Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants supports call for tighter
immigration standards across all provinces
TORONTO, Nov. 30 /CNW/ - Following the Manitoba Ministerial announcement
that committed to improving regulatory standards of employment agents, the
Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC) applauds the Minister for
her vision and leadership.
The announcement was made by Manitoba Labour and Immigration Minister,
Nancy Allan. She explained that the first step for the province is to begin a
stakeholder consultation process that will review how the existing Employment
Services Act can be improved to better regulate foreign temporary worker
recruitment agencies and modelling agencies. She said: "We need to update
legislation that would better protect these workers who can be vulnerable to
exploitation."
"Too often consumers seeking immigration and employment advice are
abused," said John Ryan, Chair of CSIC. Since 2004, CSIC has been the national
regulator of Canadian immigration consultants and has fought to ensure
consistent standards are followed across the country so that consumers of
immigration services are protected.
Ryan continued: "Manitoba has to be applauded in its effort to protect
the foreign workers who are coming to work and contribute to the Province.
Implementing accountability for all immigrant recruiters and agencies will
improve the Canadian immigration process and protect those who are most
susceptible to exploitation."
The Employment Services Act, which governs the activities of employment
service agencies, has not been amended since 1987. The goals of the revised
legislation would include:- Ensuring young people, especially young women and girls, are
adequately protected from potential exploitation;
- Protecting temporary foreign workers who are vulnerable to
exploitation by requiring all third-party recruiters to be licensed by
the province and be members in good standing of a law society in
Canada or the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants;
- Assisting employers in their recruitment efforts by making sure they
have access to legitimate and reliable recruitment choices.For more information on CSIC and existing regulatory standards, please
visit www.csic-scci.ca.
About the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants
An independent, federally incorporated not-for-profit body operating at
arms length from the federal government, the Canadian Society of Immigration
Consultants (CSIC) is responsible for regulating the activities of immigration
consultants who are members and who provide immigration advice for a fee. In
addition, the Society is responsible for ensuring the education and competency
testing of its members.
The Society's mandate is to protect the consumers of immigration
consulting services and ensure the competent and professional conduct of its
members. www.csic-scci.ca- The Society believes that national regulatory standards that protect
the interests of foreign workers seeking employment and immigration
advice already exist. Governments and regulators must double their
efforts to ensure they are universally adopted and applied. CSIC has
worked with Manitoba and other provinces to ensure that the existing
national standards are implemented.
For further information: Ross Eastley, Chief Executive Officer, CSIC,
Toll Free: 1-866-308-CSIC (2742) Ext: 2236, (416) 572-2800 ext. 2236 or John
Ryan, Chair, Cell: (250) 216-2229
