One licensed consultant. Your whole file.
Most firms hand you to an assistant after the first meeting. That is not how this practice works.
Howard Brown, M. Sc., RCIC-IRB
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant · Licence R713090 · Halifax, Nova Scotia
I am Howard Brown, a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. My licence number is R713090 and you can verify it on the CICC public register before you contact me. I would encourage you to do exactly that. Checking a consultant’s licence takes thirty seconds, and it is the most useful thing you can do to protect yourself in this industry.
When you engage Lignum Immigration, I assess your file, I prepare it, and I sign it. No junior staffer learns on your application.
The licence class matters, and most people do not know to ask
There are three classes of licence for immigration consultants (RCIC) in Canada. I hold the higher one.
| What it covers | Standard RCIC | RCIC-IRB (my class) |
|---|---|---|
| Applications to IRCC | Yes | Yes |
| Representation before the Immigration and Refugee Board | No | Yes |
| Detention reviews and admissibility hearings | No | Yes |
| Refugee claims and immigration appeals | No | Yes |
In practice this means one thing for you: if your matter moves from a paper application to a hearing, you do not have to start again with someone new. Most files never reach the IRB. The ones that do tend to be the ones where continuity matters most.
Ask any consultant you are considering which class they hold. It is a fair question and the answer is public.
Why Atlantic Canada
I could compete for Toronto and Vancouver clients like everyone else. I chose not to.
Atlantic Canada runs immigration programs that most consultants treat as an afterthought: the Atlantic Immigration Program, the Nova Scotia Nominee Program, and the regional pilots. These reward genuine local knowledge:
- Which employers already hold designation.
- How the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration actually assesses an endorsement.
- What a settlement plan needs to contain to survive review.
That knowledge does not travel. A consultant working from another province can read the same published criteria I can. They cannot tell you which employer in Dartmouth is already designated, or why an endorsement came back last month.
Programs like the AIP are proof that targeted regional policy can change lives and build communities at the same time. That is worth specialising in.
Background
- Licence
- Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC-IRB), licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. Licence R713090. Authorised to represent clients before the Immigration and Refugee Board.
- Legal education
- Graduate Diploma in Immigration and Citizenship Law, Queen’s University Faculty of Law. This is the graduate credential that underpins licensed practice in Canada.
- Postgraduate
- Master of Science (MSc), Florida International University.
- Prior experience
- Over 18 years of professional experience in leadership and workforce planning before immigration practice. That background is more useful here than it sounds. Employer-driven programs like the AIP are as much about how organisations actually hire as they are about immigration law.
How I work
I tell you if you do not qualify. The consultation exists to find out whether you have a viable pathway. Sometimes the honest answer is not yet, or not this program, or not with this employer. You get that answer at the consultation, not after you have paid a retainer.
The fees are published. Every fee is on the site, in full, before you contact me. Most consultants will not do this. It is worth asking yourself why.
No outcome is guaranteed, by me or by anyone. No consultant or lawyer can promise you a result. Anyone who does is telling you something that should end the conversation. What I can promise is that your application will be prepared properly, submitted on time, and handled by the person whose name is on it.
You will understand your own file. I explain what I am doing and why. You should never be in a position where only your consultant knows what was submitted on your behalf.
Where I work
Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I work with clients across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador, and with applicants outside Canada.
Most files run entirely by phone, email and video. You do not need to be in Halifax to work with me. In-person meetings are available by appointment.
A note on choosing any consultant
Immigration fraud is a real and ongoing problem. The people targeted are usually those with the most at stake and the least ability to absorb the loss.
Whoever you end up working with, me or someone else, do these three things.
- Verify the licence on the CICC public register. Only RCICs, lawyers and Quebec notaries may charge for immigration representation in Canada.
- Get the fees in writing before any money changes hands, in a signed service agreement that sets out scope.
- Walk away from guarantees. Nobody can guarantee an outcome. A promise of approval is the clearest warning sign there is.
Ready to find out where you stand?
Take the free two-minute assessment, or get in touch to talk it through.