Nobody is entirely pure; there is dishonesty everywhere. You should know that flying to Canada involves a thorough process and certain unique restrictions. As a result, some individuals grow antagonistic and use incorrect paths to achieve objectives. Immigration fraud, however, is a broad term not limited to immigrants.

Immigration fraud is choosing illicit routes throughout the application procedure. It comes in a variety of forms. Occasionally, bogus immigration authorities may drain your bank account, take your personal information, and let you enter Canada without authorization. Your coworkers could be doing unlawful labour in other situations. Also, the most typical immigration scam to obtain a GREEN CARD is marriage fraud!

Immigration fraud criminals face severe penalties if they are discovered. Also, filing a report against someone suspicious is important to safeguard yourself from being a victim.

The details continue beyond this point. Let’s delve a little deeper!

Contents Show

What is Immigration Fraud?

The phrase “immigration fraud” seems all and can refer to suspected deceptive practices. It can entail intentionally falsifying immigration paperwork to enter the country, getting married for immigration-only purposes, or having someone else pose as you to gain immigration authority. 

Because it frequently includes several parties talking in various languages and perhaps in other countries, immigration fraud may be challenging.

Fraud Warning

Foreign people wishing to work, study, or settle permanently in Canada are being cautioned by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to be on the lookout for scam artists acting as immigration advisers.

Several of these con artists are remarkably skilled at pulling off their con games, and they can exploit many would-be immigrants.

Cash Transfer and Threats

The IRCC never issues threats, makes deals or requests that money is transferred into personal accounts. The IRCC guarantees that none of its personnel will:

  • Endanger anyone
  • Provide special deals to people who want to immigrate
  • Ask a foreign citizen to put cash into an individual bank account;
  • Request that a potential applicant move money thru a personal money transfer service
  • Consult potential candidates using free e-mail services like Hotmail, Gmail, or Yahoo Mail

Scam Artists Take Names, Cash, And Spread Malware Using Private Information

Scam artists utilize a variety of phone frauds and online hoaxes to get private data to conduct a fraudulent activity, fraud, stealing from the victim’s credit or banking account or attacking the computer or network with viruses.

In an established phone scam that targets international students in Canada, the scammers claim to be Canadian immigration authorities and call students in Calgary and Manitoba, asking for money.

The IRCC reminds visitors from other countries:

  • No one can promise them employment or a valid passport to Canada
  • Only immigration authorities working at the Canadian embassy staff, consulate general, and immigration officers can decide whether to grant a visa
  • Administrative fees are uniform across all Canadian immigration services provided in Canada and abroad
  • Fees in currency values are calculated using formal currency fluctuations and are equal to charges in Canadian dollars

What Is Considered Immigration Fraud in Canada?

Immigration fraud is making false statements on an IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) application. Whether you believe you are a scam victim or you have been accused of immigration fraud, you need to retain a criminal defence attorney right now. 

It can be of several types. We have discussed some below:

Immigration Marriage Fraud

An often claimed cause of immigration fraud is claimed marital fraud. Marriage fraud often entails obtaining a fictitious marriage to grant legal permanent resident (LPR) status to a non-citizen. 

Marriage fraud is treated severely by the IRCC, and any number of red signals may cause them to reject an application for an alien related application or a fiancé visa. Any party implicated in the deception may face criminal charges from government officials.

Fake or Incorrect Information

Immigration fraud involves providing fraudulent information or personal data in an application or during a meeting with an IRCC agent. This covers false statements made on documents, including credentials from:

  • Schools and degrees
  • Tickets
  • Passports
  • Visas
  • Police records

IRCC will reject your request if you provide fraudulent documentation or data and may also:

  • Prohibit you from crossing the border for a minimum of five years
  • Issue you a lifetime fraud conviction with IRCC
  • Revoke your identity as a permanent resident or Canadian citizen
  • Arrest you with a crime (which carries the possibility of jail time and/or penalties) 
  • Expulse you from the country

Identity Or Benefit Fraud

IRCC personnel focus heavily on benefit, identity, and document fraud since they can all be connected to immigration fraud. The creation, falsification, modification, sale, or usage of identification papers all fall under document fraud. 

