Terms of Service

Please read these Terms of Service (“Terms”) carefully before using joinmaplepath.com (“the Platform”) operated by MaplePath (“we”, “us”, “our”). By accessing or using the Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms form a legally binding agreement between you and MaplePath. We may update them at any time. We will give you at least 14 days’ notice of material changes via email. Continued use after the notice period constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

2. Eligibility

• You must be at least 16 years old to use the Platform.
• By using the Platform, you represent that you have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract.
• If you are using the Platform on behalf of an organisation, you represent that you have authority to bind that organisation to these Terms.

3. Account Registration

• You may need to create an account to access some features.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.
• You must provide accurate and complete information when registering and keep it up to date.
• You must not create accounts for others, impersonate anyone, or use a name that is misleading or offensive.

4. User-Generated Content

Ownership

You retain ownership of any content you submit to the Platform (“User Content”), including questions, answers, comments, and experience reports.

Licence to MaplePath

By submitting User Content, you grant MaplePath a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, perpetual licence to use, reproduce, display, distribute, translate, and create derivative works of your User Content, solely for the purpose of operating and improving the Platform. This licence continues even if you later delete your account, but only for content that has been shared with other users or indexed by search engines.

Your representations

By submitting User Content, you represent and warrant that:

• you own or have the necessary rights to submit the content;
• the content does not infringe any third party’s intellectual property, privacy, or other rights;
• the content is accurate to the best of your knowledge; and
• the content complies with these Terms and all applicable laws.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use the Platform to:

• post false, misleading, or fraudulent information, including fabricated immigration outcomes or advice;
• impersonate any person or organisation, including licensed RCICs, lawyers, or IRCC officials;
• provide paid immigration advice unless you are a verified, licensed RCIC or immigration lawyer — this is regulated under the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act;
• harass, threaten, or abuse other users based on any protected characteristic;
• spam, advertise unsolicited products or services, or send bulk messages;
• attempt to scrape, crawl, or automatically harvest data from the Platform without written permission;
• upload malware, interfere with the Platform’s operation, or attempt to gain unauthorised access to any system or account;
• post content that is illegal under applicable Canadian law;
• violate any person’s privacy, including by posting others’ personal information.

We reserve the right to remove any content that violates these rules and to suspend or terminate accounts responsible.

6. Expert Services

Facilitation only

MaplePath facilitates connections between users and verified immigration professionals (“Experts”). We are not a party to any consultation agreement between you and an Expert.

Expert verification

Experts are verified against publicly available CICC and law-society registers before being granted Expert status. Verification status may change. MaplePath makes no guarantee that an Expert’s licence is currently valid — always verify independently at college-ic.ca.

Not our advice

MaplePath is not responsible for the accuracy, quality, or outcome of any advice provided by Experts. Any consultation is directly between you and the Expert.

7. Important Disclaimer — Not Legal or Immigration Advice

MaplePath provides general information about Canadian immigration processes. Nothing on the Platform — including guides, tools, Q&A answers, community posts, or calculator results — constitutes legal advice or immigration advice. Immigration rules change frequently. Your individual circumstances matter. Always consult a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) registered with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants or a qualified Canadian immigration lawyer before making decisions about your immigration status.

8. Intellectual Property

• The MaplePath name, logo, brand elements, proprietary platform code, and original editorial content are owned by MaplePath and protected by copyright and trademark law.
• You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works of our proprietary content without written permission.
• If you believe that content on the Platform infringes your copyright, please send a notice to legal@joinmaplepath.com with the information required under the Copyright Modernization Act (Notice-and-Notice regime).

9. Third-Party Links and Services

The Platform may link to third-party websites or services. MaplePath does not control and is not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or accuracy of any third-party sites. Links are provided for convenience only and do not constitute endorsement.

10. Termination

• You may close your account at any time by using the account settings or by emailing privacy@joinmaplepath.com.
• We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, for violation of these Terms or for any other lawful reason.
• Upon termination, your right to use the Platform ceases immediately. Sections that by their nature survive termination (including Sections 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, and 13) shall continue to apply.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, MAPLEPATH DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES.

12. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, MAPLEPATH AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND CONTRACTORS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM.

IN NO EVENT WILL MAPLEPATH’S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) CAD $100 OR (B) THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE PAID TO MAPLEPATH IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES; THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

1. These Terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict-of-law provisions.
2. Before initiating any formal dispute, you agree to contact us at legal@joinmaplepath.com and attempt to resolve the matter informally within 30 days.
3. If the matter is not resolved informally, any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the Platform shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Ontario, Canada. [TODO — review with lawyer; consider arbitration clause for disputes above a certain threshold.]

14. General

• Entire agreement: These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and MaplePath regarding the Platform.
• Severability: If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force.
• No waiver: Failure to enforce any provision does not constitute a waiver of our right to enforce it in the future.
• Contact: legal@joinmaplepath.com