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ANNUAL REPORT 2013 1

ANNUAL

2013

REPORT

ICCRC-CRCIC

5500 NORTH SERVICE RD., S

UITE 1002

BURLINGTO

N, ON L7

L 6W6

Info@iccrc-

crcic.c

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www.iccrc-

crcic.c

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IMMIGRATION CONSULTANTS OF CANADA

REGULATORY COUNCIL


Annual Report 2012-‐2013 (July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013) ©2013 Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) 1002-‐5500 North Service Rd. Burlington, Ontario L7L 6W6 http://www.iccrc-‐crcic.ca

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CONTENTS

Welcome ..................................................................................................................... 4 Message from the Chair .................................................................................................................. 5

Operational Structure .................................................................................................. 9 Mandate ....................................................................................................................................... 10 Board of Directors 2012-‐2013 ....................................................................................................... 11 Staff ............................................................................................................................................... 12

Committee Reports ................................................................................................... 15 Finance and Audit Committee ...................................................................................................... 16 Governance and Nominating Committee ..................................................................................... 18 Human Resources and Compensation Committee ....................................................................... 19 Practice Management Education Committee ............................................................................... 20 Registration and Membership Committee ................................................................................... 21 Outreach and Communications Committee ................................................................................. 22

Senior Management Reports ..................................................................................... 23 Message from the President & CEO .............................................................................................. 24 Education Report .......................................................................................................................... 26 Registrar’s Report ......................................................................................................................... 29 Communications Report ............................................................................................................... 41 Financial Report and Audited Financial Statements ..................................................................... 44 AGM – October 2012 .................................................................................................................... 45


WELCOME The Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council is the national regulatory authority appointed by the government of Canada to safeguard consumers who seek and retain the services of Canadian immigration consultants. Completing our second year of operation, ICCRC is fulfilling its mandate to protect consumers, while continuing to evolve and grow as an organization. Through the comprehensive training of immigration consultants, development of external relationships, management of a robust complaints and discipline process, and sound financial management we are pleased to report that 2012-‐2013 was a very successful year for the ICCRC. The ICCRC encourages feedback from our members and stakeholders. This Annual Report demonstrates our continuing commitment to transparency, accountability, and building the public trust. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at communications@iccrc-‐crcic.ca.


MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR Rhonda Williams

Setting up a new regulator in place of the former is a lot like renovating an old house. While members might have found themselves very unhappy with some aspects of the old organization, we all feel a great sense of renewal and relief as we set in place foundation documents and processes that will allow the organization to grow at a pace that does not place undue stress or expense on the organization. All members are involved in this process to one degree or another, as each one of us takes Practice Management Education (PME) courses offered through ICCRC, as each one of us complies with new regulations and an audit process, as many of us volunteer on a committee and as members propose changes to ICCRC and participate in the ICCRC elections. While everyone may not equally like the changes to the walls and the paint colors we choose, my hope is that we are all happy with the processes and possibilities. We are renovating our profession together and I thank all of you for your participation. I keep an ear to the ground for member and stakeholder concerns. I have heard concerns in the past few months about member fees, transparency issues, and more. So I want to give you some insight into how ICCRC works. ICCRC started its task list by looking at the bid to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) that

made us the regulator. It is an extensive document and covered a lot of areas. This document was created with input from many, many members and from some outside stakeholders. While the bid was our guiding document to start with, we have moved on from there as we mature and set policies and regulations in place to further advance ICCRC. We also rely on legal advice and changing conditions to set our goals and priorities. Decisions are not taken by the Board of Directors in isolation. There are 10 standing committees represented by volunteer members in addition to a Chair and Vice Chair from the Board of Directors. Committees may raise issues of concern for discussion and recommend a course of action to the Board for approval. Issues may also be raised by management and brought to committees for discussion and a recommended course of action that may include Board approval. There are several stages for each decision and each decision includes volunteer members in the discussion. We also provide a further opportunity for members to provide individual input by putting forth proposals for member consideration at the AGM. The culture at the Board of Directors meetings and committee meetings is collaborative. Frank and robust but respectful discussion is encouraged. Board members are expected to contribute to discussions since we don’t think you elected them to sit quietly and not participate. We strive to arrive at consensus decisions at the Board meetings and in committee meetings. Even if not everyone agrees with the outcome of a vote, we feel confident that everyone is satisfied with the process used to come to the conclusion in that every person has a chance to be heard and to vote.


Since our last AGM in October 2012 in beautiful Montreal, your Board of Directors has been very busy working on its part of the renewal process for our profession. We are very lucky to have some help in our work with three wonderful Public Interest Directors (PIDs). We welcomed Javier Vinsome in 2013. Javier is based in Calgary, Alberta and works with the Alberta Accountants Unification Agency. Javier joins Ben Earle and Merv Hillier who were both appointed to the Board as PIDs after the FGM. The role of PIDs is to bring a non-‐member perspective to our discussions and activities. Our three PIDs perform this task very well and we feel truly fortunate to have three PIDs who are not only hard working, but highly ethical and committed to the success of ICCRC. Each of the PIDs sits on a Standing Committee, bringing their expertise and experience to their committee work. Grateful thanks are due to each of them from the Board and all members. The rest of the Board of Directors of ICCRC has been very busy with numerous activities. Here are the highlights since last October: • We will have had 9 Board Meetings since the

