New Quebec IIP application forms and regulations for immigration intermediaries

• Posted on Feb 04, 2011
• In Industry News

As of February 2, 2011, the new regulations governing the Immigration Consultants are in effect. The Ministère will only deal with duly authorized immigration intermediaries, namely:

• members in good standing of the Barreau du Québec;
• members in good standing of the Chambre des notaires du Québec;
• individuals who have been granted special authorization issued by one of the two above-mentioned organizations;
• recognized immigration consultants who are registered with the Registre québécois des consultants en immigration.

The consultant retained must be recognized and registered with the Registre, whether an application is submitted before or after February 2, 2011.

New application forms

Investors must use the new version of the Application for Selection Certificate. Applicants must indicate on their form if they used the paid services of an individual within the framework of their application, identify this person and, if applicable, append a proxy (Mandat de représentation).

Processing of applications

According to the Ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés culturelles, applications for a Selection Certificate are all processed according to the same criteria without priority or special processing given to the file of a person who used the services of an immigration representative. Applications for a Selection Certificate received before February 2, 2011 will be processed as usual. No application will be returned to the applicant or his or her consultant.

If an application is submitted through an authorized individual, it will be processed according to the standard procedure.

If an application is submitted through an unauthorized individual, it will be processed directly with the client. Investors will be informed that their application must be processed directly with them or with a new authorized individual mandated by them. The contact information of this individual as well as the original copy of the proxy mandate must be sent to the Ministère.

If a case is called for an interview before February 2, 2011, the application will be processed as usual, according to the standard procedure.