Did you know: When looking to immigrate to Canada you may choose to use an immigration lawyer or an immigration consultant? They are both legally authorized to represent clients during the immigration process but have different education backgrounds and regulation authorities.

Immigration lawyers, or attorneys, have much more legal experience than consultants. Immigration lawyers must attend law school and complete a three-year degree in order to become a lawyer. They are also required to complete the bar exam in order to become legally registered and many undergo an internship period with a law firm during, or after, their studies. Most law programs also require an undergraduate degree before attending law school, which means that lawyers generally have several years of post-secondary education.

Immigration lawyers are also able to attend immigration interviews with you, and can advocate for your application in a Canadian court of law in the rare case that your application is brought under judicial review. Canadim is a Canadian immigration law firm and our managing partner, Renaud Dery, is a Canadian immigration lawyer.

Conversely, immigration consultants are not lawyers. They do not attend law school and generally undergo a one-year certification in order to become registered.  It is also not required for immigration consultants to have completed an undergraduate degree to start their certification.