AGM where we make the decisions that are required in order for Management to operate the Council. Most of our meeting are held by teleconference with every third meeting or so in person in Burlington. At the Board meetings we consider and discuss: o Mandates & Charters, work plans,

reports and recommendations from the Standing Committees

o Management reports including the ICCRC risk register and statistical information on members

o Financial and Budget presentations from Management

o Strategic planning o Admission requirements and on-‐going

requirements for members o Education standards for potential

members and PME/CPD requirements for members

o Other issues of relevance to the Council

• We had two formal governance training sessions from Brown Governance during our in person Board meetings this past year. The

first was an orientation for the new Directors and staff, and the second to discuss Conflict of Interest. Brown Governance gave interactive sessions with the Board of Directors as a group for a very reasonable cost in comparison with other options. This allowed us to have governance sessions prepared specifically for the Council using our bylaws and our specific circumstances which was very beneficial to the Directors and Management.

• We’ve held numerous meetings of the 10 standing committees at ICCRC. The CEO and I attend the majority of these meetings as ex-‐officio committee members apart from the Discipline, Appeals, Review and Complaints (DARC) committee meetings which the CEO and Chair do not normally attend in order to maintain our arm’s length policy regarding the complaints and discipline processes from management and the Board.

• One of the major tasks for the Board of Director is to hire a new CEO when the need arises. The Board of Directors hired Bob Brack to become our first permanent President and CEO as of August 13, 2012. As a Board we are delighted with Mr. Brack. One of the many reasons we hired him was for his depth of insight into the inner workings of CIC, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and other government agencies. He has proven his value in this regard many, many times over in the months since he joined ICCRC, making the required connections quickly and effectively, especially with regard to the relationship between ICCRC and CIC which is now very smooth.

• We have quarterly discussions with CIC on issues of common interest attended by the Chair, Vice Chair and the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee as well as the CEO.


• The DARC (Discipline, Appeals, Review and Complaints) committees are now populated, trained and operating, with their Committee Mandates and Charters approved, Chairs and Vice Chairs elected, and complaints making their way through the process. Decisions are being made and action taken to sanction members as required.

• You can read the highlights from the

committees in their individual reports.

As outgoing Chair of ICCRC, let me thank members very much for your contribution. This has been a terrific experience and I am blessed to have had the opportunity to serve. Also, thank you to our wonderful staff for their enduring commitment to our new Council. They are doing an incredibly hard job building ICCRC in these early years, and I sincerely appreciate their continued efforts.

I hope to continue on the Board to support the growth of ICCRC. While we all know that renovations can be a long and drawn-‐out process, we need to take the time to do it right and not unduly stretch our human or financial resources. I sincerely hope that you’ve been able to see positive changes to the foundation, structure and outlook of the Council. We’ve been very fortunate to have the opportunity to build a stronger regulating body and I am more confident in our profession and more comfortable in our professional community than I ever have been.

There’s a lot more work to be done and with leadership from the Board, our CEO and management, the hard work of our staff, volunteer RCICs, and with improved stakeholder relationships, we will be an even greater regulator!

Sincerely,

Rhonda Williams Chair, ICCRC


OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE


MISSION To protect consumers of immigration services through effective regulation of immigration consultants and promotion of the benefits of using only authorized immigration representatives.

VISION To be an effective, fair and transparent regulator of the Canadian immigration consulting profession.

CORPORATE GOALS • Support, strengthen and enrich the

Canadian immigration system • Uphold the public trust • Establish organizational effectiveness • Ongoing membership growth • Establish and maintain a high level of

member satisfaction • Establish and maintain a high performance

team

MANDATE

VALUES Transparency Important decisions, policies and procedures will be provided to members and, where appropriate, the public on the ICCRC website. Excellence Achieve a high level of excellence in all endeavours. Fairness Policies, practice, procedures and decisions will be justified and well understood. Accountability The Board of Directors and staff will take full responsibility for actions and decisions. Integrity The highest moral and ethics standards will be maintained. Communicative Members, stakeholders and the public will be welcome to contact the ICCRC on any matter relating to the regulation of the Canadian immigration consulting profession.


Board of Directors 2012-‐2013

Back row (from left to right): Joe Greenholtz Director Javier Vinsome Public Interest Director Ronald McKay Director Pavel Ananyev Director Anna Peggy Fridriksdottir Director Sylvie Bertrand Director Merv Hillier Public Interest Director Peter Bernier Director Tarek Allam Director Nasralli Alli Amlani Director

Front row (from left to right): Pavan Kahlon Director Richard K Dennis Director Rhonda Williams Chair Chris Daw Vice-‐chair Ben Earle Public Interest Director


Staff

Executive Bob Brack President & CEO Dace Stripnieks Executive Assistant

Registrar’s Office Lawrence E. Barker, RPR Registrar Carrie Sutherland Manager of Registrations Naomi Wolf Administrative Assistant to the Registrar Jina Dhother Administrative Assistant to the Registrar Guy Morissette Member Services Specialist Gigi Wong Member Services Specialist

Education Hafeeza Bassirullah, Ed.D Director of Education Rosalee van Staalduinen Education Development Manager Derek Doherty Practice Management Instructor, Burnaby Menaka Thambyah Practice Management Instructor, Toronto East Lawrence Lang Practice Management Instructor, St-‐Laurent Brynne Wrigley Education Coordinator Communications M. Daniel Roukema Director of Communications Sandrine Julien Translator and Communications Specialist Amani Singhera Communications Coordinator


Finance and Operations Rodelio Ramos, CGA Director of Finance and Operations Liliana Stratan Accountant/Bookkeeper Suzanne Haynes Bookkeeper Chris Therriault IT Manager Jackie Furlong Office Administrator

Complaints and Discipline Robert Kewley Director of Complaints and Discipline Lisa Riverso Administrative Assistant Intake officers Complaints against RCICs are investigated by former RCMP officers whose names are withheld for security reasons.


