More allegations of fraud in immigration sponsorship applications. They are all too common but the system seems to lend itself to them, as officers do not seem to be particularly sophisticated at picking up fraud, and visa posts hardly interview applicants under the spousal category any more.
Ottawa man faces human smuggling, fraud charges
By Meghan Hurley, Postmedia NewsNovember 28, 2011
An Ottawa man who police allege posed as an immigration consultant and filed more than 90 sponsorship forms faces human smuggling, theft and fraud charges after a year-long investigation.
OTTAWA — An Ottawa man who police allege posed as an immigration consultant and filed more than 90 sponsorship forms faces human smuggling, theft and fraud charges after a year-long investigation.
Canada Border Services Agency spokesman Chris Kealey said documents used to support sponsorship forms, such as passports, identification and bank statements, may have been forged.
Kealey said the CBSA will investigate all sponsorship forms filed by the accused, Mohamed Farah Abdulle, 49. They have yet to determine whether any of the immigrants had knowledge that forged documents were used.
The investigation, involving the RCMP, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Ottawa police, continues and more charges could be laid.
The CBSA began the investigation, dubbed Project Vista, after they got a tip from a person whose identity was used in an immigration scheme.
The CBSA seized computers and documents after search warrants were executed at two Ottawa homes and a car on Nov. 17.
Abdulle was arrested the same day and will remain in custody until he appears in court on Dec. 1.
Abdulle faces charges under the Criminal Code of Canada for identity theft and fraud, as well as human smuggling and misrepresentation under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Peter Showler, director of the University of Ottawa's Refugee Forum, said charges and convictions under the Immigration Refugee and Protection Act are rare. He said even though there are an increasing amount of immigration consultant fraud, the government hasn't been very good at tracking it down.
"From the point of view of the integrity of the immigration system, this is good news given that it's true," Showler said. "The use of fraudulent documents by some consultants has been a rampant problem in the immigration field for a very long time."
The Immigration Refugee and Protection Act makes it an offence for anyone other than an authorized consultant to advise an immigrant for a fee.
To become authorized, consultants have to register with Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council and must be in good standing.
A review of the council's membership list shows that Abdulle is not registered.
Tracie LeBlanc, a Citizenship and Immigration Canada spokeswoman, said that lawyers, law students and notaries are also authorized to provide immigration advice for a fee.
"To protect potential immigrants and the integrity of Canada's immigration program, the government is cracking down on unscrupulous immigration representatives and others who have preyed on these people," LeBlanc said.
Fraudulent immigration consultants often advertise guarantees of getting people into Canada, Showler says said.
Desperate to get into the country, immigrants may naively trust a fraudulent consultant.
"It can't be assumed that the immigrant themselves is committing the fraud until you found out what they were told by the fraudulent consultant," Showler said.
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