Consulate General of India
Toronto
***
ADVISORY
Immigration into Canada
- We have seen some disturbing instances of Indian nationals becoming victims of immigration fraud in Canada. The recent incident in Manitoba, which resulted in the death of four victims while attempting an illegal crossing of the international border, has shown that immigration fraud can have fatal consequences.
- Immigration fraud is a serious crime and can take many forms. Immigration fraud carries severe penalties in both India and Canada, including criminal prosecution. Those indulging in such fraud stand the risk of losing their passport and visa privileges, being deported, being arrested, and being prosecuted under the applicable laws.
- Immigration fraud can put you, your family, and friends in danger of physical harm, violence, and exploitation, apart from suffering severe financial loss.
- Some basic common-sense precautions can reduce the risk of becoming a victim of immigration fraud and scams.
- It is in your best interest to avoid all intermediaries, touts, consultants, agents, etc., filling all forms and processing the documentation yourself to avoid being defrauded. Also, please avoid using any unsolicited persons who offer their services to help you with immigration.
- Do check the credentials of any immigration consultant you plan to engage. If they do not have a good standing, you should not use their services.
- Always ask the consultants for their credentials and membership of stipulated boards/organizations. Most law societies let you check online to see if a person/ agency is a member in good standing. Please do not use or engage any consultant or lawyer with a dubious record or provide incomplete/partial information about their standing.
- Perform due diligence and make sure you are communicating with the actual representative before engaging their services.
- Do not involve any unverified middlemen in your dealings with such consultants.
- Beware of people posing as Government staff who offer help in immigration/ obtaining visas. Do not engage with suspicious websites/phone calls.
- Students should remain vary of any unverified persons/organizations offering student visas on payment of money. Credentials of universities/colleges you wish to join must be checked for authenticity.
- Mock job recruiters and fake immigration consultants engage in schemes and set up scams to entice immigrants. If an offer is too good to be true, it usually is. Be careful about unsolicited job offers, and treat them as scams/ frauds.
- No one can guarantee you a job or a visa to Canada. Any person or agency making such a claim is likely fraudulent. You should never reveal personal information or send any money to such persons.
- Do not hand over your passport, travel tickets, or other important documents to any person. Do not share information, especially your credit card numbers or pins, with anyone.
- Some fake websites may imitate government URLs to project their authenticity. Sometimes the email address you see on the screen of a phony website may be in a government format, but when you click on it, it creates an email sent to a different address. Always check the actual address on the email you are sending.
- Marriage fraud linked to immigration makes you vulnerable to exploitation and may lead to serious physical and mental harm. In addition, false claims for marriage make you liable for deportation and persecution in Canada.
- Do not enter into marriage alliances on the promise of a visa to Canada.
- Do not engage any marriage consultant promising early marriage/court marriage visas. Fraudsters prey on vulnerable families by promising immediate visas on marriage and charging a hefty sum for such ‘services.’
- Do not engage with any persons for marriage without a thorough social verification through your family and friends in India and Canada.
- Do not use false or forged documents as proof of marriage for visa or immigration purposes. You may attract criminal prosecution in such cases, in India or Canada, or both.
- Do not offer to make payments to any agent or consultant to facilitate any type of visa before or after marriage.
- Never make any payments to any person claiming to be a foreigner on the promise of marriage.
- Scam artists on the telephone or email sometimes pose as government officials. They call people and try to scare them by saying they have done something wrong (like not filing proper paperwork) and owe fees or taxes to the government. They may say the person can lose their immigration status or be deported if they do not pay right away. Do not entertain such calls or emails. Be careful if someone is asking you for money or your banking information. Do not provide any personal information or transfer any money to protect yourself.
- High Commission and Consulate staff will NEVER ask you to deposit money into a personal bank account or ask you to transfer money through a private money transfer service or gift cards or offer special deals to people who want to immigrate. Nor will they contact you through private email services, such as Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, or social media.
- If you, or a person known to you, is a possible victim of human trafficking, you can inform the local police in India. If you suspect that you are being defrauded or you or someone you know is a victim of immigration fraud, file a complaint with your local police station. A list of anti-human trafficking hotlines provided by various State governments in India can be seen at -
https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/NODAL-OFFICERS-AHT-111011.pdf
- In the event you have become a victim of marriage fraud, or you suspect that you are being defrauded in the name of marriage, file a complaint with the nearest police station. You may also approach the Complaint and Investigation Cell of the National Commission for Women through information provided on their website ncw.nic.in. or by calling the helpline number at 011-26944880 or 011-26940148 (only on working days).
- In Canada, you may inform the nearest Indian Mission or Consulate or call the Canadian human trafficking hotline at 1-833-900-1010 or local police. The government of Canada also provides avenues to report immigration fraud to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Border Watch on Toll-Free Line at 1-888-502-9060.
- Indian citizens living or traveling outside India are urged to register with the nearest Indian Mission or Post. This will allow the Mission to notify Indian citizens in the event of a disaster, emergency, or other crisis; and facilitate evacuation coordination. Indian citizens, including students living in Canada or planning a visit to Canada, are encouraged to register online on the MADAD portal at the following link- https://portal2.madad.gov.in/AppConsular/user/RegistrationBaseAction?request_locale=en
***
Toronto
4 Feb 2022
| 