COMMITTEE REPORTS


Finance and Audit Committee

Chair: Pavan Kahlon Vice-‐chair: Peggy Fridriksdottir Members: Merv Hillier Peter Lai Farrokh Tajvidi Purpose

To gain reasonable assurance that:

a. The Council complies with all applicable laws, regulations, rules, policies and other requirements relating to financial reporting and disclosure;

b. The accounting principles, significant judgments and disclosures which underlie or are incorporated in the Council’s financial statements are the most appropriate in the prevailing circumstances;

c. The Council’s financial statements are accurate and present fairly the Council’s financial position and performance in accordance with GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles); and

d. Appropriate information concerning the financial position and financial performance of the Council is disseminated to all stakeholders including the public in a timely manner.

To assist the Board in fulfilling its responsibilities and monitoring the Council’s financing reporting and disclosure, the Board has established the Finance and Audit Committee.


Highlights & Achievements

• The Finance and Audit Committee (FAC) welcomed Rodelio Ramos as ICCRC’s new Director of Finance and Operations in early 2013.

• FAC has carried out their work plan for the year ensuring transparency and accountability.

• The committee has held and will continue to hold management strictly accountable to fiscal restraint and prudence, while reducing our negative equity and supporting our members.

• Other activities to monitor financial transparency and accountability include the development and implementation of a Privacy Policy which general purpose is to explain: -‐ The application of our privacy policy; -‐ The kind of information ICCRC may collect about a member, how it is collected and used; -‐ How ICCRC may disclose that information; and -‐ When ICCRC may use your information to contact you.

• FAC implemented a loan repayment

schedule to repay the Department of CIC. The funds are being set aside monthly in restricted bank account. FAC is happy to report that ICCRC made its successful first installment to CIC at the end of the fiscal year.

• FAC is focused on eliminating ICCRC’s remaining $1.5 million deficit within the next 4 years.


Governance and Nominating Committee

Chair: Sylvie Bertrand Vice-‐chair: Joe Greenholtz Members: Yeuchuan Choo Joseph Kenney Amarpreet Singh

Purpose To advise the Board with respect to governance, nominations and matters related to organizational effectiveness, and to make recommendations to the Board relating to these matters. Highlights & Achievements On-‐going

• Providing recommendations to management for (Full Skills Exam) FSE volunteers.

• Updating committee mandates and charters.

• Overseeing the nomination and election process for Board members.

• Orientation and ongoing development for new and existing Directors.

Achievements

• Developed an assessment tool to evaluate committee performance.

• Recommended Board of Directors evaluation assessment provider.

• Proposed an in-‐camera policy for the Board of Directors.

• Proposed amendments to transition current By-‐law to conform to the new Canada Not-‐for-‐profit Corporations Act.

• Sought recommendations for organizational changes.

• Recommended the appointment of Public Interest Director (PID) Javier Vinsome.


Human Resource and Compensation Committee

Chair: Ben Earle Vice-‐chair: Tarek Allam Members: Roxanne Jessome Peter Perram Terry Ng

Purpose To assist the Board of Directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities in the areas of human resources and compensation. Specifically, the Human Resource and Compensation Committee (HRCC) works on behalf the ICCRC Board in the areas of CEO and Executive oversight, advising and making recommendations to the Board with respect to ICCRC human resources policies, CEO and Executive performance management, compensation, and succession planning. The committee acts to ensure that the ICCRC’s total compensation program is aligned with the organization’s compensation philosophy and strategic direction. This role includes the ongoing review of ICCRC human resources plans and policies, working with the Board Chair and CEO in the development of the CEO’s performance management plan and an annual review of progress. Highlights & Achievements In 2013 the HRCC has been occupied with the development of the ICCRC’s Human Resources policies and practices, especially as they relate to the oversight of the CEO. In addition to regular duties in overseeing and working with the CEO, the primary activities have included:

• The development and implementation of the CEO’s performance review and performance management framework. This framework will tie performance to the strategic management of the ICCRC.

• HRCC has started to work with management in the review and development of the ICCRC’s human resources policies, ensuring that the organization is up-‐to-‐date and in-‐line with appropriate regulations and legislation.

• The development of a succession plan for the CEO and senior management within the ICCRC, ensuring that the organization is well structured to both develop leadership and successfully manage changes to management.

• Work to develop a professional development plan for the CEO and senior management of the organization.

The HRCC Moving Forward The Committee will finalize its review of ICCRC compensation practices, setting a solid foundation for the future, and ensuring that the ICCRC is able to recruit and retain top talent while maintaining fiscal responsibility. The HRCC will move into the next year as a fully functioning committee and will work to ensure that the ICCRC has responsible, accountable, and transparent human resources and compensation policies and practices.


