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.

I go through your background, identify which pathways are realistically open to you, and tell you what each would involve. You leave knowing whether you have a viable route and what it would cost.

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, and it includes a written memo prepared and signed by your RCIC. Most consultants give verbal advice only.

The fee is credited in full against your professional fee if you proceed within 14 days, on Service Agreements of $1,500 or more.

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.

Payment schedules are available for services over $3,000 and are agreed at intake. 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 establish what actually went wrong before deciding anything, which usually means obtaining and reviewing the GCMS notes rather than guessing from the refusal letter. 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.