newsletter
ICCRC is the national regulatory body designated by
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to
regulate the immigration and citizenship consulting as
well as the international student advising professions.
2016 - Edition 5
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Micro website launched to warn the public of immigration fraud
Minister McCallum Says Canada will make room for 10,000 privately sponsored Syrian refugees
UN seeks to resettle one-tenth of 4.8 million Syrian refugees amid fear
Minister McCallum addresses UN conference on Syrian refugees
Government of Canada presents travel smart app and electronic travel authorization
Bay of Quinte communities hope website will retain immigrants
Meet Honourable Shirley Bond, British Columbia’s Minister responsible for immigration
Meet Honourable Jeremy Harrison, Saskatchewan’s Minister responsible for immigration
Meet Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Nova Scotia’s Minister of immigration
Career, Education & Settlement Immigrant Fair – Toronto & Winnipeg
Voting for RBC’s top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards
ICCRC ends successful 2016 Fraud Prevention Month
Reminders to Members
Changes to e-Transfer payments
IMPORTANT DATES
April 1
April 29
July 1
Quarterly fees due
Deadline to complete the Developing the RCIC and Client Relationship course
Compliance Audit deadline
MICRO WEBSITE LAUNCHED TO WARN THE PUBLIC OF
IMMIGRATION FRAUD
ICCRC ended a successful 2016 Fraud Prevention Month campaign by launching a micro website
to warn the public of immigration fraud. The site – www.immigrationfraud.ca (English) and
www.fraudealimmigration.ca (French) aims to provide the public with important information
they need to make informed decisions when coming to Canada. Fraud Prevention Month is an
annual campaign by businesses, organizations and government to draw attention to the perils
of fraud.
Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public.
MINISTER MCCALLUM SAYS CANADA WILL MAKE ROOM FOR 10,000
MORE PRIVATELY SPONSORED SYRIAN REFUGEES
Canada will process an additional 10,000
applications from private sponsorship
groups wishing to help resettle Syrian
refugees, says Immigration Minister
John McCallum following
complaints
from Canadians who felt the government
had scaled back its efforts after
reaching its goal to resettle 25,000
Syrians.
McCallum says he has instructed the
Department of Immigration to expedite the process of all privately sponsored applications
submitted up until today — March 31.
"We are doing everything we can to accommodate the very welcomed desire on the part of
Canadians to sponsor refugees," McCallum said in a phone interview with CBC News from
Berlin. The minister is in Germany where he will meet with the German interior minister later
today.
The government announced earlier this month it would seek to admit 44,800 refugees by the
end of 2016 — a mix of government assisted and privately sponsored refugees from different
countries. McCallum said today's announcement is in addition to the 17,800 privately
sponsored refugees the government intends to resettle by the end of 2016. "In addition I'm
adding this commitment to honour the 10,000 in our inventory of privately sponsored refugees
by the end of 2016," McCallum said in a phone interview with CBC News from Berlin. "We're
going all out to meet the demand."
"The Sponsorship Agreement Holders Council has expressed satisfaction with this... now I
understand that not everyone is necessarily happy, but I think we've gone out of our way to
create maximum room for privately sponsored refugees," McCallum said.
Brian Dyck, the chair of the Sponsorship Agreement Holders council, told CBC News he
welcomed McCallum's announcement. "We had asked that Syrian applications submitted from
January 1 to March 1 not be counted in the cap and they extended that up to March 31," Dyck
said on Thursday after his group received a letter from the minister detailing the new changes.
"This is a significant letter. It basically gave us everything we asked for and a bit more."
While McCallum is making more room for privately sponsored refugees, he said the processing
of their applications won't be finalized "before the end of 2016 or early in 2017."
Source: www.cbc.ca
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Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public.
UN SEEKS TO RESETTLE ONE-TENTH OF 4.8 MILLION SYRIAN
REFUGEES AMID FEAR
GENEVA: The United Nations said on
Tuesday it was seeking to re-settle
more than 450,000 Syrian refugees,
some one-tenth of those now in
neighbouring countries, by the end of
2018, but conceded that it was battling
widespread fear and politicisation of
the issue.