Practice Management Education Committee

Purpose

Chair: Chris Daw Vice-‐chair: Ronald McKay Members: Daniel Bagheri Manprit Aujla-‐Grewal Mansour Motamedi

To recommend and guide the development, implementation and effective oversight on continuing education and practice management education, and make recommendations to the Board on all matters relating to the professional development of Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs). Highlights & Achievements Practice Management Education (PME) Courses In the past year, the Practice Management and Education Committee has worked with ICCRC’s highly qualified and experienced educational staff to further support the membership with development of the regulatory framework behind training courses on Agents, Ethical Practice and Client File Management.

Supporting Higher Standards for Entry. The Practice Management and Education Committee also has a role in overseeing the Immigration Practitioner Programs (IPPs) offered by the Council’s educational partners to new entrants to the profession. We are happy to say that the Board has approved new guidelines for these IPPs that raise the bar for our profession, and will create a more expansive, well-‐rounded skill set in future members. All existing Immigration Practitioner Programs will have 18 months to show compliance with these new standards, and all future applications will be judged on these. The committee is also beginning the process of strengthening the Full Skills Exam, and researching the development of alternate methods of testing the more practical skills required to succeed in this profession.


Registration and Membership Committee

Chair: Richard Dennis Vice-‐chair: Javier Vinsome Members: Marie Deitz

Jonathon Driscoll Afshin Sarangpour

Purpose To admit qualified individuals to the profession of immigration consultancy who meet the standards set by the Council in order to ensure consumer protection. Since ICCRC’s previous Annual General Meeting, the Registration and Membership Committee furthered the goals of the Council and the committee by presenting to the Board of Directors the following resolutions that were approved. These amended regulations, or new regulations, will enable the Council to more completely fulfill its mandate in the interest of all Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs):

• Good Character and Good Conduct Regulation

• Non-‐Payment of Dues, Fees, and Fines Regulation

• Compliance Audit Regulation

• Leave of Absence Regulation

• Admission Standards for Paralegals

Highlights & Achievements

• Established a Leave of Absence Regulation, which allows members under certain circumstances, to take a temporary leave from practicing as an RCIC.

• Drafted a Good Character and Good Conduct Regulation. This is provided to all applicants, along with all RCICs. This is to be completed every 2 years to confirm continued good character.

• Approved the Compliance Audit Regulation, ensuring that all RCICs are adhering to the Council’s regulations with respect to how they operate their practice.

• Developed the Late Payment of Dues, Fees, Fines and Penalties Regulation to ensure RCICs are accountable for their actions when not completing all of their profession responsibilities.

• Developed standards to allow Paralegals to join the Council.


Outreach and Communications Committee

Purpose

Chair: Nasiralli Alli Amlani Vice-‐chair: Pavel Ananyev Members: Javier Vinsome

Dirk Propp Waris Malik

Peter Bernier

To oversee communications and stakeholder relations opportunities – both internal and external – for ICCRC. Internal communication to RCICs involves providing them with important updates from the regulatory body and major changes from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. External communication involves responding to media requests and interviews. The Committee also provides advice to Management and the Board of Directors of a variety of communications-‐related issues. The Outreach and Communications Committee (OCC) is also working on developing relationships with identified stakeholders, including parliamentarians, ethnic organizations, educational institutions, diplomatic missions, etc.

Highlights & Achievements • Successfully merged the Outreach

committee and Communications Committees to establish the Outreach and Communications Committee (OCC).

• Developed and attained approval for committee Charter and Mandate.

• Welcomed Daniel Roukema as ICCRC’s new Director of Communications in early 2013.

• Established a work plan, inducted committee membership and provided orientation to new Board members.

• Launched ALERT!, a confidential whistle blowing program to identify unauthorized immigration representatives.

• Enticed management to initiate greater communication to membership and stakeholders.

• Launched a new website homepage as the first step to redeveloping the entire website and integrating various software and systems to develop a web portal for use by staff and members.

• Implemented a process to develop a comprehensive consumer and member outreach strategy to increase the visibility and reach of ICCRC among stakeholders.

• Established a Transparency subcommittee

that will provide direction into policy regarding the disclosure of ICCRC’s activities.


SENIORMANAGEMENT

REPORTS


MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO Bob Brack

It is my pleasure to report that the ICCRC is delivering its mandate to protect the public interest by effectively regulating its members and by raising awareness of the need for immigration applicants to use only authorized representatives. The past year has seen a marked improvement in our financial situation which includes the reduction of our overall debt by over 25%, and the first payment to CIC of the loan provided to the ICCRC in 2011 under a formal Contribution Agreement. CIC has noted that the ICCRC is now meeting its other obligations, as required by the Contribution Agreement, to continue to build the ICCRC and establish its credibility as an effective regulator protecting consumers’ interests. I am pleased to report as well that CBSA is actively investigating complaints against unauthorized representatives referred to them by the ICCRC. Several hundred complaints concerning unauthorized representatives have been referred by the ICCRC to CBSA. Many of these complaints concern the same individual, in some cases, over 20 complaints have been received against a single unauthorized representative. So while several hundred complaints have been received by the ICCRC and referred to CBSA, they pertain to a much smaller number of persons. It must be noted that most of these complaints concern persons outside of Canada, against whom neither CBSA (nor any

