How to Detect Fraudulent Immigration Services Being Offered
It is very important to recognize the Immigration services that you are hiring prior to them receiving your hard earned money. There are various fraudulent Immigration services that are being offered around the world that pretend to be authorized and real Immigration services, like Akrami & Associates. For foreign nationals that are not aware of which companies are real or fraudulent, this article will come as a great aid in determining this. Therefore, in this article, I will explain how to tell when a company is offering fraudulent Immigration services and how to know if a company is authorized to provide Immigration services.
Signs of a Fraudulent Immigration Service
Before committing and providing any Immigration service with your money, it is very important to determine first whether they are a reputable and known business. There are many different companies, nationally and internationally, that are providing fraudulent Immigration services to vulnerable clients who don’t know they are fraudulent. Below, I have listed a few signs of a fraudulent Immigration service that you should be aware of.
Fake Immigration Website
If you have stumbled upon a website on the internet that shows the business is an Immigration organization that offers services to help you with your Immigration matter and application, it is essential to investigate further to see if they are real. It is very easy for anyone to make a website nowadays and, as a result, this results in many fraudulent websites being created. Additionally, these fraudulent business creators can also make the website appear to look like the official Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website. This can cause confusion for vulnerable clients. Another very detrimental tactic that they use is the use of internet advertisements to draw in more clients, promising them faster processing times and lower rates for their services. The worst promise that they can make to clients is the guarantee of entering Canada and obtaining permanent residency. This is blatantly not the case in any circumstance. No Immigration professional can promise you this outcome.
Not Immigration Professionals
If you are an individual that would prefer help with your Immigration application, it is best to seek the advice and help of an Immigration professional. However, these professionals must be recognized professionals in the eyes of Immigration, for instance an Immigration Consultant of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) Consultant or an Immigration Lawyer. If they are not, then you may want to research further to see if they are part of an Immigration organization. If they have no such association with any of these, then they may be fraudulent. It is important to note that these individuals often charge very large amounts of money and tend to guarantee your entry or permanent residence in Canada.
Fake Documents
Often these fraudulent individuals will provide you with fake Immigration documents that are supposedly from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Much like making a website, making fake documents can be quite easy for these individuals to create. Unfortunately, this can provide false hope for vulnerable clients. It is vital to know that certain Immigration application numbers begin with a specific letter that corresponds with the application. For instance, a Temporary Resident Visa, also referred to as a Visitor Visa, application will have a V at the beginning of the application number; whereas, a Work Permit application will have a W at the beginning of the application number. Therefore, if you are reviewing the document that you have been sent and the application number does not correspond with the application itself, then it most likely will be a fake document.
Other examples of signs of fake documents include:
- If you receive a letter from Immigration and there is an IMM form number at the bottom of the page. If you see this, this is most likely a fake document. The reason being is because only Immigration forms will have a IMM form number at the bottom left-hand-side of the page. Any communication you receive from Immigration will not have this and will most of the time have a footer indicating where it came from, i.e. the Canadian Consulate or Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).
- If you receive a letter from Immigration referring to a reference number that is different than the application number. For instance, if there is a reference number that is 1005896Q2 and there is an application number V800586844 (Both numbers are completely random) then this is a red flag and would indicate that this document is fake. Immigration communication will refer to the application and the application number, not a reference number.
- If you receive a letter from Immigration and there is a request for all of the documents you submitted, including the application form and the application government fee. This should be an indication that the communication is fake because Immigration will already have a record of the documents you have submitted. If you receive communication from Immigration, they are most likely requesting additional documents, not documents you have already submitted.
Contact Akrami & Associates
If you believe you have been a victim of fraudulent Immigration services being offered to you, you can call the Border Watch Tip Line at 1-888-502-9060 to report immigration fraud. All information you provide to them will be confidential. It is very important to take all of the aforementioned information into consideration before applying. Immigration applications are difficult to pursue on your own, especially if you are unfamiliar; it is highly recommended that you seek out professional, recognized and experienced help before attempting to apply. Here, at Akrami & Associates, we work and have experience with many different immigration issues and are recognized Immigration professionals. We have helped many of our clients enter Canada as Immigrants. If you believe that you may be eligible to apply for an Canadian Immigration application, please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates at our office at 416-477-2545 for more information or if you would like to book a consultation with an immigration professional for more advise.
With Akrami & Associates, there is always a way!