Celebrating 10 Years of Training Immigration Consultants

Back in 2007, Ashton College established its Immigration Consultant Diploma Program and became one of the leading providers of immigration consultant courses and other support courses related to the field. It’s an occupation that is growing in leaps and bounds and it’s no wonder that Ashton’s line up of online, in-class and live Immigration Consultant Courses – accredited by Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) – are so popular. With 10 years’ experience and growing, graduates of Ashton are making a huge difference in the lives of those wishing to establish themselves in Canada or other countries.

Canada is often referred to as the land of immigrants

In fact, if a long-term Canadian were to trace their roots, the vast majority have immigration in their lineage, whether it’s one, two or six generations back. While those who have been in Canada for generations are no longer considered to be immigrants, it was opportunity that led those pioneers to Canada and opportunity within the country – and other countries continues to drive immigration.

It is estimated that by the year 2036 one in two Canadians will be a new immigrant or a child of a new immigrant. This blends beautifully with a country that has been established primarily by immigrants that have called Canada their home, encouraged their future generations to do the same and welcome others to look to coming to Canada by working with a licensed and certified immigration consultant (Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants – RCIC) using the government of Canada’s standards.

Ten years ago, in 2007, when Ashton established its Immigration Consultant Course, it was in direct response to seeing a need for skilled immigrants to drive the country forward. This need pushed the immigration consulting field into new territory and growth. Those wondering how to be an immigration consultant in Canada turned to Ashton for their education because the program was built from the ground up by highly-established, experienced and trusted certified immigration consultants.

Those consultants brought their vast range of experiences to the college in order to establish a range of courses in the immigration field to benefit individuals looking to come to Canada, their families and businesses looking for skilled labour. It was essential that the Immigration Consultant Diploma course be accredited by the ICCRC and that it not only educate students in the areas of immigration law and policy, but also established high-calibre professionals the industry could be proud of.

Now, ten years later, Ashton College’s Immigration Consultant courses are offered in a variety of formats to suit the lifestyle needs of today’s student. Online, in-person and even live online courses ensure students have access to resources they need to achieve both in the programs as well as obtaining hours necessary to meet continuing professional development standards once they have graduated.

In the mid-2000s, when Ashton established the Immigration Consultant Program, many Canadian businesses recognized the need to grow the domestic workforce through immigration and that trend continues. Both society and the Canadian economy benefit from a diverse workforce made up of both domestic and immigrant workers. These potential employees bring talent, skills, international experience, a global perspective and innate knowledge of countries where they have lived and worked. These are traits that cannot be taught, but must be lived, and only immigrants have done so.

When it comes to the experiences of immigrants, this includes more than just immigrants to Canada. With some of Ashton College’s Certified Immigration Consultants moving to other regions, as well as attending classes online from other countries, graduates are helping people from all over the globe achieve their dreams of setting up a life, working, reuniting with family and more. Some of the most sought-after licensed immigration consultants have gone through the diploma program from Ashton. In the first year alone, more than 200 individuals graduated from the course.

As a leader in the Immigration Consultant training field, Ashton College takes its role seriously in preparing the immigration talent of tomorrow for the unique challenges inherent in the industry. This means helping students and prospective students understand the process they must go through to become a regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant: obtaining ICCRC-accreted education, providing proof of Canadian citizenship, permanent resident status or First Nations status, completion of an accredited English or French language proficiency test like the CELPIP or IELTS (the same test those wishing to immigrate to Canada must complete), completing declarations and clearances in applying to write the ICCRC exam and finally passing the ICCRC full skills exam (FSE).

Once graduated, students of the Immigration Consultant Course will be confident in their abilities to assess, advise and represent individuals in the immigration process. The extensive education program ensures graduates understand the requirements for prospective immigrant documentation submissions, interaction with applicants, communicating with the Canadian government on applicants’ behalves and liaising with companies looking to hire immigrants.

Additionally, graduates will have extensive knowledge in how the principles of immigration in Canada work from reviewing past and present information sources such as law, acts and trade agreements. This will allow them to consider applicants from a legal standpoint as well as knowing how the various types of citizenship, temporary residency and refugee statuses apply to individuals.

When Ashton College established the Immigration Consultant programs, it was understood that to provide the advanced level of knowledge the school expected, courses would need to be extensive and robust. In addition to the Immigration Consultant program, Ashton also delivers an Immigration Legal Assistant Program to train those providing administrative and other back-up resources to licenced immigration consultants and lawyers. The school also offers an ICCRC Full Skills Exam (FSE) Prep Course to ensure those considering taking the exam to become certified are set up for success and passing the exam. Once a graduate is licenced, Ashton also offers a Continuing Professional Development (CPD): Current Trends & Future Development Course to ensure certified professionals stay abreast of their education requirements while also being aware of the changing landscape of the immigration consulting environment.

Certainly, becoming an immigration consultant in Canada is hard work, but the ability to help others achieve their dreams in coming to the land of immigrants is often fulfillment enough for those who put in the effort to achieve their own dreams of providing immigration consultant services.