The Federal Society for Immigration Practitioners
Oceanic building
Suit 2000-1066-West Hastings, Street
Vancovuer, BC, V6E 3X2, Canada

Tel:604-601-8264
Fax: 604-582-4898

Email: salloum@cipn.net January 24, 2006
New Democratic Party
Mr. Bill Siksay
Rear - 3847 Hastings Street,Burnaby, B.C., V5C 2H7 Tel.: (604) 299-8767.
Dear Mr. Siksay
On behalf of FSIP the Federal Society for Immigration Practitioners and its associate CSIP the Canadian Society of Immigration Practitioners and its 4300 members, I congratulate you and the NDP party for a well-fought and victorious electoral campaign. The recent gains made by the NDP indicate a growing public acceptance and awareness of The NDP and its platform. We are all-proud of you and look forward to working with you on solving the issues and concerns expressed by CSIP regarding the abuse and corruption prevalent at CSIC. We have to move swiftly on this front as continued CSIC regulatory authority places the entire immigration industry at risk.
CSIP and its 4300 members are the largest immigration representative organization in Canada. Based on its large and diversified membership base it is well suited to facing the challenges of serving as the primary regulator of this industry and its practitioners including public notaries.
The Canadian Society of Immigration Practitioners CSIP is a non-for profit organization representing over 4300 members dedicated to protecting the interests and livelihood of all Immigration stakeholders in Canada and abroad. It represents Immigration Consultants and other individuals and organizations primarily concerned with, and employed in the field of immigration and citizenship. To often this industry’s name has been marred by unsubstantiated allegations and petty insinuations leading to an unfair characterization of the industry as a whole. Our task is to work for a self-regulatory regime, which can allow immigration practitioners to practice their profession in an ethical and self-regulatory environment with minimal government interference.
We are opposed in principle to the Federal government’s efforts to regulate our industry as reflected by the creation of CSIC, Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants based in Toronto and its subsequent descent into financial misappropriations, bitter infighting and venal corruption. The immigration profession has suffered greatly on account of these improprieties. Rather we feel that it is The Federal Society and CSIP that is more representative of the immigration profession and more qualified to take on the task of setting regulatory guidelines and professional standards for the industry as a whole. The Federal Society and CSIP recognize the difficult path ahead and the hard work required to resuscitate the Immigration Industry for the welfare of all consultants, practitioners and other stakeholders. We are however confident that with your unstinting support we will succeed in promoting and protecting the best interests of all professional and others dependent on this industry.
CSIP created a NEW ACT with its Regulations, your office assistance in proposing this act to the new Government on our behalf for their approval in order to ensure everyone complying with the regulations for the consumer protections.
I look forward to working with you as discussed with you on December 21, 2006 and seeking solutions to the many issues that we face today and specially prior to January 31, 2006 per our previous discussion.
Sincerely yours
N. Salloum
Nancy Salloum
CSIP Chair person




















The Federal Society of Immigration Practitioners exists to govern the Immigration profession of organizations and individuals in the public interest. The Federal Society for Immigration Practitioners Can Address the public complaints about a member (Provincial registered Societies and federal registered NPO Society’s { administration , Association, Organization, Corporations, Notaries and immigration Practitioners in Canada who are members and non members of any organization and who provide immigration advice for a fee / Pro bono services / Stakeholders, Associates / Ex Immigration officers / Foreign Lawyers / Foreign Immigration Agents / Paralegal / Immigration Clerk / Immigration Advisor / Immigration consultants / Immigration advisor / Immigration advocates / Immigration settlers / immigration counsellors / Refugee settlers advisors and or any organization regulate any members ins the immigration industry}.
by:
Assisting the public with concerns about our member’s service
Investigating complaints about a member's behaviour or conduct
Disciplining members who are found guilty of professional misconduct
The Society has outlined what a complainant may expect in the complaints process in the Protocol for Complainants
Compensate consumer for some financial losses resulting from any members dishonesty. You can apply to the Federal Society's members Fund for Client Compensation for reimbursement for money or property lost as a result of a members dishonesty.
Help you find a member.
The public can contact our Member Referral Service when you need help finding a member.
The Member Directory is particularly useful if you are looking for a specific practitioners or organizations.
Our Directory of Certified Specialists lists members who have been certified as an expert in certain areas of Immigration law.
Discipline decisions record details of recent discipline cases resulting from our complaints process.
The Federal Society of Immigration Practitioners Client Service Centre can help if the public are looking for information about a member's practising status or discipline history or if the public are looking for the location of a certain member's files - for example if the public are trying to locate an original will and the member who prepared it has retired.
Support Access to Justice the Federal Society of Immigration Practitioners supports a number of services, such as the Public Immigration law Education Task Force and Pro Bono services, that help to make sure the public is well served by the Immigration industry and the system of Canada. The Law Society Cannot
Investigate complaints about members' fees. The Federal Society of Immigration Practitioners cannot order our member to reduce the amount billed to the public (client) for services provided.If the public have a problem with your bill, there are two things the public ( Client ) can do: talk to their member, or contact lawyers as an arbitrator at their own expenses to file at the Assessment Office of the Superior Court of Justice to make an appointment to have the public ( client ) bill reviewed. See Your Members’s Bill - Too High? for more information.
Provide non- legal advice. Staff in The Federal Society of Immigration Practitioners Client Service Centre cannot provide legal advice, but can give the public information about our complaints process, and direct the public to other legal resources.
Order our member to compensate the client for losses resulting from negligent acts.All practising members, organization, associations, and Societies in Canada are required to have professional liability insurance. Members are insured by their own choice of insurance company... If the public believe that our member was negligent, the public may obtain the advice of a lawyer to pursue a claim for compensation if our arbitration was not satisfactory.

