FAQ

I will. Howard Brown, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, licence R713090. Lignum Immigration is a single-consultant practice by design. Your file is assessed, prepared and submitted by the licensed consultant whose name is on it, not passed to an assistant after the first meeting.

Yes. I am a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, licence number R713090. You can verify that on the CICC public register right now, and you should, for me and for anyone else you are considering.

In Canada, only RCICs, lawyers in good standing with a provincial law society, and Quebec notaries may charge a fee to represent you in an immigration matter. Anyone else charging you for representation is acting unlawfully.

It is the highest of the three licence classes for immigration consultants in Canada. It authorises me to represent clients before the Immigration and Refugee Board, where refugee claims, admissibility hearings, detention reviews and immigration appeals are decided. A standard RCIC licence does not carry that authority.

For most clients it never becomes relevant, because most files are decided on paper. When it does become relevant, it means you are not starting over with a new representative at the worst possible moment.

Halifax, Nova Scotia. It matters for the Atlantic programs, because the AIP and the NSNP reward knowing how the provincial offices actually operate rather than just what the published criteria say. It does not matter at all for reaching me. Most files run by phone, email and video, and I work with clients across Atlantic Canada and internationally.

Two ways. Take the free two-minute eligibility assessment to get a sense of which pathway fits, or book a consultation if you would rather talk it through.

We talk through your situation and goals, I give you general information about the programs that may apply and how the process works, and I answer your questions. Advice is given verbally, and you receive a short consultation summary afterwards.

If you want a detailed analysis of your eligibility under each pathway, with our recommendations in writing, choose the written assessment ($350 in total, including the consultation).

If the honest answer is that you do not qualify yet, you will hear that in the consultation rather than after signing a retainer.

$230 for 60 minutes, with a written summary of what we discussed. The Express Entry consultation, which includes a CRS review, is $340. Not sure which to book? The 15-minute discovery call is free.

If you want a detailed written assessment of your options, with our recommendations, signed by your RCIC, you can upgrade for $120 more. That is $350 in total, including your consultation, not $350 on top of it.

No fees are credited, except that a written assessment you have already bought counts as your first payment if you sign with us. Otherwise, the first $350 of your professional fee covers your written assessment.

No. You are entitled to prepare and submit your own application, and for straightforward cases plenty of people do exactly that, successfully.

Representation earns its cost when something is not straightforward. A prior refusal. An inadmissibility issue. A complex relationship history. A procedural fairness letter. A program where the requirements are easy to misread. The question is not whether you can do it yourself. It is what a mistake would cost you in time and in government fees that are not refunded.

Because you should be able to compare before you make contact. And because a consultant unwilling to tell you the price before you are emotionally invested is telling you something.

The full fee schedule is public. Every service, every figure.

No. Professional fees cover my work. Government fees, biometrics, medical exams, translations and third-party costs are separate and billed as incurred. Those go to IRCC and other bodies, not to me.

Yes. Full representation files are billed in three stages as the work is delivered, set out in your Service Agreement before you sign. Accepted methods are Interac e-transfer, credit card and wire transfer.

Not without a conversation first. Base fees assume a straightforward file. If something emerges that materially changes the scope, such as a prior refusal, an inadmissibility issue or a procedural fairness letter, it is discussed and agreed before any additional work is done. It is not billed as a surprise.

No, and neither can anyone else. Any consultant or lawyer who guarantees an outcome is either misleading you or does not understand their own regulatory obligations. Decisions rest with IRCC and the provinces.

What is within my control is that your application is complete, accurate, properly argued and submitted on time. That is what representation buys.

It depends on the program and where the file is processed, and published processing times move. Rather than quote a number here that will be wrong by the time you read it, I will check the current published estimate for your situation and tell you what it realistically means.

IRCC publishes current estimates at canada.ca/processing-times.

You will know what stage your file is at and what is outstanding. You will not be chasing an assistant for an update on an application you cannot see.

We start by establishing what actually went wrong before deciding anything. Sometimes the answer is a stronger resubmission. Sometimes it is a different pathway. Occasionally it is neither, and you deserve to be told that plainly.

That is what the assessment is for. Briefly:

• A job offer from a designated Atlantic employer points to the Atlantic Immigration Program.
• Nova Scotia work experience plus an Express Entry profile points to the Nova Scotia Nominee Program.
• A spouse, partner or child you want to bring permanently points to family sponsorship.
• Coming to work, study or visit points to temporary residence.
• Circumstances the ordinary rules do not fit may point to humanitarian and compassionate consideration.

For the Atlantic Immigration Program, yes. It is employer-driven by design, and the employer must already be designated. For the NSNP it depends on the stream. Express Entry does not require one at all.

Common, and fixable. Many Atlantic employers qualify for designation and simply do not know the program exists. I can approach them about it.

Check whether they are licensed, on the CICC register. If they are not, they cannot lawfully charge you for representation in Canada, and you have no regulatory recourse when something goes wrong.

If they are licensed and cheaper, that is a legitimate choice and you should consider it. Compare what is actually included before you decide.