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There sure seem to be a lot of bad people willing to scam good people with fake immigration schemes. This page does not pretend to describe every possible way that cheats try to take advantage of honest people with immigration scams. But it is a start. Scams likes these sometimes ask for small amounts of money, and sometimes they ask for large amounts of money. The best way to protect yourself against such people is to follow some simple rules:
Scam Number 1 A consultant does not use his or her own name anywhere on the application forms. This means that the consultant is not licensed. In many cases such a consultant has not been able to pass the basic licensing exams, or his or her license has been revoked because of bad conduct. If the consultant is not licensed then they are not subject to any rules about how they handle the money you give them, do not have access to training and education on Canadian immigration, they are probably not insured, and it is extremely difficult to get your money back or punish them if they act badly. Such consultants are often referred to as "ghost consultants" because they don't want to be seen.
Scam Number 2 A consultant claims to have special connections to Canadian officials that can get them special advantages. This is almost certainly a lie. If it is true, it can be verified. You should ask the person how you can verify it. If they cannot give you a reliable way to verify their claim, do not believe them.
Scam Number 3 A consultant claims to be connected to a Canadian law firm. Contact the law firm directly to see if this is true. Some consultants have used lawyers' names without the lawyers' knowledge or permission.
Scam Number 4 Some consultants lie about application processing times. They get your money and file the application, but they do not get the quick results they promised. Quick processing times are a way to sell their firm. Beware this strategy. It is very frustrating to give clients honest information about processing times and then see them go to a different counsel because that counsel is misleading them about how fast the case can be resolved.
Scam Number 5 A consultant charges a very low fee. There is nothing wrong with competition, or with charging a fee that is lower than the going rate in the market. But it is worth remembering that it takes time to do a good job on an immigration application. Even if the counsel does not charge by the hour, counsel should know how many hours a case will take and should charge you accordingly. A counsel who charges a low fee is not expecting to spend much time on it. A high fee does not guarantee good work, but too low a fee almost guarantees quick and careless work. If you cannot afford to pay a professional fee, then it is better to do it yourself rather than pay someone else to do it badly and end up losing both your money and the application because of someone else's mistakes.
Scam Number 6 It is advertised that a cruise ship line needs workers for jobs based in Canada: everything from dishwashers to ship’s captains. All you have to do to apply is fill up a form and pay a $50 registration fee.
Scam Number 7 If you want to come to Canada as a visitor you can get a hotel to sponsor you. For help finding the hotel and completing the papers please send money.
Scam Number 8 Travel agencies sometimes claim that they can get people to Canada and get them a work permit. But when the people actually get to Canada they are told to make a refugee claim, which usually means the person will eventually get deported.
Scam Number 9 The consultant or agent asks the client to sign blank forms, to be completed and submitted by the consultant. This is very unprofessional. You should not sign the forms until they are fully completed and you agree that they are correct. Too many good cases get ruined because agents make mistakes on their clients' forms and then their clients get into trouble. Once a mistake like that has been made it is very difficult to undo it.
Scam Number 10 An enterprising individual sets up a classroom and offers to teach people English which will then qualify them for immigration to Canada. The hopeful immigrants are told that all they have to do is improve their English and there are jobs waiting for them in Canada. Of course, this is not true. But money is paid and someone gets rich.
Scam Number 11 An enterprising individual has advertised that Canada is holding an immigration lottery. People are told that they have won the lottery and all they have to do is pay a little money and their permanent residence papers will be processed.
Scam Number 12 A rumour is started that there will be an amnesty for illegal immigrants. Unprofessional counsel tell people that if they want to take advantage of the amnesty they have to register and that the registration fee is $50.00. There is no amnesty but the unprofessional counsel collects $50 from lots of people. Canada has never held an immigration lottery.
Scam Number 13 Someone offers to sell you the government immigration forms necessary to file an application. Application forms are available free. Never pay a fee for a Canadian government form.
Conclusion None of these strategies are legitimate. Yet we get inquiries from people who believe them, and want to ask questions about how the scheme works. We have to wonder how many other people believe the scheme and just gave over their money without asking at all. These scam artists don’t always ask for a lot of money. Maybe $50 from each person. But they try to collect money from quite a few people, and they don’t have to work very hard for it. But there are some who do ask for a lot of money. We have heard stories of people who paid thousands of dollars and the money just disappeared. Some of these scam artists are amazingly bold. They will advertise their schemes in reputable newspapers. That is not proof that they will act professionally once they have your money. Newspapers don't screen their advertisers. The scam artists find something that people want, and then make it look so easy to do that it is too tempting to pass up. Scams like this are as old as humanity. And they are not limited to immigration although immigration seems to have more than its share. People do not only need to worry about scam artists. They also need to be aware of people who want to help, but do not have any idea what they are doing. This group can be, in some ways, even more harmful. The basic rule is a simple one: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true. It is always worth checking these things out. Immigration is too important to take risks with.
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