Before you pay anyone
How to check an immigration consultant is actually licensed
India does not license immigration consultants. Anyone can print a brochure. The only check that means anything is against the regulator of the country you are moving to — and every one of those registers is public, free, and takes about ten seconds.
Here is how to read each one, what the warning signs look like, and our own licences at the bottom so you can practise on us.
The three registers that matter
Canada
College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC)
Called ICCRC until 23 November 2021. Same regulator, new name — a consultant advertising an “ICCRC licence” is not necessarily out of date, but the number must still appear on the CICC register today.
Search by the person's name or the R-number. The register shows their class (RCIC or RISIA), their status, and — critically — whether they are Entitled to Practise. Anything other than that word means they cannot represent you right now.
Number format: R followed by six digits, e.g. R516194.
Open the official registerAustralia
Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA)
Search the Register of Migration Agents by name or MARN. It shows whether registration is current, and any conditions or past disciplinary decisions against the agent.
Number format: Seven digits, e.g. 1680615. The first two digits are the year of first registration.
Open the official registerUnited Kingdom
Immigration Advice Authority (formerly OISC)
Renamed from the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner in 2024.
Advisers are regulated at Level 1, 2 or 3. Level 1 cannot handle appeals. Check the level covers what you are hiring them for, not just that they appear.
Number format: A reference number in the form 'F' + year + digits.
Open the official registerSix things that should stop you
None of these is proof of fraud on its own. Two of them together is a reason to walk.
No licence number anywhere on the website
A regulated consultant is required to display it. Absence is not an oversight — an unregulated agent cannot display what they do not hold.
“We have a tie-up with a licensed consultant”
Ask for the number and check whose name it sits under. A genuine arrangement appears on the register with the firm listed against it.
A guaranteed visa, or a promised score
Nobody can guarantee a government decision. In Canada it is a breach of the CICC Code of Professional Conduct to imply one, and it is the most reliable single sign that you are being sold to rather than advised.
Pressure to pay today for a draw that closes tomorrow
Express Entry draws run continuously. A closing date that only exists inside a sales call is not a closing date.
Payment into a personal account, or in cash
A firm that will not invoice through a company account is a firm you cannot recover money from.
They fill your forms but will not be named on them
If a consultant is paid to represent you, they must be declared to the department. “Ghost consulting” is illegal in Canada and Australia, and if it surfaces your application is the one that suffers.
Now check us
Your Canadian file is handled under a live CICC licence
Licence R516194, which you can check on the College’s public register in about ten seconds using the link above. Most consultancies operating in India cannot show you one at all — which is the whole reason this page exists.
CICC · Canada
RCIC R516194
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, Class L2. Status on the public register: entitled to practise.
Held by: Lijun Wang — listed against XIPHIAS Immigration Pvt Ltd (India) and XIPHIAS Immigration DMCC
Confirmed on the register 2026-09-13
OMARA · Australia
MARA 1680615
Registered to provide Australian immigration assistance.
Held by: Registered migration agent acting for XIPHIAS Immigration
Confirmed on the register 2026-09-13
IMC · Global
Fellow IMC
Fellow and certified member of the industry body for residence and citizenship by investment.
Held by: Varun Singh, Managing Director
Confirmed on the register 2026-09-13
XIPHIAS provides immigration consulting and documentation support. It is not a law firm, and nothing on this page is legal advice. Registered in India, CIN U74900KA2015PTC078396, operating since 2009 from Koramangala, Bengaluru.
Common questions
How do I check if an immigration consultant is genuine in India?
India has no licensing body for immigration consultants, which is exactly why the question is hard here. The check that works is to verify them against the regulator of the destination country instead: the CICC register for Canada, OMARA for Australia, the Immigration Advice Authority for the UK. If a consultant is charging you for Canadian advice and nobody on their team appears on the CICC register, nobody on that file is accountable to a regulator.
Is ICCRC the same as CICC?
Yes. The Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council became the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants on 23 November 2021. Licence numbers carried over unchanged. A consultant using the old name is not automatically a problem, but the number must be live on the CICC register today.
What does 'Entitled to Practise' mean on the CICC register?
It is the only status that means the consultant may represent you right now. A licence can appear on the register while suspended, lapsed, or restricted. Read the status line, not just the presence of a name.
Can an Indian immigration consultant legally handle a Canadian application?
They can help you prepare documents. They cannot represent you to IRCC for a fee unless they are a licensed RCIC, a Canadian lawyer, or a Quebec notary — wherever in the world they are sitting. If someone is paid to advise on your Canadian file, ask who the licensed representative is and check that name.
What if my consultant is not registered anywhere?
It is not automatically illegal to give general information. It is a problem when they take a fee to represent you, complete forms in your name, or advise on how to answer. If money has already changed hands, keep every receipt and message, and get a second opinion from a licensed representative before anything is filed.
Register details on this page were confirmed on 13 September 2026. Regulators update their registers continuously — always check the live register rather than relying on any third-party summary, including this one.