An immigration consultant is a person who helps people to
emigrate
Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
from one country to another country and through legal and documentation process to increase the chances of immigration for study, work, travel or business purpose.
Immigration consultants may or may not have legal expertise about immigration laws and visa laws and about procedures for obtaining different types of
visas
Visa most commonly refers to:
*Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company
** Visa Debit card issued by the above company
** Visa Electron, a debit card
** Visa Plus, an interbank network
*Travel visa, a document that allows ...
, as the designation is regulated by some, but not all, governments. In the United States, immigration consultants/
notaries
A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems.
A notary, while a legal professional, is disti ...
are not required to have formal immigration law training and are not allowed to answer even the most basic immigration legal questions. Doing so would constitute
unauthorized practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professi ...
, which is a crime. Because of this, many organizations including the
Central America Resource Center recommend that all persons seeking immigration assistance completely avoid notaries and immigration consultants and, instead, seek legal advice from a licensed attorney.
On the other hand, Canada provides certification as a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant through the
Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council
, formed =
, preceding1 = Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants
, headquarters = 5500 North Service Road, Burlington, Ontario L7L 6W6
, minister1_name = Sean Fraser
, minister1_pfo = Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
...
, and Australia provides it through the
Migration Agents Registration Authority
The Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) is an Australian Government authority that registers migration agents and regulates the Migration Agents profession. Migration agents assist people to migrate to Australia by using ...
.
Immigration consultants started working in the 1960s when a large number of qualified people have started migrating from Asia and Latin America to the United States, Canada and Europe. Generally these developed countries have requirement of highly skilled professionals and so they have very strict and complicated rules for immigration and visa processing. To help aid people who need clarity regarding the visa and immigration rules of various countries, this concept of immigration consultancies has come forward.
References
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3. "Canada Visa and Immigration Solutions b
Gursach Immigration Solutions
4
Student Visa ConsultancyService by Gursach Immigration Solutions
Immigration