other Canadian enforcement agency) has authority to act, as it has no extraterritorial powers. CBSA does however have the power to act against unauthorized representatives in Canada. I have met repeatedly with senior CBSA officials in Ottawa and in CBSA Regional Offices, as has the Director of Complaints and Discipline and his team to encourage them to act as expeditiously as possible. We are hopeful that our efforts and those of CBSA will soon lead to action against those in breach of IRPA and Bill C-‐35. The ICCRC is also developing a public awareness campaign, possibly in collaboration with CIC and other stakeholders, to educate the public on the need to use only authorized representatives and to raise awareness of the ICCRC. I am also very pleased to announce that several very distinguished persons from outside the immigration consulting profession have agreed to join the ICCRC: Hugh Kelly, Queens Counsel, who was a senior member of the legal team at Miller Thompson LLC, one of the authors of the ICCRC bid to CIC, and who has played a key role in developing the ICCRC by-‐laws and regulations, has agreed to join the ICCRC as In-‐House Legal Counsel. Hugh is the author of many articles on the governance of Not-‐For-‐Profit corporations like the ICCRC. His advice has been and will continue to be invaluable to the ICCRC as we continue to build the organization and work towards becoming a model regulatory body. Brian Davis, a former Director General of Case Management Branch at CIC, and a former Canadian Ambassador to Syria, has been appointed Chair of the Discipline Committee. Brian spent over 30 years as a visa officer, much of that time as a senior manager at CIC, including several years as Immigration Program Manager in Hong Kong. His leadership of the Discipline Committee gives the ICCRC discipline process instant credibility with our stakeholders and with the public, and ensures that it will be


seen at the independent and fair process that it needs to be, if the ICCRC is to be an effective regulator. Tom Ryan, another former Director General at CIC has also been appointed to the Discipline Committee, further enhancing the reputation of the discipline process and of the ICCRC. I am pleased to report that the state of the organization is healthy and that we are looking forward to continued growth and success. Please find in this section, departmental reports from ICCRC’s Senior Management Team. Sincerely,

Bob Brack President & CEO


EDUCATION REPORT Hafeeza Bassirullah Ed.D., Director of Education

The Education Department was engaged in a number of activities over the past year to further the immigration consulting practice. Since ICCRC’s inception our goal has been to develop an education standard of the highest quality to support the profession. I am pleased to report that once again we have achieved our goals. Highlights of the past year include:

Practice Management Education The Department implemented three courses – Ethical Practice, Client File Management, and Agents – in January/February 2013 bringing the total number of courses implemented to five. By the deadline of June 28, 2013, over 90% of all RCICs completed the Ethical Practice and Client File Management courses. The Agents course proved to be very popular with over 1,200 RCICs completing the course. This represents over 300% of what was initially planned. To put this into perspective when the course was launched 370 RCICs had Agents registered with ICCRC. Additional sessions were subsequently added to meet the demand. The Client Account and Retainer Agreement course were also offered on a regular basis to meet demand. Refer to Table 1 for a snapshot of how many RCICs have completed all of the five courses as of June 30, 2013.

Table 1: Number of RCICs who completed the courses as of June 30, 2013

All of the courses continue to be offered on a maintenance cycle based on demand. A course schedule is available on the website. The Practice Management Education Regulation was approved by the Board in April 2013. The Regulation sets out the requirements for RCICs in completing mandatory PME courses.

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Number of RCICs

Courses

Client Account

Retainer Agreement

Ethical Practice

Client File Management

Agents

http://iccrc-crcic.ca/admin/contentEngine/contentImages/file/PME Regulation_FINAL_15Apr2013.pdf

27 ANNUAL REPORT 2013

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) There were a number of amendments made to the Continuing Professional Development Regulation. The amendments were generally made to enhance the Regulation and simplify the reporting process. Amendments include:

• Revising the requirements for RCICs on leave and those who are new

• Redefining the term for accumulating CPD hours

• Adding group case study discussions to the list of eligible CPD activities

• Enhancing the compliance audit requirements

• Providing a new fines and penalties structure

Please consult the CPD Regulation published on ICCRC’s website to review all of the changes. Accreditation of Education Providers The National Education Standards was developed in consultation with RCICs and education providers. The document is pending final approval, however, and when published will inform potential and accredited education providers how to apply for accreditation and maintain accreditation status. Compliance Audit The compliance audit was launched in May after being promoted in the courses for over a year and a half. Expectations and requirements of the complaint audit are anchored in the Compliance

Audit Regulation which was approved by the Board in April. The planning and implementation of the compliance audit project, which is the first of its kind in the immigration consulting practice, is a huge undertaking with many lessons to be learned for the next iteration of the cycle. Looking ahead We are currently in the process of completing the debrief process of the three courses implemented this year. Lessons learned in the classroom, from the course feedback survey, and by instructors are used to inform the updates of the courses. Updates will mostly focus on the teaching strategies; no major revision to the content is planned at this time. We anticipate work to begin on the next course in the new year – once the compliance audit reviews for the first cycle are completed. Implementation of the next course is expected to be in the Spring of 2014. The Department will be looking closely at the feedback received from RCICs about their experience with the compliance audit. You will have an opportunity to provide us with your feedback by completing an online survey when you receive notice that your compliance audit is approved. We will be implementing the lessons learned in the next cycle to make the process more effective and efficient. I will continue to work with the Practice Management and Education Committee to further refine the CPD Regulation. Updates to the Regulation will be communicated on our website and via e-‐blast once they are approved by the Board.

https://www.iccrc-crcic.ca/admin/contentEngine/contentImages/file/CPDRegulations_FINAL_Feb2012_EN.pdf


Lastly, thank you for your support. Many of you have helped to inform the development of the courses and documents. Also, I hear from staff of your kind words and constructive feedback. I want to assure you that we take your feedback seriously and incorporate it in how we deliver our programs and services to you.

