Every year, licensees (RCICs and RISIAs) must participate in an annual renewal process to meet their licensing obligations and pay their annual fees.
The Annual Renewal Form must be completed between June 1, 2023, 12:01 am ET and June 30, 2023, 11:59 pm ET.
How do I complete the annual renewal process?
1. Gather the appropriate information detailed below:
a) Contact information
b) Company/Employer/Designated Learning Institution and if applicable, employee information
c) Details on professional liability insurance
d) Client Account information, including institution and account details, or Client Account exemption
e) Planned or Unplanned Designate, including the designate's licence number if they are an authorized representative
f) CPD hours completed in past fiscal year (July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023)
g) Existing agent(s) confirmation
h) Criminal proceedings, conduct matters, or other incidents you have been involved in (or have been involved in over the past year)
i) Practice statistics
j) Provincial immigration consultant and lawyer registrations
Note: d), e), g), h) and j) do not apply to RISIAs
2. Using your desktop or laptop computer, clear your browser’s cookies, as they can cause the browser to autofill the fields incorrectly.
If you encounter any issues, please use the Google Chrome browser.
3. If it is your first time using SMApply
- In your email inbox, retrieve the June 1,2023 invite email (Invitation to join SMApply) sent from noreply@mail.smapply.net. Click on the “Join now” button to access the SMApply portal.
- Create a password and click “Create an account”.
- Click on the “Programs” button in the top red banner.
- Click on the “Annual Renewal 2022-2023” box.
- Click the “Apply” button to begin completing your Annual Renewal.
Note: Check your spam folder and search for the subject line “Invitation to join SMApply”. Make sure you are searching in the main contact email on file with the College. If you still cannot find the invite email, please contact registration@college-ic.ca.
3. If you have already used SMApply
- In your email inbox, retrieve the June 1,2023 invite email (Invitation to join SMApply) sent from noreply@mail.smapply.net. Click on the “Join now” button to access the SMApply portal.
- Enter your password.
- Click on the “Programs” button in the top red banner.
- Click on the “Annual Renewal 2022-2023” box.
- Click the “Apply” button to begin completing your Annual Renewal.
Note: If you cannot remember your password, click on the Forgot Your Password option on the login page.
4. Once you have clicked on the “Apply” button
- You will see a list of “tasks” to be completed, each collecting different information about you and your immigration practice. A sidebar on the left side of the screen will track your task progress.
- For each task, complete all relevant fields with current information. You may save your answers at any time by clicking on the “Save & Continue Editing” button.
- When you have finalized your responses for a task, select the “Mark as Complete” button at the bottom of the page. You will not be able to submit your Annual Renewal until all tasks have been marked as complete.
- Once all tasks are complete, the “Review” and “Submit” buttons on the sidebar will become usable. “Review” will allow you to review the information that you have entered. Your Annual Renewal will not be submitted to the College until you have clicked the “Submit” button.
- Submitted Annual Renewals will generate an auto-receipt email for the submission. Please check your spam and promotions folders if you do not receive it before contacting the College.
If you do not complete the Annual Renewal Form by the deadline you will be assessed a late fee and may receive a notice of suspension for non-compliance.
5. Pay your annual fees invoice
- At the beginning of July, you will receive an email with your annual fees invoice which will be payable according to the instructions provided and through the usual FreshBooks platform. Failure to pay by the invoice deadline will result in additional penalties and suspension of licence to practise.
Planning not to renew? VERY IMPORTANT
RCICs and RISIAs who are planning not to renew their licence must contact the Registration Team to apply for resignation at registrar@college-ic.ca.
FAQs
Who must complete the annual renewal?
All licensees except those on a medical leave of absence, a retirement leave of absence, or whose status is listed as “resigned”.
Why do licensees need to complete the Annual Renewal Form?
Licensees must complete the form so the College has accurate information to keep the public register up to date and to verify the compliance of licensees. Maintaining an up-to-date public register is a requirement of the College Act.
Due to present database limitations, there is no way for licensees to update their information directly into their profile. By completing the form, College staff will be able to verify the information and make any changes through the back end of the portal. The College is in the process of implementing a new enterprise management system that will streamline the annual renewal process.
What should I do if I logged in but I cannot see the “Annual Renewal 2022-2023” box OR I get an error message when I click on “Apply” for the Annual Renewal program?
You might be using an account that is not verified. Each licensee has an account in SMApply that is associated with their main contact email on file with the College.
Are you sure the email address you used is the main one on file with the College? If there is another email address that you have on file with the College, use this
password reset site to recover the account. If you are unable to recover your verified account, contact
registration@college-ic.ca.
How do I update my business or employment history?
To submit a new business name for review under the Business and Business Name Registration Regulation, licensees must complete the Business Name Selection Form and submit it to registration@college-ic.ca.
To update employment history, licensees must submit a letter of employment to registration@college-ic.ca. The letter of employment must be currently dated on company letterhead and signed by your immediate supervisor or the company’s HR personnel. It should include your name, date of hire, job title, and a summary of your job duties and responsibilities that indicate the position is sufficiently immigration-related.
Business name reviews are separate from Annual Renewal and will follow the standard processing for these reviews.
How do I provide information about new Agents?
What does the College do with the information provided by licensees?
The College will select documentation submitted by licensees for audit on a random or risk-based basis from time to time in accordance with policies approved by the Board.
Aggregate statistics on practice will be shared with IRCC and IRB.
What if compliance issues are identified?
Licensees will be notified of compliance issues identified through the Annual Renewal process. Any such issues must be corrected to the satisfaction of the Registrar within 30 calendar days of the date of the notice.
What happens if a licensee does not correct identified compliance issues?
A licensee is required to submit all missing or requested documentation within 30 calendar days of the date of the request.
Failure to:
- submit required documentation at any stage of the process
- comply with the findings, including but not limited to, completing remedial education and/or resubmitting selected documentation for reassessment within the prescribed deadlines or
- undertake a financial inspection directed by the College within the prescribed deadlines
will result in suspension, and potentially revocation of licence, in accordance with the By-law.
What is the penalty for submitting the Annual Renewal Form late?
Late submissions will be subject to a $100 fine.
What happens if a licensee is not compliant and/or does not submit their Annual Renewal Form?
A licensee may face suspension of licence.