This can be done to commit crimes, including check fraud, credit card fraud, identity theft, and insurance fraud.

Visa and Citizenship Scam

This kind of fraud occurs when you pose as a Canadian citizen and utilize your citizenship documents, live there unlawfully, work there for a longer period than is permitted while on a study visa, or prolong your stay without authorization.

The Misinterpretation of Counseling

Even immigration specialists are capable of deception. The Citizenship Act defines this kind of fraud as “counselling deception.”

This kind of fraud can place when an immigration specialist charges a payment for an application but fails to submit it, charges further costs while guaranteeing your acceptance, or falsifies someone’s papers or documentation.

The fraud committed by the immigration expert can take many different forms, but it typically involves a combination of the following:

  • The gathering of “additional” payments to ensure the success of the petition, which is fully up to the discretion of the Canadian Federal Government
  • Fabricating the individual’s paperwork
  • Providing the applicant with fraudulent documents
  • Urging the candidate to engage in a fictitious marriage or “marriage of convenience” 
  • Filing documents where the immigration sector is involved

If you learn that an investigation into immigration fraud is underway, you might want to speak with an immigration fraud defence lawyer before deciding whether to contact the police. 

Occasionally, police departments may try to use your data against you. Having a supporter at your side to ensure that your rights are upheld might be advantageous.

What Are The Indicators Of Immigration Fraud?

Sadly, immigration fraud in Canada happens often. It has become so prevalent that the Canadian government regularly releases advisories and has a full web page dedicated to fraud prevention. 

We are providing our top 3 signs that an employment or immigration offer could be too tempting to be true because this is a persistent problem. Consider the small sampling of probable fraud warning signs that follows:

Papers With An Unofficial Appearance And Improbable Assurances

The appearance of the documents you get is a clue that you could be a victim of fraud. Your employment offer should be written on business letterhead and appear official. This means that writing should appear consistent and utilize the same typeface, typically 11–14 points in size. 

Most of the letter should be written in black and white, with just the corporate logo and the headline and footer using color. The letter’s contents are also significant; if it makes implausible promises like “no tax” or “all costs reimbursed,” it is worthwhile to take another look to see whether the offer is genuine.

Furthermore, there are never any assurances about Immigration because it is the Canadian government that makes the ultimate judgments. So, if you are given a “guaranteed visa” that would be 100% effective, you should immediately see this as a warning sign, especially if a fee is required to achieve the assurance.

A Guaranteed Job Or A Travel Visa That Is Contingent Upon Payment

Fraudsters aim to profit financially. Making crucial milestones dependent on your payment before it can proceed is one of their most successful methods. You should pay in 3 days, or else you may forfeit the offer letter, or the immigration paperwork will no longer be legitimate. So, be careful!

Workers On Visa Applications Who Lack A License

Only licensed people in Canada are permitted to demand payment for legal immigration counsel. Check to see whether they have the appropriate licenses before hiring anyone to assist you with Canadian Immigration if they are costing you. 

Fortunately, verifying licensing is simple. If the individual claims to be an immigration counsellor, consultant, or professional, you should look up their identity online.

Check Out Canada Immigration Scams – How to Identify an Immigration Scam

How Do I Report Someone Who Lied To Immigration Canada?

Contact the Border Monitor Toll-Free Service of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) at 1-888-502-9060 to report:

  • Suspected border activities
  • Convenience marriages
  • Those who have lied on immigration applications
  • Individuals wanted on immigration warrants

Information provided to the tip line is kept private. You don’t have to be worried! Calls are not recorded, and your name is not required.

