How to verify an immigration consultant: CICC and MARA registers

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The message lands on a Sunday night, forwarded by a cousin: a screenshot promising “Canada PR in 6 months”, a WhatsApp number and a request for a deposit by Tuesday. Most weeks someone brings that thread into our Dubai office and asks whether the person behind it is allowed to give immigration advice at all. Canada and Australia both keep public registers of the individuals who may be paid to act for you, and both regulators treat paid advice from anyone else as unlawful. Here is how to use both registers from a phone, as at August 2026.

At a glance

  • Canada: only members in good standing of a Canadian law society, the Chambre des notaires du Québec, or the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) may be paid to advise or represent you. Consultants are checked on the CICC Public Register.
  • Australia: only registered migration agents, Australian legal practitioners, or unpaid “exempt persons” such as your sponsor or close family may give immigration assistance. Agents are checked on the OMARA Register.
  • Registration sits with the individual, not the company. Search the person’s name, not the brand on the door.
  • On the CICC register the consultant must show “Active” status and “Yes” under Entitled to Practise. OMARA makes checking for disciplinary action step 3 of its five-step process.
  • An Australian registered agent must give you a written service agreement, a fee list and the OMARA Consumer guide. IRCC may return or refuse an application handled by an unauthorised paid representative.

Who may legally charge you for immigration advice

Both systems attach the licence or registration to a named person. A business name may sit beside an entry, but the entry belongs to an individual.

Question Canada Australia
Regulator for consultants College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC); authority applies in Canada or abroad Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA)
Registered individual is called Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC); RISIAs are a separate class limited to student advice Registered migration agent (RMA)
Who else may act for a fee Members in good standing of a provincial or territorial law society (including Ontario paralegals) or the Chambre des notaires du Québec Legal practitioners holding an Australian practising certificate
Who may help unpaid Family, friends and third parties who do not charge Exempt persons: your nominator or sponsor, close family, parliamentarians, diplomatic or consular staff
Where to check register.college-ic.ca portal.mara.gov.au
Identifier to ask for College ID MARN (the registration number on the OMARA Register)

The CICC calls paid advice from anyone not licensed by the College, a Canadian law society or the Chambre “an offence punishable by law”. OMARA says immigration assistance may lawfully come only from someone on its Register, a legal practitioner or an unpaid exempt person, and names education agents who are neither as people who must not give it.

Step by step: searching the CICC Public Register

1. Search the person, not the company

Open register.college-ic.ca and choose the RCIC list; RISIAs are listed separately. You can search by first name, last name, College ID, company name, country or city, but the result you act on is a named individual with a College ID.

2. Read the status and the Entitled to Practise column

The College’s rule is short: only licensees with “Active” status who are marked “Yes” under Entitled to Practise can legally provide immigration advice or services. Anyone marked “No” cannot, whether the status reads Leave of Absence, Resigned, Resigned – While Under Investigation, or a suspension or revocation. “Active – Practice Restricted” means the specific restriction is listed beside the status.

3. Check the licence class

Class L1 and L2 RCICs have the full scope of practice, and Class L3 (RCIC-IRB) may also represent clients before the Immigration and Refugee Board. Class L4 and L5 are RISIAs, employed in the Canadian education sector: they may advise international students about study permits and temporary resident visas but are not authorised to represent you or complete immigration forms. For a permanent residence file, you are looking for an RCIC.

4. Open the profile, then use its contact details

The profile shows licence status and history, contact information, and discipline history, including current proceedings and past decisions. The College suggests using the contact details on the register to reach the licensee directly; a genuine name is easily borrowed by someone who is not that person. If the name is not on the register at all, the Government of Canada’s page on authorised representatives links to each provincial and territorial law society. If they appear on neither, do not pay them.

Step by step: searching the OMARA Register

1. Search by name, MARN or location

The Register at portal.mara.gov.au searches by given name, family name, MARN, business name, or business location by country, state, suburb or postcode. OMARA points out that registered agents work all around the world and that you can search by country to find one near you, so a United Arab Emirates filter shows who is genuinely registered here.

2. Check whether the agent has been disciplined

Checking for discipline is step 3 of OMARA’s own five steps for choosing an agent, and it is not a formality. In July 2026 OMARA cancelled an agent’s registration for 5 years, and in August 2026 it barred two former agents for 5 years each. Under the Code of Conduct, in force since 1 March 2022, OMARA may caution, suspend, cancel, or bar an agent from re-registering for up to 5 years.

