Canada cracks down on immigration fraud
Published:Friday | October 24, 2014 | 12:00 AM
Alessandro Boyd, Gleaner Writer
REMI LARIVIERE, media relations officer, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, has declared that the government of Canada takes any kind of immigration fraud very seriously and will continue to crack down on crooked consultants.
Express Entry, which is slated to begin next January, will manage applications for permanent residence in certain economic programmes, and is being launched to meet current and future labour-market needs in Canada. Scores of Jamaicans are expected to participate.
The programme will allow Canada to actively recruit, assess and select skilled immigrants under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class.
"The Government of Canada will not deal with unauthorised immigration representatives who charge a fee for their services. It is an offence for anyone other than an accredited immigration representative to conduct business, for a fee or other consideration, at any stage of an application or proceeding," Lariviere noted.
"The regulations governing the use of representatives are meant to ensure that all clients are represented in a professional, ethical and lawful manner and to maintain the integrity of Canada's immigration," she continued.
Lariviere further said if an applicant wants to file a complaint about their representative outside of Canada, the applicant should send their complaint to the appropriate authorities in the country where the consultant lives or works.
"Immigration representatives must be either members in good standing of a provincial or territorial law society, including paralegals, members of the Chambre des notaires du Quebec, or members of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC)," she said.
"The ICCRC is the regulator of immigration consultants and has introduced a number of initiatives designed to improve consumer protection," Lariviere continued.
For information on the ICCRC or to find out if a consultant is accredited you can visit its website at www.iccrc-crcic.ca, call 1 877 836 7543 or send an e-mail to info@iccrc-crcic.ca.