Becoming an Immigration Consultant

[Xpress]

Hey,

My friend recently became an RCIC and she feels like she made a mistake. Im trying to get more information to help her out, so I have a few questions.

1) Do you feel that the field is becoming saturated? Are there a lot of consultants and a lot of competition?
2) Do people even need/ use immigration consultants?

She is self employed sitting in an office and is very new to the business. However, what she told me was that she learned nothing from the college she went to for her diploma and now doesnt feel like she knows anything practical to help people who might come to her.

3) What can I suggest to her to increase her knowledge? Does she need to go intern, volunteer, work under someone else before even thinking of doing consulting her self?

I just feel bad for her after she invested nearly $10000 to get this started and now not feeling confident in her abilities to do the work.

 

[scylla]

1) Yes - there are a lot of consultants out there. Many do it themselves and don't need advice (or get advice for free from forums such as this one). Some people also prefer to use immigration lawyers - they charge more than consultant but also have more knowledge than consultants and better reputations overall.
2) Most people on this forum have not needed the help of an immigration consultant and have applied on their own.
3) Can't help you there since I'm not in the field. Might make sense to work for an established firm rather than striking out on her own.

 

[Xpress]

thanks, I agree. Simple cases people can do themselves, while with complexes cases people would much rather trust a lawyer with.

 

[torontosm]

Hey,

My friend recently became an RCIC and she feels like she made a mistake. Im trying to get more information to help her out, so I have a few questions.

1) Do you feel that the field is becoming saturated? Are there a lot of consultants and a lot of competition?
2) Do people even need/ use immigration consultants?

She is self employed sitting in an office and is very new to the business. However, what she told me was that she learned nothing from the college she went to for her diploma and now doesnt feel like she knows anything practical to help people who might come to her.

3) What can I suggest to her to increase her knowledge? Does she need to go intern, volunteer, work under someone else before even thinking of doing consulting her self?

I just feel bad for her after she invested nearly $10000 to get this started and now not feeling confident in her abilities to do the work.

1) Yes, since there are no real qualifications required to become a consultant, there are plenty of them out there now.
2) Yes, people still do, but most don't need to.
3) Read this forum. You can learn a lot from the experience of others.

 

[sidalee]

Hey,

My friend recently became an RCIC and she feels like she made a mistake. Im trying to get more information to help her out, so I have a few questions.

1) Do you feel that the field is becoming saturated? Are there a lot of consultants and a lot of competition?
2) Do people even need/ use immigration consultants?

She is self employed sitting in an office and is very new to the business. However, what she told me was that she learned nothing from the college she went to for her diploma and now doesnt feel like she knows anything practical to help people who might come to her.

3) What can I suggest to her to increase her knowledge? Does she need to go intern, volunteer, work under someone else before even thinking of doing consulting her self?

I just feel bad for her after she invested nearly $10000 to get this started and now not feeling confident in her abilities to do the work.

I do think there are a lot of immigration consultants out there. It seems to be especially popular with the immigrant market since they've gone through the same process. I personally think it can be a lucrative career if you do it right. Here in Vancouver, I was floored that the most reputable immigration consulting business charges a minimum $150 for an hour of consulting.

Getting the academic training and becoming an RCIC is one thing, but like any business, you gotta have the market and experience for it before you establish your own. Working for an RCIC at the start makes sense as opposed to establishing your own business right off the bat. I found this link if it helps: http://www.ashtoncollege.ca/succeed-immigration-consultant-tips-lawrence-barker/

Personally if I needed an immigration consultant, I would prefer someone of the same cultural background and speaks my native language since it's just easier that way. Even if Vancouver gets saturated with immigration consultants, I'd say there's almost always a market out there. Best of luck to your friend!

 

[emamabd]

Great tips provided here, i would like to add that "online" presence is also very important for this type of business - i would imagine there being a bigger market for immigration services outside Canada than within Canada.There are thousands of people applying every year from all parts of the world and typically many would be interested to get the services of an immigration consultant if the fees are reasonable and if the consultant is able to establish trust and offer quality advice and support.

In my views, there would always be a market for this profession as long as Canada continues to accept immigrants in large numbers.

 

[Smily Pathak]

Hello
Does anyone know how to start an immigration consultancy business from India?
- Do we need any license to get started? if yes, how to apply and what is the eligibility criteria?
Thanks

 

[Eveslm]

Hello
Does anyone know how to start an immigration consultancy business from India?
- Do we need any license to get started? if yes, how to apply and what is the eligibility criteria?
Thanks

As the business will be in India I think it will need to follow the rules/law of starting a consultancy in India.
As for the CIC, I might be wrong but I believe paid consultants need to be authorized. To become an authorized rep, you are required to complete some training. It is a bit tricky as to how one can become an authorized representative abroad.

https://iccrc-crcic.ca/become-a-immigration-professional/

https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/results-by-topic.asp?top=7

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/partners-service-providers/authorized-paid-representatives-portal/enrolment-guide.html