Offer every bit of information you can, like:

  • If the individual is a citizen of Canada or has claimed for nationality
  • Their name
  • Birth date
  • Location
  • Contact information
  • Employment records
  • Work schedule
  • Mode of transportation
  • Detailed description
  • Information about the circumstances like criminal activities, misrepresentation, and fraud

Reporting Online

You may file someone to Immigration online. To begin with, there are a few things you should consider. It’s crucial to confirm if the individual you’re reporting is indeed undocumented before doing anything else.

It’s wise to avoid taking chances if you’re not quite certain. Second, even though you can remain anonymous while reporting, be aware that any information you offer will be the subject of an inquiry by authorities. 

Therefore it’s preferable to take the route of caution and not report anything at all if you have any reservations concerning what you’re stating.

Lastly, keep in mind that while you may remain anonymous while reporting anything, the individual who was reported won’t be if authorities become involved. Hence, before making your choice, it’s crucial to consider any worries you may have for their security or approach. 

Overall, the conclusion is that you may report someone to Immigration anonymously online if you believe they are an illegal immigrant. Before moving forward, make sure to conduct your study and comprehend the potential repercussions of your decisions.

How Can I Respond to a Threat to Contact Immigration?

Here comes the crucial and sensitive part. See, if any of your colleagues is deceiving immigration officers, then you can also be his/her next target. So, it’s better to be aware and take preventive measures to be a victim. 

Here are some tips you may follow if anyone threatens you were reporting against him:

Stay Calm

The best course of action is to attempt to cool yourself down and stay out of a dispute if someone threats to notify Immigration about you. If the threat is real, you should call the police and report the occurrence. Nonetheless, it’s usually best to avoid them if they’re merely attempting to frighten or frighten you.

If anybody calls Immigration on you, you don’t need to be concerned if you are in the country lawfully. If immigration officials don’t have proof that you’re inside the country unlawfully, they are unlikely to proceed against you.

It is, therefore, improbable for anything to come of a false allegation against you, even though it might occur.

Fulfill Your Responsibilities

No doubt, there is always a chance that immigration authorities will look into every allegation they get, irrespective of its authenticity. It’s crucial to know your responsibilities and to be ready in case something occurs. If immigration officers visit your home or place of business, they must obtain a warrant that has been approved by a court to go inside.

Also, they need to have reason to think that there is an illegal immigrant on the property. Don’t panic, and don’t tell lies to immigration officials if they do get in touch with you. Be kind and helpful yet forceful while defending your rights.

Be Confident

Before responding to any questioning from police, you have the privilege of speaking to a lawyer and to stay silent. Once more, if you are caught, please state your name and request legal representation right away. 

Be cool, and don’t allow anybody to frighten you; even if they wrongly accuse you of being an immigrant or make bogus threats, they cannot harm you as long as you are lawfully present in the country.

FAQs

What Happens If You Lie To Immigration Canada?

Rejection of your application is the worst punishment for misrepresenting your immigration status. Additional sanctions include:

– A five-year entry ban.
– A loss of citizenship rights.
– A fraud charge with the IRCC.

These fines only apply if it is established that you were falsely represented. Therefore faults on your application shouldn’t get confused with this. A mistake might be as simple as failing to submit a necessary document or mistakenly swapping the birth month and birthdate. 

So, before making a judgment on your application, IRCC or CBSA will give you a Procedural Fairness Letter (PFL) if they think your application may be regarded to be inaccurate.

False statements, however, can result from errors if it can be shown that they were done on purpose

What Are The Three Kinds Of Fraud Occur Most Frequently In Immigration Applications?

Common immigration frauds are expected by several fake immigration officers. Many immigrants are also involved in fraud cases to cross the border. Check the details about common immigration frauds below:

Impersonation Of Immigration Officers:
Fraudsters pretending to be immigration authorities call, write, or email immigrants. They demand personal information, including identification numbers, card details, debit card numbers, and bank account numbers, because the immigrants’ legal status is in jeopardy. 

The identities of immigrants are then stolen, new credit cards are created, and the victims’ bank accounts are accessed. In other cases, the con artists assert that they can hasten an applicant’s application or get favourable treatment from immigration officials.

