument. Being a lawyer doesn’t by itself mean someone practises immigration law, so for either one, ask how many files like yours they have handled.
A consultant also has to stay inside their limits. The CICC’s Code of Professional Conduct says a licensee must not provide services they aren’t competent to provide or that are beyond the scope of their licence. If a file is beyond them, they must decline or, with your approval, bring in someone competent. A good consultant tells you early when your case needs a lawyer.
Ready to compare consultants? You can find a licensed consultant who works on your kind of application. Every one we list was active and entitled to practise on the CICC register when we last checked.
When you need a lawyer (or an L3 consultant)
You want the Federal Court to review a decision
If IRCC or the IRB refuses you and there is no appeal, the next step is often judicial review at the Federal Court. You first ask the Court for leave. Only a lawyer can represent you there. You can also represent yourself, though the Court recommends a lawyer because the procedures are complex. A consultant of any class cannot act for you in court.
For most immigration decisions the clock is short: 15 days for a decision made in Canada and 60 days for one made outside Canada, counted from when you were told about the decision or otherwise learned of it. If you have a right of appeal, you must use it first.
Your case is at the Immigration and Refugee Board
The IRB decides refugee claims and refugee appeals, holds admissibility hearings and detention reviews, and hears immigration appeals, such as a refused sponsorship, a removal order or a residency obligation decision. Since 1 July 2023, consultants need a specific licence to represent anyone there: on the register it shows as Class L3 · RCIC-IRB. L1 and L2 consultants can’t take these cases. Any lawyer in good standing can.
Criminal charges or convictions are part of the picture
A criminal conviction can make you inadmissible to Canada. The routes back, such as individual rehabilitation or a temporary resident permit, are applications to the Government of Canada, not court cases, so a licensed consultant or a lawyer can help. If your case is sent to an admissibility hearing, that’s at the IRB: an L3 consultant or a lawyer. Defending a charge in a criminal court is a criminal lawyer’s job. If you face charges and aren’t a citizen, ask your criminal lawyer about the immigration consequences before your case ends.
Don’t let a deadline pass while you shop around. If you are thinking about the Federal Court, speak to a lawyer straight away. Fifteen days goes quickly.
How to compare cost without guessing
We don’t quote prices: they vary by case, by province and by person, and any number here would mislead you. What you can do is make every quote comparable.
What a consultant must put in writing
Before a first consultation, a licensed consultant must sign a written consultation agreement with you that states the fee, or says the consultation is free. Before any further work, they must sign a written service agreement with you. Among other things, it must list:
- the services, itemized
- an estimate of fees: the hourly rate and the expected number of hours, or a fixed fee
- expected disbursements and applicable taxes
- payment terms, any advance payment, and the refund policy
- the names of anyone who will assist on your file
Lawyers follow their own law society’s rules. Ask a lawyer for the same detail in writing, so you can compare like with like.
Questions to ask both
- Fixed fee or hourly? A fixed fee gives you certainty. Hourly can make sense when the work is hard to predict, such as a hearing. Either way, ask for an estimate.
- What exactly is included? Forms, document review, letters, replies to IRCC requests, and what happens if IRCC asks for more.
- Are government fees included? Government application fees are not your representative’s fee. Ask whether each quote includes them, so you compare like with like.
- Who does the work? The person you hire should be the person advising you and signing your forms.
Check them before you pay
Whoever you choose, confirm they are allowed to practise today. If they aren’t members in good standing, IRCC says you shouldn’t use them, and an unauthorized paid representative can lead to your application being returned or refused.
Consultant
Search the CICC public register. Look for Active, entitled to practise, and L3 if your case is at the IRB. Our guide to checking a licence walks through it.
Licence number starts with RLawyer
Search their provincial or territorial law society’s member directory. canada.ca links to every one, plus the Chambre des notaires du Québec.
In Ontario, paralegals tooQuébec
For the Québec stage, search the Registre québécois des consultants en immigration on quebec.ca.
Separate from the CICC registerIf something goes wrong, complaints about a consultant go to the CICC. Complaints about a lawyer or paralegal go to their law society, and about a Québec notary to the Chambre des notaires du Québec.
Questions people ask
Is a lawyer always the safer choice?
No. For IRCC applications, the law authorizes both, and IRCC says using a representative doesn’t draw special attention to your application. Experience with your type of application matters more than the title. A lawyer is required for the Federal Court, and for the IRB you need a lawyer or an L3 consultant.
Can my consultant take my refusal to the Federal Court?
No. At the Federal Court, someone who isn’t a lawyer can only represent themselves. Your consultant can help you understand the refusal and refer you to a lawyer, but the deadline is short, so move quickly.
My spousal sponsorship was refused. Who can handle the appeal?
Sponsorship appeals are heard by the Immigration Appeal Division of the IRB. You need a lawyer or a consultant with the L3 (RCIC-IRB) licence. An L1 or L2 consultant can’t represent you there.
I live in Québec. Can any licensed consultant help me?
For federal applications to IRCC, yes. For the Québec selection stage, the consultant must also be recognized by Québec’s immigration ministry and listed on its register. To be recognized, they need a CICC licence, French at level 7 on Québec’s scale, a pass on Québec’s exam, and a business establishment in Québec (theirs or their employer’s). Québec lawyers and notaries can also represent you.
Can either one guarantee my application will be approved?
No. The CICC’s Code of Professional Conduct forbids a consultant from guaranteeing the success of an application, and IRCC says no representative guarantees approval. Treat any promise of approval as a red flag.
Do I need a representative at all?
No. You can apply yourself, or get free help from family, friends or a community organization. If anyone is paid, in money or any other way, they must be authorized.
Sources
- Check if your representative is authorized, canada.ca (modified 2026-06-04)
- Choose a representative, canada.ca (modified 2026-08-18)
- Learn about representatives, canada.ca (modified 2026-08-18)
- File a complaint against a representative, canada.ca (modified 2026-05-11)
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, s. 91 (representation or advice), Justice Laws (current to 2026-09-21)
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, s. 72 (judicial review), Justice Laws (current to 2026-09-21)
- Representing yourself: FAQ, Federal Court (modified 2026-09-18)
- Representation at the IAD, Immigration and Refugee Board (modified 2024-09-12)
- Notice: “Authorized Representative” information, Immigration and Refugee Board (modified 2021-11-30)
- About the Board, Immigration and Refugee Board (modified 2026-02-11)
- Get represented in your immigration procedures, quebec.ca (updated 2026-08-17)
- Trouver un consultant en immigration, quebec.ca (updated 2025-11-12)
- Conditions pour obtenir la reconnaissance en tant que consultant en immigration, quebec.ca (updated 2023-09-18)
- Quebec-selected skilled workers, canada.ca (modified 2026-03-11)
- Code of Professional Conduct for College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Licensees (SOR/2022-128), ss. 19, 20, 23, 24, 44, Justice Laws (current to 2026-09-21)
- Overcome criminal convictions, canada.ca (modified 2026-07-23)
- CICC public register (class labels as shown on the register)