Respectfully submitted,

Dr. Hafeeza Bassirullah Director of Education


REGISTRAR’S REPORT Lawrence E. Barker, RPR

Registrar and Corporate Secretary

Membership I am pleased to report that ICCRC has continued to experience positive net membership growth over its entire second year of operation. At fiscal year-‐end June 2013 the Council recorded 2,587 members in good standing compared to 2,282 as of year-‐end June 2012. This represents a net growth of 305 members.

Membership distribution by Jurisdiction:

YEAR END 2012

YEAR END 2013 CHANGE

BC 671 754 83

AB 168 211 43

SK 30 40 10

MB 38 47 9

ON 968 1,060 92

QC 256 314 58

NB 6 9 3

PE 3 4 1

NS 15 13 -‐2

NL 3 3 0

YT 0 1 1

NT 0 0 0

NU 0 0 0

International 124 131 7

2,282 2,587 305


A snapshot of our continued membership growth:

Members by Official Language of Service:

YEAR END 2012

YEAR END 2013

ENGLISH 2,154 2,419

FRENCH 128 168

2,282 2,587

Full Skills Examination Interest in the profession remained constant since ICCRC’s inception with ten sittings of the entry-‐to-‐practice Full Skills Exam having taken place. Each session averaged 100 exam-‐takers with an overall average of 97% of successful candidates completing all further requirements to become registered as an RCIC within four months of passing.

2,100 2,200 2,300 2,400 2,500 2,600 2,700

YEAR END

JUL 2012

AUG 2012

SEP 2012

OCT 2012

NOV 2012

DEC 2012

JAN 2013

FEB 2013

MAR 2013

APR 2013

MAY 2013

JUN 2013

Membership


Leaves of Absence (Remission of Dues) As of fiscal year-‐end June 2013 there were 112 members on an approved leave of absence. This represents 4.33% of the current members in good standing:

YEAR END 2012

YEAR END 2013

Family Leave 14 29

Full-‐Time Student 2 6

Medical 6 12

Working Outside Profession 9 46

Quasi-‐Judicial Appointment 1 1

Working for Government 0 1

General Financial Hardship 0 13

Unemployed 0 2

Retirement 0 2

32 112

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Active Leaves of Absence

Overall

Family Leave

Medical

Full-‐Time Students

Financial Hardship

Working Outside Profession

Retirement

Quasi-‐Judicial Appointment

Unemployed

Working for Government


Resignations

As of fiscal year-‐end June 2013 there have been 68 resignations processed since ICCRC’s inception. The most common reason for resigning was a loss of interest in the profession due to a lack of clients. A number of individuals disclosed that their immigration consultancy practice was in fact only operated secondary to another full-‐time career.

SINCE INCEPTION

Financial -‐ practice slow/lost interest in profession 52

Health Problems 2

Retirement 6

Staying with family abroad for extended period 2

Travelling for extended period abroad 2

Unemployed 1

Full-‐Time Student 2

Called to the Bar 1

68

Administrative Suspensions

As of fiscal year-‐end June 2013 there were 42 members under administrative suspension for non-‐payment of membership dues. This represents 1.6% of the membership. Similarly there were four members under administrative suspension for non-‐payment of Practice Management Education (PME) fines and 20 members under administrative suspension for non-‐payment of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) fines. Finally there were 15 members under administrative suspension for failure to complete mandatory Practice Management Education (PME) courses. This represents 0.6% of the membership. On a positive note, most non-‐completion suspensions are resolved within two months of suspension by successful completion of all missing PME course obligations.

Administrative Revocations

As of fiscal year-‐end June 2013 three administrative revocations for non-‐payment of membership dues have been issued, with 11 being issued since ICCRC’s inception. Similarly, despite repeated reminders, 10 administrative revocations for non-‐payment of Practice Management Education fines have been issued after the lapse of one year.


Complaints and Discipline

A summary of the fiscal year-‐end June 2013 Complaints and Discipline process, based on new files received per month is:

YEAR

END 2012

YEAR END 2013

SINCE INCEPTION

Member Files Received 256 303 559

Non-‐Member Files Received 190 381 571

446 684 1,130

Member Files Closed at Intake 162 271 433

Member Files Closed at Complaints 2 21 23

Member Files Closed at Discipline 0 0

Percent of member files received 64% 82%

Non-‐Member Files Closed 183 376 559 Percent of non-‐member files received 96% 98% Overall Member & Non-‐Member files closed 78% 98% 90%

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

JUL 2012

AUG 2012

SEP 2012

OCT 2012

NOV 2012

DEC 2012

JAN 2013

FEB 2013

MAR 2013

APR 2013

MAY 2013

JUN 2013

Complaints Received by Month

Overall Member Non-‐Member


Member files closed comprising:

YEAR END 2012

YEAR END 2013

SINCE INCEPTION

Administratively revoked by Registrar 9 0 9 Alleged criminality involved sent to CBSA,