A ministerial-level conference is being
held in Geneva on Wednesday with the
participation of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees
Filippo Grandi. “The international context we are in - and nobody is naive about that - we know
very well we’re dealing with a complex situation, increasing fear in many countries, increasing
politicisation of refugee, displacement and asylum issues. This is a difficult thing,” UNHCR
spokesman Adrian Edwards told a news briefing in response to a question.
Meanwhile, Wealthy countries should start taking responsibility when it comes to resettling
Syrian refugees from overburdened Middle Eastern countries, the aid group Oxfam demanded
ahead of a UN conference on legal immigration channels for Syrians.
While 4.8 million Syrian refugees have been taken in by countries near Syria, rich countries
have so far only pledged 179,000 places for Syrians under long-term resettlement programmes
and other legal immigration schemes, according to UN data.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), which is hosting Wednesday’s conference, wants
governments to pledge 480,000 places, or 10 per cent of the total, before the end of 2018,
under programmes that are separate from normal asylum procedures. “Traditional
resettlement countries like the US are not pulling their weight,” Britain-based Oxfam wrote in a
report.
If the United States took over a fair share of the burden, according to the size of its economy, it
would have to resettle nearly 171,000 Syrians, but Washington has pledged only 7 per cent of
that amount, Oxfam calculated.
Source: Daily Times (Pakistan)
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Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public.
MINISTER MCCALLUM ADDRESSES UN CONFERENCE ON
SYRIAN REFUGEES
March 30, 2016—GENEVA— Today, at the
High Level Meeting on Pathways for
Admission of Syrian Refugees in Geneva,
Canada pledged to continue to resettle
refugees from Syria throughout 2016 and
beyond. Canada’s Minister of Immigration,
Refugees and Citizenship John McCallum
also expressed support for the UN Refugee
Agency’s efforts to secure the participation
of member countries.
Since the UN’s first call to resettlement countries in June 2013, Canada has welcomed more
than 29,300 Syrian refugees. Canada will continue to resettle both government-supported and
privately sponsored Syrian refugees throughout 2016. Our plan this year calls for us to resettle
up to 44,800 refugees, the majority of them being Syrian. This level triples the number of
refugees Canada has resettled in recent years.
In addition to Syrian refugees, Canada has several multi-year commitments under way including
for Congolese, Eritreans and Colombians. The resettlement of individuals from other
nationalities identified by the UNHCR and private sponsors in Canada will also continue.
Complementing this commitment, Canada will play a leading role by providing training and
technical support to other countries to help increase the number of global resettlement spaces;
working with the World University Service of Canada to explore opportunities to expand the
Student Refugee Program; and by providing a one-year extension of the relaxation of certain
administrative requirements. Taken together, these steps will solidify Canada’s position as a
strong and innovative partner in the UN Refugee Agency’s response to one of our generation’s
worst humanitarian crises.
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
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Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public.
GOVERNMENT OF CANADA PRESENTS TRAVEL SMART APP AND
ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION
March 15, 2016 - Mississauga, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada - Omar Alghabra, Parliamentary
Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs), and Arif Virani, Parliamentary
Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, today met with Canadian
travellers at Pearson International Airport to launch the government’s Travel Smart app. This
new app makes it easy to access real-time information, including entry and exit requirements,
border wait times, passport validity and more. “The Government of Canada is committed to
providing the right tools and technologies to help Canadians be prepared for today’s evolving
travel environment, said Alghabra. “The Travel Smart app is one more useful tool that provides
timely information to Canadians at the touch of a screen and on the go, whether they are
travelling to a sunny destination or working or studying overseas. Travel Smart will also help
them stay connected in case of an emergency abroad.” Representatives of the Greater Toronto
Airports Authority and airlines were also on hand to underline how good planning and
preparation can reduce the stresses associated with air travel.
Today also marked the implementation of Canada’s new entry requirement, the Electronic
Travel Authorization (eTA). This requirement applies to foreign nationals, from countries whose
citizens normally do not need a visa to travel to Canada, who are travelling to or transiting
through Canada by air. From now until fall 2016 a leniency period is in place to allow travellers
without an eTA to board their flights as long as they have appropriate travel documents.
Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, and Canadian permanent residents do not need an
eTA.
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
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Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public.
BAY OF QUINTE COMMUNITIES HOPE WEBSITE WILL RETAIN
IMMIGRANTS
Belleville – If the Quinte area gains more immigrants, the region will broaden its population
base and will likely see more entrepreneurs to create jobs and more skilled tradespeople to fill
vacant jobs, local mayors and business leader say.
With that in mind, officials and elected members from local municipalities gathered at Loyalist
College on Wednesday, March 23 to celebrate the launch of a new immigration website to
promote the Bay of Quinte region to the country’s newcomers.
The website is
www.immigration.bayofquinte.ca.
It tells people what it’s like to “live, work, play and learn” in the area. It also contains videos of
interviews with several new Canadians who’ve moved to and have come to love the region.
“Our goal with this project was to create an Immigration Portal that would share information
about our region but also help tell the unique and wonderful story of the Bay of Quinte region
to new Canadians looking for a place to call home,” said Aaron Bell, a communications specialist
hired to create the site. “We were able to capture several unique stories about people from
across the world that have made our community their new home and we are sharing those
stories to encourage other people to see the wonderful opportunities that we have in our
community.”
Bay of Quinte Living council was a partner in the project. Its president, Jon VanHuizen, was
excited to be part of the launch, as he feels the portal will tell people that there are plenty of
opportunities to grow businesses in the region.
“We have a region that’s a hidden gem,” he said to an audience in Alumni Hall that included
Belleville Mayor Taso Christopher, Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison and Prince Edward County
Mayor Robert Quaiff. “I’m extremely happy with this. It’s not only the best portal in the
province, it’s our first.”
Bell explained that the goal was to create a site that was user-friendly and easy to navigate.
The main sections of the website were translated so pages also appear in French, Spanish,
German, Mandarin and Korean.
Former President of the Bay of Quinte Tourism Council Ryan Williams also spoke at the event,
and addressed one of the reasons it’s important to embrace immigration. “We’re a nation of
immigrants, a mosaic of different cultures,” he said. He also said efforts to promote
immigration are part of a greater business strategy for the region. By 2030, 100 per cent of the
region’s population growth is expected to come from immigration, he said.
Source: Stephen Petrick, Belleville News
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Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public.
MEET THE HONOURABLE SHIRLEY B OND,
BRITISH COLUMBIA’S MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR IMMIGRATION
Shirley Bond was elected in 2001 and 2005 as the MLA for
Prince George-Mount Robson, and re-elected in 2009 and
2013 as the MLA for Prince George-Valemount.
Shirley was appointed Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills
Training and Minister Responsible for Labour on June 10,
2013.
In this role she will drive government’s commitment for
job creation and economic development by accelerating
the BC Jobs Plan and ensure that British Columbians are
first in line for the jobs of today and tomorrow by
executing on B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint, which will reengineer B.C.’s education and training system. She also
works closely with Destination BC to meet the targets laid
out in the Province’s tourism strategy.
With more than 14 years of Cabinet experience, Shirley has served as Deputy Premier, Minister
of Transportation and Infrastructure, Minister of Education, Minister Responsible for Early
Learning and Literacy, Minister of Advanced Education, Minister of Health Services, and was the
first female to hold the position of Attorney General in British Columbia, a title she held while
Minister of Justice. She has been honoured as a trailblazer in the B.C. justice system.
Shirley currently serves as the Chair of the Cabinet Committee on Strong Economy, Vice Chair
for the Core Review Committee and she is Vice Chair of the Treasury Board and the Priorities
and Planning Committee.
Before her election to the Legislative Assembly, she served three terms on the Prince George
School Board, the last as chair. She also worked with the continuing education department of
the Prince George School District, becoming its business manager. She was given the B.C.
Interior, North & Yukon Woman of Distinction Award for her work in public education.
Shirley lives in Prince George with Bill, her husband of more than 30 years, and they love
spending time with their twin adult children and their families, especially their grandsons Caleb
and Cooper.
Source: www.leg.bc.ca
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Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public.
