BURLINGTON, Ontario, Dec. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) is pleased to announce that Université de Montréal has been designated as the sole accredited French language provider of the new graduate diploma program. As previously announced, Queen’s University is the accredited English provider. Since August 1, 2020, the graduate diploma program is the only pathway for individuals who want to become Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs).
“ICCRC is pleased that the Université de Montréal will be joining alongside Queen’s University in offering the Graduate Diploma,” said Stanislav Belevici, RCIC, Chair of the ICCRC Board of Directors. “This is an important turning point in ICCRC’s education requirements for new RCICs.”
The French graduate diploma program, the D.E.S.S. en réglementation canadienne et québécoise de l’immigration, will be offered by the Faculté de droit and the Faculté de l’éducation permanente and is set to launch in the fall of 2021. Queen’s Graduate Diploma in Immigration and Citizenship Law (GDipICL), offered by the Faculty of Law, will launch in January 2021. Both competency-based programs will be delivered primarily online and include an optional blended format.
As a result of the launch of the new Graduate Diploma Program, Immigration Practitioners Programs (IPPs) are being phased out. Students enrolled in an IPP will have to graduate by December 31, 2022, at which time IPP accredited educational institutions will stop offering the program.
Students will nevertheless be permitted to sit the EPE up to three years after graduating from an IPP. However, upon graduation of the first cohort of students from the Graduate Diploma Program, the EPE will be updated to reflect the new Essential Competencies for RCICs. February 2022 will be the last administration of the current EPE and the launch of the new upgraded exam.
“Enhancing education requirements is a key priority of ICCRC as we transition to the College,” said John Murray, President & CEO of ICCRC. “The new Graduate Diploma sets a higher standard of professional obligations and will enhance the service that RCICs provide and the public’s trust in the profession.”
The transition to the Graduate Diploma is part of ICCRC’s focus on enhancing educational standards of current and prospective RCICs to continue building a credible and reputable immigration and citizenship consulting profession. ICCRC looks forward to working closely with Université de Montréal and Queen’s University in accomplishing this goal.
For further information, please contact:
Christopher May
Director of Public Affairs & Communications
Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC)
T: 1-877-836-7543| E: cmay@iccrc-crcic.ca
About ICCRC
ICCRC is the national self-regulatory body that promotes and protects the public interest by overseeing regulated immigration and citizenship consultants and international student advisors.
ICCRC’s federal mandate stems from the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and the Citizenship Act which require anyone providing Canadian immigration or citizenship advice or representation for a fee or other consideration to be a member in good standing of ICCRC, a Canadian law society or the Chambre des notaires du Québec.
Individuals providing Canadian immigration/citizenship services abroad are subject to Canadian law even if they reside outside of Canada.
SOURCE Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC)