How to Protect Yourself from Immigration Fraud and Misrepresentation

Immigration Fraud and Misrepresentation

As a newcomer to Canada, you may not be aware of how companies or the government does business. Alternatively, as an applicant who is applying for permanent residence or citizenship, you may have unintentionally made crucial mistakes on your application, which can ultimately lead to misrepresentation. The Canadian government takes misrepresentation very seriously; if you misrepresent information that is directly related to decisions made under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), you will face severe consequences inevitably. In this blog, you will specific aspects of fraud and misrepresentation in terms of immigration applications.

What are the Kinds of Common Fraud

People Pretending to be Government of Canada staff

There are individuals who pretend to be government officials on the telephone. They often scare people by saying they have done something wrong (like not filing required paperwork properly), and that they owe fees. They may threaten you with intimidating statements, such as losing your immigration status and getting deported, if you do not pay right away. These people may even threaten someone’s family or home. The staff of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship will never behave in this way.

On the other hand, you may get an email that looks like it is from a real company or Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. The email may ask you for your personal information, such as your date of birth, passwords or credit card details. Sometimes the email will provide you a link to a fake website. Alternatively, the emails may claim they offer special immigration deals if you give them your personal information. Please note, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship will never send you an email asking for your private information.

If you get those emails, do not ever click on any links or give any information about yourself. If you think the emails are suspicious, make sure to check the identity of the sender and the actual content of the email.

The following things indicate that the email is a scam:

• The email is sent from a private address or a free Web mail address (e.g., Yahoo Mail, Hotmail or Gmail) and not from the Government of Canada “gc.ca” or “Canada.ca” email account
•  The email uses a standard greeting such as “Dear customer” instead of your name listed on your passport
•  The sender wants you to provide your personal information, such as your date of birth, password, credit card or bank details
•  You were not expecting the email
•  The message is not in a text format; it is an image instead 

Marriage Fraud

Some people think marrying a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident will be the fastest way for them to immigrate to Canada. You should think carefully before marrying someone and sponsoring them to come to Canada, because you may get yourself into a relationship of convenience. Please note, it is a crime for a foreign national to marry a Canadian citizen or permanent resident only to gain entry to Canada.

If you plan to be a sponsor, do not let anyone to bribe you into a marriage. If you do this, you may face serious criminal charges. Do not ever feel you are obligated to help someone by involving yourself in a marriage of convenience. It is definitely not worth the risks.

If you are a visa applicant, do not get involved in a fraudulent marriage. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will refuse your visa and may ban you from entering Canada for five years. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada can potentially take legal action against you. This immigration record will stay with you forever.

Immigration officers are trained to detect fraudulent marriages. They have many ways to spot marriage fraud, including:

•  scrutinizing your document
•  visiting to people’s homes
•  interviewing with both sponsors and applicants

Document Fraud (Misrepresentation)

It is a serious crime to lie, or to provide false information or documents on your applications or in an interview with an immigration officer. This is called misrepresentation, which is also considered as a type of fraud.

Document fraud can involve either false or altered documents, such as:

• passports and travel documents
•  visas
•  diplomas, degrees, and apprenticeship or trade papers
•  certificates of birth, marriage, final divorce, annulment, separation, or death
• police certificates

Sending false documents or information to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada will result in the refusal of your application. Furthermore, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada can also:

•  ban you from entering Canada for at least five years
•  give you a permanent record of fraud with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada
•  take away your status as a permanent resident or Canadian citizen
•  have you charged with a crime
•  remove you from Canada

Contact Akrami and Associates

It is essential that you have taken all of the aforementioned factors and information into consideration if you are applying for Canadian citizenship or permanent residence. If you want to apply for Canadian citizenship or permanent residence, it is extremely important to note that these are difficult applications to pursue on your own. It is highly recommended that you seek out professional and experienced help before attempting to submit the application. Akrami & Associates work and have experience with many different immigration issues. We have helped many of our clients gain citizenship or permanent residence in Canada. Please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates 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!