About your paralegal's office practices 

• How will you keep in touch with me?
• Can someone else in your office give me information about my case?

 About fees 

• What is your hourly rate? How much will your services cost?
• Will I have to pay for anything else?
• What could change how much your services will cost?
• How much is your retainer? (the amount to pay before a lawyer or paralegal starts work on a case)
• Can I pay with a credit card? on a monthly basis?
• Is there anything I can do to keep costs down?

About your case 

• How long will my case take?
• What will you do next? When will I hear from you next?
• What should I do next? Is there anything I should not do?
• Are my expectations realistic?

This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC  staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to  stakeholders.

Individuals who provide citizenship or immigration advice  and who do not charge a fee or receive any form of compensation, whether  directly or indirectly, for their services do not need to be members of  a recognized regulatory body to act as a representative or provide  advice/guidance.

Family, friends, international organizations  [e.g., United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, religious  organizations and Non-government Organizations (NGOs)] play an important  role for applicants who need support and advice. Family, friends,  religious, and other NGOs who do not charge fees or  receive consideration for providing citizenship or immigration advice or  services can advise and represent applicants before Immigration,  Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or the Canada Border Services  Agency (CBSA) without being members of the former Immigration Consultants of  Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC), a Canadian provincial/territorial law  society or the Chambre des notaires du Québec at any stage of an application.

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Advocacy, Lobbying, Journalism and Education  and non-Legal Services/Information    

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 International and other organizations  Certain international organizations, such as the  International Organization for Migration (IOM), provide a variety of  services to clients. If the organization is providing services in  accordance with an agreement or arrangement with the Government of  Canada (see Entities under agreement with the Government of Canada),  or if no consideration is being provided for the provision of  immigration or citizenship advice or representation, then they are not  in contravention of A91 (1) of Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and subsection 21.1(1) of the Citizenship Act

Advocacy, Lobbying, Journalism and Education and Legal Services.

What is the difference between legal advice and legal information?

While legal advice is specific, direct, and proposes a course of action, legal information, on the other hand, is factual, generic, and does not address any one particular cause of action

Pro bono work  IRCC and the CBSA should not discourage pro bono work by authorized representatives (including students-at-law under a lawyer’s supervision). Pro bono activity by lawyers, notaries and ICCRC members is often encouraged by their governing bodies. If representatives who are providing pro bono services are members of a Canadian provincial/territorial law society, the Chambre des notaires du Québec or the ICCRC, their respective governing bodies continue to be  responsible for their conduct despite the fact that they are not  receiving consideration for their services. However, IRCC officers should be mindful of unauthorized representatives who identify themselves as uncompensated on the Use of a Representative (IMM 5476) form and who submit a significant number of applications as pro bono. Note: If an officer has concerns about submissions from unauthorized representatives and whether or not they are truly pro bono submissions, they should refer to Handling complaints about unauthorized representatives for details on investigation procedures.