MEET THE HONOURABLE JEREMY HARRISON,
SASKATCHEWAN’S MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR IMMIGRATION
Jeremy Harrison was elected to the Saskatchewan
legislature in November 2007, in the constituency of
Meadow Lake. Upon his election, he became the youngest
Canadian ever to have been elected to both the House of
Commons and a provincial Legislative Assembly.
He first served as Legislative Secretary to the Minister of
Energy and Resources, Northern Resources and Oil Sands
Development until he was appointed to Cabinet on May 29,
2009. He served for over a year as the Minister of Municipal
Affairs and Deputy Government House Leader. He also
served as Minister of Enterprise Saskatchewan and Minister
Responsible for Trade. Jeremy has also held the position of
Government House Leader.
Jeremy has an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Canadian History, a Master’s
degree in Public Administration and a Juris Doctor (Law) degree. In 2004, at the age of 26, he
became one of the youngest Canadians ever to sit in the House of Commons.
Jeremy was a member of the legislature’s Board of Internal Economy, member of the legislation
and regulation review committee, and Chair of the government’s Red Tape Reduction
committee.
Jeremy and his wife Alaina, a school teacher, have one son, MacGregor and one daughter,
Finnley.
On June 5, 2014, Jeremy was appointed the Associate Minister of the Economy responsible for
Trade, Tourism, Innovation and Immigration.
Source: www.saskatchewan.ca
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Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public.
MEET THE HONOURABLE LENA METLEGE DIAB,
NOVA SCOTIA’S MINISTER OF IMMIGRATION
Minister Diab was elected to the Nova Scotia Legislature in
2013, as the Member for Halifax Armdale, and appointed to
Cabinet as the first female Attorney General and Minister of
Justice as well as Minister of Immigration. Last summer, she
took on the Immigration portfolio full-time.
Minister Diab is passionate about making Nova Scotia a more
diverse and welcoming province and she’s leading the way.
Under her leadership, the Province nominated more people for
permanent residency in 2015 than ever before. Nova Scotia
was also the first province in Canada to take advantage of
Express Entry, launching two Express Entry pilots and two new streams for immigrant
entrepreneurs in the last year. Minister Diab is also leading the Province’s humanitarian
initiative to resettle Syrian refugees, working closely with the Government of Canada,
settlement service providers and other key partners.
In her spare time, Minister Diab enjoys volunteering. She has held many volunteer positions
over the last 30 years, including serving seven terms as the President of the Canadian Lebanon
Society of Halifax. Her compassion and strong record of public service have not gone unnoticed.
She was the first recipient of the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce in Nova Scotia’s Professional
of the Year Award and has received other honours, including the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II
Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Duke of Edinburgh Award, the Province of Nova Scotia Volunteer
Award, the Halifax Municipality Volunteer Award and most recently the 2015 Progress Women
of Excellence Award.
Minister Diab is the daughter of first generation immigrants to Canada and the eldest of six
children. She was born in Nova Scotia but moved to Lebanon at the age of 2, then returned to
Halifax at the age of 11, escaping civil war. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of
Arts in Economics and Political Science, a Masters of Public Administration and a law degree.
She was admitted to the Nova Scotia Barristers Society in 1991 and had a diverse legal career
for more than 20 years before being elected to the Legislature. She is the proud mother of four
children and has one grandchild. She speaks English, Arabic and French.
Source: www.novascotiaimmigration.com
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Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public.
CAREER, EDUCATION & SETTLEMENT IMMIGRANT FAIR IN TORONTO
Canadian Immigrant magazine, in association with Centennial College, is proudly presenting the
6th annual Career, Education and Settlement Immigrant Fair, on Wednesday, June 8, 2016, 10
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (255 Front St. W, Toronto). Free
admission.
The 6th annual event is expected to be bigger than ever, with:



diverse exhibitors, including employers, education institutes and social service agencies
interactive activities like a resumé clinic, speed mentoring and networking opportunities
inspirational speakers’ lineup, including a keynote speaker, practical workshops and
accent reduction class.
Want to exhibit? Contact Ricky Bajaj at [email protected] / 905-273-8170 or 416-856-6304
for more information on participating.
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Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public.
CAREER, EDUCATION & SETTLEMENT IMMIGRANT FAIR IN WINNIPEG
The first Winnipeg-based Career, Education and Settlement Immigrant Fair is coming to the
Radisson Winnipeg Downtown (288 Portage Ave.) on Monday, May 30, 2016, 10 a.m. to 4:30
p.m., offering a unique and exciting environment for immigrants who are looking for
information and inspiration as they search for jobs, go back to school and settle into their new
home. Free admission!
Building on the success of similar events held in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Halifax, the
Winnipeg fair will feature:



diverse exhibitors, including employers, education institutes and social service agencies
interactive activities like a resumé clinic and networking opportunities
inspirational speakers’ lineup, including a keynote speaker and practical workshops.
“With a three-pronged approach of settlement, careers and education, the fair brings to life our
mission to inform, educate and motivate new Canadians,” said Gautam Sharma, group
publisher of Canadian Immigrant. “This is a must-attend event for new immigrants in Canada.
Our goal is to inform and motivate new Canadians as they begin and continue their settlement
journey. We aim to provide essential information and tips on job hunting, accreditation,
upgrading of education, looking for a home and more.”
For more information on exhibiting or sponsoring the event, contact Alla Gordeeva at
[email protected] or 778-558-3397.
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Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public.
VOTING FOR RBC’S TOP 25 CANADIAN IMMIGRANT AWARDS
RBC has chosen the top 75 finalists for the 8th
annual Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards.
To read their outstanding stories and vote for
your top three finalists, click here.
ICCRC ENDS SUCCESSFUL 2016 FRAUD PREVENTION MONTH
On the final day of the campaign ICCRC attended a symposium on immigration fraud in Toronto
hosted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). At the event organized to raise
awareness and to provide preventative information on frauds specific to immigration that
target newcomers to Canada, ICCRC was on hand to respond to the media’s questions on
Canadian immigration and fraud.
ICCRC’s 2016 Fraud Prevention Month consisted of daily social media messaging to the public
around the world stressing the need to exercise vigilance in retaining professional services
when immigrating to Canada. ICCRC also advertised in local newspapers throughout Canada,
and participated in various initiatives including a national conference on immigration. ICCRC is
a member of the Fraud Prevention Forum facilitated by the Competition Bureau.
REMINDERS TO MEMBERS
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Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public.
REMINDERS TO MEMBERS
PLEASE USE “RCIC” DESIGNATION PROPERLY
The Council has noticed that some Members have been using titles other than Regulated
Canadian Immigration Consultant, including Certified, Accredited, Registered, Licensed
Canadian Immigration Consultant or Immigration Counsel.
In the interest of avoiding confusion for consumers and in safeguarding the profession, we ask
that you only use the official title, “Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant”, and
professional designation, RCIC, on your websites, business cards, email correspondences and
any marketing collateral.
Since RCIC is a professional designation, we encourage all Members to include it as a postnominal after their names. For example, Jane Doe, RCIC.
DO NOT POST ICCRC I.D. CARDS AND CERTIFICATES ONLINE
Posting copies of ICCRC membership certificates and identification cards online is strictly
prohibited.
ICCRC has witnessed an increase the misuse of certificates and identifications and reminds
members to be vigilant of fraud. We recommend that they are removed as soon as possible.
CHANGES TO E-TRANSFER PAYMENTS
After May 31, ICCRC will no longer be accepting Internet email money transfers (e-transfers).
We are moving to an online banking payment system, effective June 1 that will be more cost
effective, convenient and efficient for Members and ICCRC.
Should you wish to continue paying through your bank, please use its online banking system.
ICCRC has made arrangements with BMO, CIBC, Desjardins, HSBC National, RBC, Scotiabank,
and TD Canada Trust to list ICCRC as a payment recipient. Simply select “ICCRC” as the payee to
make your payment.
Please contact your bank directly for assistance if you have any questions regarding online
banking.
Stay in Touch
5500 North Service Rd., Suite 1002 | Burlington | ON | L7L 6W6
Tel: 1-877-836-7543 Fax: 1-877-315-9868
www.iccrc-crcic.ca | [email protected]
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Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public.