III The mandate of the Society is
The Federal Society of Immigration Practitioners, exists to govern and discipline all Societies, Associations, Organizations, Corporations, Notaries and Individuals ( Ex immigration officers, Consultants, Lawyers, Advocates, advisors, Paralegal, stake holders and any other recognized organization specified in the IRPA / IRPR section 13.(1) (2) ) who practice immigration in Canada in the public interest by: ensuring that the people of Canada and Foreign consumers are served by immigration practitioners , Societies, Organizations, associations who meet the standard of learning , competence and professional conduct; and upholding the independence , integrity and honour of the immigration profession; for the purpose of advancing the cause of justice and the rule of law .

The Objective of the Society ;
Objects of the FSIP Corporation are: the Society is an Umbrella Immigration Society is responsible for Regulating / Supervising / Discipline the members and their activities of other Societies and NPO Societies administration , Association, Organization, Corporations, Notaries and immigration Practitioners in Canada who are members and non members of any organization and who provide immigration advice for a fee / Pro bono services / Stakeholders, Associates / Ex Immigration officers / Foreign Lawyers / Foreign Immigration Agents / Paralegal / Immigration Clerk / Immigration Advisor / Immigration consultants / Immigration advisor / Immigration advocates / Immigration settlers / immigration counsellors / Refugee settlers advisors and or any organization regulate any members in the immigration industry.
The Society grants memberships to only those Societies and NPO Societies , Association, Organization, Corporations, Notaries and immigration Practitioners in Canada who are members and who provide immigration advice for a fee / Pro bono services / Stakeholders, Associates / Ex Immigration officers / Foreign Lawyers / Foreign Immigration Agents / Paralegal / Immigration Clerk / Immigration Advisor / Immigration consultants / Immigration advisor / Immigration advocates / Immigration settlers / immigration counsellors / Refugee settlers advisors, and any immigration practitioners who is employed or supervised under any lawyers or law firm in Canada or outside Canada owned by Permanent resident or Canadian Lawyer. And any Society, organization, Association who regulates immigration members.
All members who have demonstrated their knowledge and ability in administering any Society, Association, Organization deals with Immigration and or to advise , consult and represent / Regulate people / members who wish to seek Canadian immigration before the Authorities , Government agency, Embassies, Consulates, High Commissions, before tribunal, have passed the minimum standard of the Society's Knowledge and Ethics Test and have demonstrated their good character.
To ensure the competent and professional conduct of its members, the Society has also developed a strict code of conduct with its Rules of Professional Conduct by which all its members must abide and created by a NEW Society Immigration Act that is pending before the Senate and Federal Government Approval.
FSIP is an independent, not-for-profit organization / under Charity category with CCRA, the Society does not operate at arms length from the provincial or Federal Government or the 14 law societies of Canada. The affairs of the Society are managed by a Board consisting of a minimum of 5 Directors of the first panel under volunteering positions, 10 Immigration Practitioners of the second Panel under volunteering positions. 5 retired citizenship and immigration judges / 5 active lawyers of the third panel under volunteering position.