New fines for fake immigration and citizenship advisers (October 2026)
From October 28, 2026, immigration and citizenship advisers who break the rules face fines of up to $1.5 million. What it means for citizenship applicants.
On October 28, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced new penalties for people who break the rules when they give paid immigration or citizenship advice. They apply from that day to licensed immigration consultants, lawyers and other authorized representatives, and to anyone who gives paid advice without being authorized.
If you are applying for citizenship, this matters because you may be offered paid help with your application or your test. Only authorized representatives, such as licensed immigration consultants and lawyers, may charge you for that help.
Key points
- $5,000 for giving paid advice or representation without authorization.
- $15,000 for knowingly giving false or misleading information for an applicant, or helping an applicant do it.
- Higher penalties for repeat violations, up to $1.5 million in total.
- IRCC will publish the names of penalized representatives. The public list is expected in 2027.
- The final regulations are to be published in the Canada Gazette, Part II, on November 4, 2026.
What it means for you
Before you pay anyone for help, check that they are authorized. You do not need a paid representative to take the citizenship test: IRCC sends you the invitation, and Discover Canada, the official study guide, is free.
Official source
How we wrote this: MapleQuiz wrote this summary with the help of AI from the official IRCC announcement, and compared each fact with it on October 30, 2026. This is not legal advice. If anything differs, the IRCC page is correct.