3. Know what a registered agent must give you

OMARA says an agent who agrees to act must:

  • give you a contract (service agreement) covering your details, the services, other costs such as visa application charges, police clearances, medical examinations and skills assessments, when and how you pay, and the likely time the work will take;
  • list every fee, including Administrative Review Tribunal applications, medical and skills tests, interpreters and translations, and government charges;
  • give you the OMARA Consumer guide when you sign, and the Code of Conduct if you ask;
  • confirm your visa option in writing, update you on progress, and write to you about the outcome as soon as possible;
  • disclose any conflict of interest straight away, such as being paid by a school it recommends;
  • keep your money in a separate account until the services are provided, keep your records for 7 years, and get your written consent before entering your details into any AI platform.

OMARA is equally clear on the limits: an agent cannot help you get a visa you do not qualify for, and using one does not mean faster processing or a grant.

Warning signs, and what to ask before you pay

Both regulators publish their own red flags. IRCC warns about representatives who advertise free services and later charge, or who advise you to lie, and reminds you that you are responsible for everything in the application even if someone else completed it. OMARA lists the risks of unqualified helpers: incorrect advice, false promises, mishandled money, misplaced original documents, and not being told whether the visa was granted or refused. It also cannot act on a complaint against a person who is not on its Register.

From our Dubai desk, the cases that end badly share a pattern: no named individual, no College ID or MARN in writing, a fee paid before any eligibility assessment, and no signed scope of work. Before you pay anyone, ask:

  • “What is your full name as it appears on the register, and your College ID or MARN?” Then look it up yourself.
  • “Which country are you registered for?” Canada recognises only the College, the law societies and the Chambre; Australia only its Register and legal practitioners.
  • “Will the agreement list every fee, including government charges, tests and translations, and when each is due?”
  • “Do you have any arrangement with the school, employer or business you are recommending?”
  • “Will you confirm my visa option and each milestone in writing?”

If any answer is vague, stop there. We publish our own consultants’ registration details on our verify credentials page for exactly this reason; check them against the registers before you rely on them.

From the UAE: what this means for you

Both registers are public web pages that open on a phone. The check fits between two Metro stops: type the name, read the status column, open the profile, note the College ID or MARN. OMARA describes registered agents working outside Australia, and the College’s authority applies whether a consultant practises in Canada or abroad, so a UAE-based practitioner can be fully registered.

On the WhatsApp forward: “PR in 6 months” fails both regulators’ tests before you even search. OMARA says using an agent does not mean faster processing or a grant; IRCC says using a representative does not mean approval. A fixed number of months to permanent residence is a warning sign, not a service.

On documents: OMARA lists misplaced originals as a risk of using unqualified people. Keep your original passport, degrees and attestation paperwork, and get a written receipt for anything physical you give up. If you are still choosing between the two countries, our Canada and Australia pages set out the main skilled pathways.

Frequently asked questions

The company says it is “CICC registered” or “MARA registered”. Is that enough?

No. Both regulators register individuals. Ask for the name and College ID or MARN of the person who will handle your file, and check that person on the register.

The consultant is on the register but the status is not “Active”. Can I still use them?

For Canada, only “Active” licensees marked “Yes” under Entitled to Practise may provide services. For Australia, check the disciplinary decisions on the OMARA portal; a disciplined agent may not be allowed to continue providing immigration assistance.

Do I need a representative at all?

IRCC says you do not: all forms and instructions are free on its website, and using a representative does not draw special attention to your application. OMARA says the same, noting that professional help may matter if your case is complex. Using one is your choice; checking that they are authorised is not.

What to do next

If you want a second opinion on a pathway, start with a free eligibility assessment, call us on 04 357 7796, or book a 20-minute review at our Dubai or Abu Dhabi office. We have completed 10,569 assessments since 2014 and hold a Google rating of 4.8 from 2,551 reviews. We do not promise outcomes; those decisions rest with the governments of Canada and Australia, and any registered practitioner will tell you the same.

Sources

Photo: Leeloo The First via Pexels

Not sure which route fits you? Speak to a licensed consultant — CICC (Canada) and MARA (Australia) regulated. No obligation.

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