RCMP 4 12 16

Situation mediated and/or resolved 10 32 42 Not within ICCRC Jurisdiction 0 5 5

Unfounded or could not be proved 100 183 283 Submitted anonymously 5 2 7

Complaint form not returned 14 26 40

Unable to make contact with complainant 12 1 13 Duplicate Information 8 4 12

For records purposes only 0 6 6

162 271 433 Closed at Intake -‐ Referred to Complaints

Committee 43 64 107

Non-‐Member files closed comprising:

YEAR END 2012

YEAR END 2013

SINCE INCEPTION

Involving unauthorized representatives sent to CBSA, RCMP 130 251 381

Sent to Law Society 8 3 11

Situation mediated and/or resolved 0 5 5 Not within ICCRC Jurisdiction 13 16 29

Unfounded or could not be proved 10 41 51 Submitted anonymously 1 0 1

Complaint form not returned 1 53 54 Unable to make contact with complainant 12 1 13 Duplicate Information 7 4 11

For records purposes only 1 2 3

183 376 559


The number of accusations, based on the articles of the Code of Professional Ethics, which have been cited in complaints are:

YEAR END 2012

YEAR END 2013

CODE

ARTICLE ARTICLE TITLE

22 0 1 Intention of Code

3 1 2 Interpretation

20 128 3 Ethical Practice

75 171 4 Professionalism

72 94 5 Competence

305 152 6 Quality of Service

70 76 7 Advising Clients

1 11 8 Confidentiality

1 2 9 Conflict of Interest

2 9 10 Preservation of Client Property

111 33 12 Retainer and Fees

91 31 14 Withdrawal from Representation

0 4 15 Outside Interests

10 19 16 Advertising, Soliciting and Making Services Available

5 2 17 Discrimination and Harassment

5 1 18 Errors and Omissions

0 1 19 Disciplinary Authority


Province/Country of Origin

As of fiscal year-‐end June 2013 the province/country of origin for complaints is as follows:

YEAR END 2012

YEAR END 2013

SINCE INCEPTION

British Columbia 43 53 96

Alberta 24 13 37

Saskatchewan 10 6 16

Manitoba 3 2 5

Ontario 148 197 345

Québec 23 41 64

New Brunswick 0 1 1

Prince Edward Island 0 1 1

Nova Scotia 2 3 5 Newfoundland &

Labrador 0 1 1

Unknown 5 1 6

TOTAL CANADA 258 319 577

Algeria 22 0 22 Afghanistan 0 1 1 Australia 6 6 12 Bahrain 2 0 2

Bangladesh 0 1 1 Cameroon 0 1 1

China 3 6 9 Columbia 0 2 2 Croatia 0 1 1 Cyprus 0 2 2

Dominican Republic 0 1 1 Egypt 2 1 3

Ethiopia 1 0 1 Fiji 2 1 3

France 0 1 1 Ghana 0 2 2 Greece 1 0 1

Guatemala 1 0 1 Guyana 0 2 2 Hungary 0 1 1

India 30 45 75 Iran 6 16 22

Ireland 1 3 4 Italy 0 1 1


Jamaica 1 8 9 Korea 0 1 1 Kuwait 0 1 1

Kyrgyzstan 0 1 1 Macau 0 1 1

Macedonia 0 1 1 Malaysia 1 1 2 Mauritius 0 1 1 Mexico 1 1 2

Moldova 0 4 4 Morocco 1 1 2 Nepal 2 2 4

Netherlands 4 0 4 Nigeria 0 2 2 Pakistan 2 9 11

Philippines 4 13 17 Poland 0 1 1

Portugal 0 2 2 Romania 1 0 1 Russia 2 0 2

Saudi Arabia 0 5 5 Singapore 2 0 2

South Africa 3 12 15 Spain 3 0 3

Sri Lanka 2 4 6 Sudan 0 1 1 Syria 1 0 1

Thailand 0 1 1 United Arab Emirates 11 8 19

United Kingdom 10 7 17 Ukraine 0 3 3

USA 13 11 24 Viet Nam 3 4 7

TOTAL INTERNATIONAL 144 200 344

Duplicates 13 2 15 Unknown 31 163 194

TOTAL 446 684 1,130


Complaint files disposed of or referred by the Complaints Committee:

YEAR END 2012

YEAR END 2013

SINCE INCEPTION

File referred from Intake (less returned for further

investigation) 43 57 100

DECISIONS Closed -‐ No further action 2 14 16

Caution only 0 1 1 Remedial education 0 6 6

Total decided and closed at Committee 2 21 23

Refer to Prosecution Counsel 0 10 10

Total Disposed of or Referred

33

Percent Disposed of or Referred

33%

Files still pending before the Complaints Committee

67


Membership by Method of Business Operations

Owner/Part Owner of a Consulting Firm 2,246 Members 1,171 Corporation 17 Other 83 Partnership 975 Sole Proprietorship

Employee of a Consulting Firm with no ownership stake 227 Members

Employee of a Law Firm or a Québec Notary Firm 53 Members

Employee in a For-‐Profit firm whose primary business purpose is not related to immigration consulting 46 Members

Employee of a Non-‐Profit firm or Non-‐Government Organization 15 Members

________ 2,587

0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00% 40.00% 45.00% 50.00%

Membership by Percentage -‐ Type of Business Registration


Membership by Years of Experience 1,561 Members have 0 – 5 years of experience 693 Members have 5 – 15 years of experience 333 Members have 15 years or more of experience _______ 2,587

