CSIC welcomes federal court decision

29 December 2006

In a recent decision, the Federal Court has upheld the validity of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) Regulations that designate Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC) members as "authorized representatives" who may, for a fee, represent, advise or consult with a person who is subject of an immigration proceeding or application. The result confirms CSIC's regulatory role and reaffirms its authority to regulate immigration consultants in the public interest.

The court challenge came from the Law Society of Upper Canada, supported by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. The Law Society's application to strike down the Regulations was completely dismissed. The Federal Court rejected the Law Society of Upper Canada's allegations that the Regulations are contrary to the rule of law, that they create an improper subdelegation of power to CSIC and are discriminatory or exceed the scope of regulation-making power conferred by IRPA.

"CSIC welcomes this long-awaited decision. It is a victory for our organization and our profession as it eliminates any lingering doubt about the validity of the Society's regulatory scheme and regulatory measures." said CSIC Chairman John Ryan.

CSIC, created in 2004, is responsible for regulating the activities of immigration consultants who are members and who provide immigration advice for a fee. In addition, the Society is responsible for ensuring the education and competency testing of its members to protect the consumers of immigration consulting services and ensure the competent and professional conduct of its members.

Since 2004, all practicing immigration consultants in Canada need to be members in good standing with either CSIC, a Canadian law society or the Chambre des notaires du Québec in order to participate in new matters before Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) and the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA).

For more information or to consult the full decision, please refer to www.csic-scci.ca.

For further information: Ross Eastley, CA, Chief Executive Officer CSIC, Phone: (416) 572-2800 Ext: 2236, Toll Free: 1-866-308-CSIC (2742), Ext: 2236, reastley@csic-scci.ca, http://www.csic-scci.ca/

Source: newswire

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