Start with the only check that cannot be faked
1/8
Ask for the CICC license number and verify it live on the CICC Public Register. Name, company and entitlement to practise must all match the person in front of you. This single check eliminates most of the market, because most of the market is unlicensed. Everything below assumes the consultant passed it; if they did not, stop here.
Choosing a consultant is not about who has the loudest advertising. It is about who is legally allowed to represent you and professionally accountable when it matters.
Questions that expose marketing fluff
2/8
- Who exactly will handle my file, and are they licensed? The salesperson is rarely the file handler. Get the name.
- How many cases like mine did you file last year? Volume in your specific category beats years in business.
- What are the most common refusal reasons you see, and how do you avoid them? A real practitioner answers from experience, not brochures.
- What happens to my fee if the application is refused? Get the refund and refile policy in writing.
- Will you tell me if my case is too weak to file? The honest answer is yes, with an explanation of what would make it fileable.
- Can I speak to past clients? References beat testimonials on a website.
Red flags we see every intake season
3/8
Guaranteed approvals. Nobody can guarantee an IRCC decision, and the CICC forbids licensees from implying otherwise, so a guarantee is either a lie or proof of no license. Pressure tactics: discounts expiring today, seats running out, files that must be filed this week. Fabricated documents: any suggestion to fake bank statements, employment letters or funds is a criminal matter, not a shortcut. Cash-only payments with no receipt and no written agreement. And the quietest red flag: a consultant who never discusses refusal risks is either inexperienced or hiding them.
What good counsel actually sells
4/8
Good counsel sells judgment, not paperwork. Forms can be downloaded; knowing which evidence answers the officer's doubts, how to structure a funds narrative, when a case should wait three months, and how to respond to a procedural fairness letter cannot. You are paying for someone who has seen your situation dozens of times and knows where it breaks.
Expect a written plan, a fixed fee, realistic timelines drawn from recent cases, and candour about weaknesses. If the consultation feels like a sales pitch, it is one.
Fee structures: what is normal
5/8
Reputable practices quote fixed fees per application type, in writing, before work begins, with a clear schedule of what is included and what triggers extra charges (refile after refusal, appeals, additional family members). Be wary of fees far below market: the saving usually comes out of the preparation, which is the part that decides the outcome.
Never pay the full fee in undocumented cash. Bank transfers or documented payments protect both sides.
How Migracon runs files
6/8
Free assessment first, and we decline weak cases with an explanation. Written plan and fixed fee before work starts. Checklists built per client, funds narratives per family, SOPs from your real story. Licensed review of every file before submission, under CICC R417543. Filing, biometrics coordination and follow-up through to decision.
Run the questions above on us. We welcome them, because we built the practice to survive them.
Online-only consultants: extra checks
7/8
Many legitimate practices work substantially online, including ours for clients outside Islamabad. The checks do not change, but their importance rises: verify the license on the register, confirm a real business address exists, insist on video calls rather than text-only contact, and require written agreements before paying. A consultant who exists only as a social media account and a mobile number has given you no way to find them if things go wrong.
After you choose: getting the most from your consultant
8/8
Once engaged, your job is responsiveness and honesty. Provide documents quickly and completely, disclose everything including prior refusals and complications, and never sign anything you have not read. A consultant can only build from what you share; hidden facts surface at the worst possible moment, usually in an officer's fairness letter.
Keep copies of everything filed in your name. It is your application and your history, and you will need the record for every future interaction with IRCC.