Respectfully submitted, Lawrence E. Barker, RPR Registrar

60% 27%

13%

Membership by Years of Immigration Consulting Experience

0 -‐ 5 years 5 -‐ 15 years 15 + years


COMMUNICATIONS REPORT M. Daniel Roukema, Director of Communications

At the end of the 2012 fiscal year, there were a number of important communications-‐related policies, processes, and materials that required immediate attention. As a result, the ICCRC Communications team set out to: • Fulfill ICCRC’s bilingual policy by

ensuring all external communications materials are available in English and French;

• Research, write, and implement several internal and external policies;

• Develop standards and processes to increase communications to members via social media;

• Complete a 5-‐year operational communications strategy;

• Rebuild and improve the ICCRC’s web presence; and

• Promote the importance of reporting unauthorized immigration representatives.

I am pleased to report that the Communications team successfully met its goals for the 2013 year. In fact, we surpassed them! Some highlights of our successful year include the following: Consumer Outreach The Communications team began developing a comprehensive and strategic consumer outreach plan to increase its visibility among consumers. By reaching out to government and other stakeholders, the intent is to have joint public service announcements and campaigns to promote the importance of using authorized immigration representatives.

Entrenching Bilingualism Considerable effort has gone into our continued commitment to providing all external communications in English and French. In 2012, an internal policy was developed which stated that all written material for public consumption was to be available in both of Canada’s official languages. Whether a member communications bulletin, a telephone enquiry, information on our website, or the Annual Report; ICCRC is pleased to reach out to consumers and its members in the Official Language of their choice.


Website Rebuilding The Board of Directors and the Finance and Audit Committee approved the redevelopment of ICCRC’s website. The Communications department has since worked very closely with the Director of Finance and Operations and the I.T. Manager to develop a needs assessment and technical requirements for a large-‐scale systems integration process that would see a rebuild of ICCRC’s website and the inclusion of several software applications that will enable staff to manage aspects of their work more effectively, while RCICs will be able to manage most of their account with ICCRC online. As a first step to rebuilding the site, the Communications department redesigned the homepage of ICCRC’s website which now features a better design, more focused theme, easy-‐to-‐navigate links and social media links and feeds from Twitter.

2011-‐2013

2013 ICCRC expects to go to tender for the complete overhaul of the website sometime in late 2013 with a forecasted go-‐live sometime in 2014. Increasing Member Communications through Social Media The Communications team developed a social media strategy to maximize outreach to RCICs and consumers. Since July 1, 2012 there has been a tremendous surge in activity by our members on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The Communications department now effectively integrates various social media platforms in its communications planning. As a result, many RCICs have taken to social media to receive ongoing updates from ICCRC; while members of the general public as well, follow the Council

Recent statistics demonstrate the impact of social media on ICCRC’s membership of approximately 2,500 members: Facebook Approximately 4,000 members with 100 new members every week. Twitter Over 600 followers with approximately 50 new followers every month / following 140 organizations and RCICs. LinkedIn 1,400 members with approximately 50 new members per week.


Privacy Training ICCRC joined the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) in early 2013. IAPP is the world’s largest and most comprehensive information hub connecting tens of thousands of privacy professionals with resources. I am pursuing the Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) designation through IAPP to develop, implement and manage a comprehensive privacy program for ICCRC. Expected in 2014, the CIPM designation will be an important ingredient in assessing and analyzing ICCRC’s privacy regime; protecting information assets through the implementation of industry-‐leading privacy and security controls and technology; sustaining the privacy program through communication, training and management actions; and responding to privacy incidents. ALERT! ICCRC launched ALERT!, a confidential whistleblowing program that engages consumers in Canada and abroad to report unauthorized immigration representatives. Prominently located on ICCRC’s website homepage, ALERT! is expected to generate hundreds of leads each year that will be initially investigated by ICCRC and then forwarded to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) or the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for further examination and enforcement.

Beyond 2013 ICCRC’s strategic planning process in 2013 set a clear direction for the Council over the next five years. The Communications department developed its own goals for the future and some short-‐term priorities include: • Establishing linkages with external

stakeholders in government, business and the Not-‐For-‐Profit sector to increase the visibility of ICCRC and its commitment to consumer protection;

• Maximizing the use of technology to better promote ICCRC and its mandate;

• Developing more fluid project management processes to support other departments;

• Developing and implementing a comprehensive corporate design strategy to ensure the highest standards of outgoing communications;

• Developing and managing a strategic consumer and member outreach plan.


M. Daniel Roukema Director of Communications


FINANCIAL REPORT AND AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Rodelio Ramos, CGA Director of Finance and Operations

I am pleased to present the financial statements for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013 with comparative figures with June 30, 2012.

Over the course of the past fiscal year, ICCRC reduced its $2,045,637 deficit by $491,473 through membership growth and by reducing some major expenses. Costs associated with the Full Skills Exam, for example, plus office administration and travel, were significantly reduced and effectively controlled as a result of our commitment to curb expenditures.

ICCRC places a high priority on financial stability and sound stewardship of its resources; and I am pleased to provide these attached financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2013, demonstrating this commitment.


Rodelio Ramos

Director of Finance & Operations

AGM – October 2012 Aéroport de Montréal Marriott

Dorval, Québec

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