1. Make sure the person is licensed and operates in Canada

It's important that you choose a licensed representative to help you with your immigration or refugee issue. In Ontario, this means:

• a lawyer or paralegal who is licensed by the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) or
• a Registered Immigration Consultant (RCIC) licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC).

Check the LSO website or CICC website to make sure the person is licensed and that they do not have any discipline issues, such as a suspension.

Licensed representatives must follow professional rules about being honest and doing a good job. If they break the rules, they can lose their license. Only a licensed representative can legally be paid to represent you.

A licensed representative has a membership number from their licensing body. You can ask to see that number.

If someone pretends to be a licensed representative when they are not, you can report them to:

• the Law Society of Ontario, or
• the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants.

Check that they help with your matter

Lawyers can help with all types of immigration and refugee legal matters. And they can represent you in Federal Court.

Consultants and paralegals can provide some but not all kinds of help in immigration and refugee law. For example, they can never represent you in Federal Court.

Learn about where you can get the legal help you need in:

• Where can I get legal help with my refugee claim?
• Where can I get legal help about my immigration status?

Check that they’re in Canada

To make sure that the person offering to help you is in Canada, you should:

• check their website address to make sure that it ends in .ca
• check that the address in your browser's address bar matches the address you typed
• check the website to see if there is an office located in Canada and a phone number
• call the phone number listed for the representative and see if it is a real business
• ask for the office address if you cannot find one, and do an internet search on the business

It's also a good idea to ask for a reference. If you do an online search for reviews of the legal representative, you might also find helpful information.