Visa and citizenship fraud
There are several ways that citizenship fraud happens, including when someone:
– Claims to reside in Canada to acquire the status of citizenship
– Uses another person’s nationality documents to personate them
– Withholds information pertinent to their immigration documents
– Deliberately uses a citizenship certificate with false information
– Resides in Canada without the required immigration paperwork
– Exceeds the period allotted by their visa
– Earns more hours than is authorized while on a student visa

Possible punishments for citizenship fraud are imprisonment and/or significant fines.

Lying to Immigration Officers
Fraud is committed when a person intentionally lies on an application or during an encounter with an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) official.

Immigration paper fraud is the provision of incorrect or changed information on any immigration application, sometimes called deception. Documents might consist of the following:

Visas
– Passports and travel documents
– Diplomas
– Degrees
– Apprenticeship or trade papers
– Police clearances
– Certificates of birth, marriage, final divorce, annulment, separation, or death

How Do I Report A Fake Marriage To Immigration?

There are actions you may follow to get yourself away from the dilemma of fake marriage, but you must move quickly to protect yourself from criminal culpability.

– Make contact with Canadian Immigration and Customs Enforcement; your spouse may be deported or prosecuted with marriage fraud and expelled if he or she got married to avoid complying with Canadian immigration rules

– Consider leaving right away if necessary, depending on your circumstances; IRCC may view your continued occupancy of the marital residence after you learn of the scam as your complicity in it

– Also, it would be best if you kept in mind that any papers or material that contains sensitive or private information is secure

– If your partner deceived you about his motivations for getting married, he could also be telling lies about other things

– Change the passwords for any logins you shared with the fraudster or to which they had control

– In order to protect yourself, you may also file fraud and receive assistance through authentic fraud and theft reporting websites

– Obey any report’s orders; it would be best if you supplied every bit of information you believe would be useful in case IRCC or any immigration department wants to question you or request more documents

– Think about working with a lawyer; the immigration department may consider you legally accountable for the deception even if you truly view yourself as the target in this scenario

– Fraud in a marriage is a crime; if found guilty, you may be sentenced to five years in jail and/or incur a penalty of up to $250,000

Is It Possible to Report to Immigration Anonymously?

You may take a couple of actions if you are aware of an illegal immigrant and wish to notify them anonymously. Choose the best approach to contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in your region first. You can do this by phone, online, or by letter.

Ensure that you have access to all necessary information, including the person’s address and name. Having any documents demonstrating their position as an illegal immigrant is also beneficial. 

Go out to ICE after you get their contact information and let them know that while you’d like to stay anonymous, you need to register an illegal immigrant. Be prepared to provide as much information as you can about the subject. ICE will likely acknowledge your tip and start a more thorough investigation.

– Locate the nearest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office’s phone number
– If you want to report an illegal immigrant discreetly, call the ICE office
-The ICE officer will inquire about the person’s name, residence, and job location, among other basic details
-The ICE investigator will then launch an inquiry into what happened and, if required, get in touch with you for more information

To finish the lengthy and difficult removal procedure might take several years or months. Everything depends on the specific circumstances and the nation to which the individual is expelled. Moreover, people have occasionally been successful in preventing their removal for years.

Final Thoughts

Fraud is a fraud, regardless of the circumstances. And it is quite bad if you engage in immigration fraud to obtain a visa. We know that applying for a visa and eventually accepting it takes patience and time. Yet, engaging in fraud is not a smart way to start!

Now that you know Canada is a nation with laws, you know that the IRCC takes strict action against con artists. Both citizens and immigrants are treated equally under the law. Because honesty is the best policy, you shouldn’t participate in any form of immigration fraud.

Also, if you discover that someone is a con artist, you shouldn’t continue to assist them. If any information needs to be updated, don’t hesitate to contact us at OnTheMoveCanada. Don’t forget to contribute any practical strategies you have found for avoiding scams. Safe travels today!