What RCIC actually means
A Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant is licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, the body created by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act. Alongside Canadian lawyers and Quebec notaries, RCICs are the only people who may legally give Canadian immigration advice or representation for a fee.
The licence follows the person, not the postcode. The College's rules apply to licensees residing outside Canada in exactly the same way — which is what makes it meaningful for an applicant sitting in Bangalore.
Licence classes matter too. Class L1 and L2 are RCICs; Class L3 is an RCIC-IRB, authorised additionally before the Immigration and Refugee Board; Classes L4 and L5 are student advisors (RISIA), not full consultants.
ICCRC or CICC — which is it?
Both, at different times. The Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) became the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) on 23 November 2021, when the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act came into force. Licence numbers carried across unchanged.
So a consultant describing themselves as “ICCRC certified” is not necessarily behind the times — but the number they hold must be live on the CICC register today. That is the only part worth checking, and it takes about ten seconds.
If you are comparing firms in Bangalore, this is the question that separates them: ask for the licence number, then look it up. Most cannot give you one at all.
Our licence
XIPHIAS Immigration's Canadian work is delivered under licence R516194 — a Class L2 RCIC, shown on the public register as entitled to practise and listed against XIPHIAS Immigration Pvt Ltd in India and XIPHIAS Immigration DMCC. The register entry was last confirmed on 13 September 2026.
Your service agreement for a Canadian matter is signed with the licensed consultant. The Bangalore office handles assessment, documentation and case management around that relationship.
Canadian routes we work on
Express Entry — Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Skilled Trades programme, including CRS scoring and the category-based draws. Provincial Nominee Programmes across Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Atlantic provinces. Business routes — the Start-up Visa and provincial entrepreneur streams. Family sponsorship, study permits and post-graduation work permits.
Assessment begins with your actual CRS score against the current draw cut-offs, not an optimistic estimate. Where the score is short, the advisor identifies which of the levers — language retake, education assessment, provincial nomination, spouse factors — moves it furthest for your profile.
Common questions
- Can I verify licence R516194 myself?
- Yes, and you should. Search 516194 in the 'College ID Contains' field on the CICC public register. The record shows the licensee, the associated companies, the licence class and whether they are entitled to practise.
- Is an RCIC the same as an immigration lawyer?
- No. Both may represent you for a fee in Canada, but they are regulated by different bodies and trained differently. XIPHIAS provides immigration consulting and documentation support and is not a law firm.
- Do I need an RCIC to apply to Canada?
- No — you may apply yourself, free of charge. You need an RCIC, a Canadian lawyer or a Quebec notary only if you want someone to advise or represent you for a fee. Anyone else charging for that is acting unlawfully.
- Does using an RCIC speed up processing?
- It does not. Processing times are set by IRCC and are identical whether you apply alone or through a representative. What representation changes is the quality and completeness of what you file.