Classic Case of Trust and Mis-Trust for Immigration Services

I am thinking of immigrating to Canada and I trust this person who is my good friend living in Canada. This friend of mine seems to be very knowledeable i providing immigration services and says that he is an "Agent". He also says that he will help me and my family immigrate to Canada without charging me fees because he is my good friend. The only fees that I have to pay is the investment fee of six figures into a business that he proposed to me. I pause for a sec thinking... this sounds too good to be true. Should I continue to trust this friend of mine and proceed with the immigration application?

If you are hesitant in trusting someone who does not appear to be a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant or a lawyer who is regulated and competent to practice Canadian immigration law, you need to trust your own gut feeling. A BC Supreme Court Judge has recently awarded a Chinese couple more than $100,000 CDN Dollars in damages against an unlicensed "Agent" for immigration fraud and misrepresentation. Immigration fraud and misrepresenting to Canadian Immigration authorities are very serious criminal offences. The penalties can range from a fine of over $100,000 and if convicted, imprisonment for a period of 10 years. Please see the link below for further details of this classic case of Trust and Mis-trust:

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/bc-couple-must-pay-dollar111000-for-immigration-fraud-against-friends-from-china/ar-BBuxmMp?li=AAggNb9

When considering who to hire to represent you in your immigration case, the onus is on you to conduct proper research and background checks on the person or firm you plan to engage. The simple things you can do is to ask for references from the person or firm you plan to hire. Go on the ICCRC and law society websites to see if the person or firm is in good standing and is not subject to any disciplinary proceedings. Ask around your community to see if the person or firm is reputable and of good character.

These are a few simple things you can do to protect against those who engage in immigration fraud and misrepresentation. For more news, articles and blogs, please feel free to follow us on our website, Facebook and Twitter.