Hussen defends new measures aimed at cracking down on immigration consultants
OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen is defending new measures aimed at cracking down on unscrupulous immigration consultants, rejecting an all-party committee’s call that they be brought under government regulation.
He says he believes a new regulatory body that will oversee consultants should be self-regulated.
But Hussen is getting pointed questions from MPs on the House of Commons immigration committee on a proposal to create a new college of immigration and citizenship consultants — one of several changes to immigration law tucked into an omnibus budget bill last month.
The proposed college doesn’t follow the recommendation of the committee, which studied the issue in 2017 after a flood of concerns from newcomers about falling prey to unscrupulous immigration consultants who victimize vulnerable immigrants by charging exorbitant fees for fraudulent services.