An RCIC consultation agreement is the written agreement section 23 of the CICC Code requires before an initial consultation with a potential client. It must include your name, registration number and contact details, the client’s contact details, the fee or a pro bono statement, a brief description of the College’s role as your regulator, and the purpose and scope of the consultation. Keep a signed copy and give one to the client.
- Sign a written consultation agreement before the initial consultation, not during or after it.
- Include five items: your details and registration number, the client’s details, the fee or pro bono statement, the College’s role, and the consultation’s purpose and scope.
- Free consultations need an agreement too, stating that the consultation is pro bono.
- Keep a signed copy and give the client a copy.
- A written service agreement is still needed before any further services.
The first paid conversation with a prospect is often booked in a hurry: an ad, a WhatsApp chat, a slot on the calendar. Under the CICC Code, an RCIC consultation agreement has to be in place before that meeting starts. This guide explains what the rule says and how to build it into intake so it happens every time.
The rules quoted come from the Code of Professional Conduct for College Licensees (SOR/2022-128) on Justice Laws, checked 4 November 2026.
When is a consultation agreement required?
Section 23(1) says that before a licensee has an initial consultation with a potential client about immigration or citizenship consulting services, the licensee must enter into a written consultation agreement with that potential client. The agreement comes first, then the consultation.
The service agreement is the next step. Under section 24(1), a written service agreement is needed before any services are provided or, if there was an initial consultation, before any additional services are provided.
What must an RCIC consultation agreement include?
Section 23(2) lists five items:
| Required item | Code | Practical tip |
|---|---|---|
| Your name, registration number, address, telephone number and email address | s. 23(2)(a) | Merge it from one firm profile so it is never out of date |
| The potential client’s name and contact information, including address, telephone number and email address, if any | s. 23(2)(b) | Use the details the client verified at intake |
| The fee for the consultation, or a statement that it is provided pro bono | s. 23(2)(c) | Free consultations still need the agreement, with the pro bono statement |
| A brief description of the College’s role as your regulator | s. 23(2)(d) | Keep one approved paragraph in the template |
| The purpose and scope of the consultation | s. 23(2)(e) | Name the service and what the meeting will and will not cover |
Section 23(3) adds that you must keep a copy of the signed consultation agreement for your records and give a copy to the client.
How is it different from the service agreement?
| Consultation agreement (s. 23) | Service agreement (s. 24) | |
|---|---|---|
| When | Before the initial consultation | Before any services, or any additional services after a consultation |
| Covers | One consultation: fee, purpose and scope | The whole engagement: itemized services, fees, disbursements, refunds, confidentiality, complaints and more |
| Before signing | No extra steps listed | Confirm identity details, give a draft, check for another representative (s. 24(2)) |
| Copies | Keep a signed copy; give one to the client | Same, and amendments must be agreed in writing (s. 24(4)–(5)) |
Any preliminary advice you give in the consultation is summarized later in the service agreement (s. 24(3)(c)). For how to run the service agreement stage, see manage retainer agreements.
How to fit the consultation agreement into intake
- Verify contact details at enquiry. Collect name, email and phone through your intake form so the agreement uses checked details. See the immigration client intake process.
- Book the slot. Confirm the date, time and fee when the client books.
- Send the agreement with the confirmation. Ask for it to be signed and returned before the meeting.
- Check before you start. At the start of the consultation, confirm a signed agreement is on file. If not, reschedule or have it signed first.
- File it. Keep the signed copy with the lead or client record and send the client their copy.
Related reading: RCIC confidentiality and file-keeping duties, the IMM 5476 Use of a Representative form, and the RCIC advertising rules for the ads that bring these consultations in.
General information about running an immigration practice — not legal advice. Rules change; confirm current requirements with official sources and your regulator.