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How to protect yourself against Canadian Immigration Fraud?

How to protect yourself against Canadian Immigration Fraud?

As an aspiring immigrant who desires to work and live in Canada, you have to go through a stringent immigration process and be prepared for each stage. If you hire a Canadian Immigration Consultant who can support you throughout the process, you need to be extra careful before choosing one. Your key responsibility is to ensure the authenticity of the visa consultancy company you desire; otherwise, you may fall prey to fraudulent practices. To help you out, we came up with a few essential tips so that you can identify and choose a genuine, trusted immigration advisorand consultant in India and prevent any immigration fraud.

Essential Tips to Choose Trusted Canadian Immigration Consultant in India:

  • Always sign a government-issued "Use of a Representative Form (IMM5476). This form confirms that the hiring consultant is authorized to represent an immigration case. It comes in varied sections like your first & last name, date of birth, first & last name of your Immigration Consultant, their ICCRC Membership ID number, address, etc.
  • Always get copies of all the forms you and the consultancy company have dated and signed. It is required for future record and reference purposes.
  • Be aware that the consultant is compelling you to make any cash payment, as it is pretty challenging to track the same. Generally, cash payments don't have must documentation that you can produce evidence of making payment for certain services. Always choose authorized and traceable modes of payment like cheque, credit card, bank transfer, etc., which get reflected in a bank statement.
  • Ensure that you get invoices and receipts for all the payments you have made and that the amount is outlined in the Retainer Agreement you sign.
  • Beware of those who guarantee you visa approval or a job in Canada. Always remember, no one can guarantee the application results. The final decision is always at the discretion of IRCC's visa officers on every application, and they never share any information in advance.
  • Beware of those who assure about any tie-up with the Immigration Department of Canada to get help regarding your immigration file. The visa officers at IRCC assess and process all the applications as per the strict protocol and take an independent decision based on the candidate's merit, documentation and evidence provider. No one, at any point, influences their decision.
  • It is recommended to check ICCRC's registration and be alert if the logo of an ICCRC corporate is not visible on an immigration website or there is any link that leads you to ICCRC's website to verify the registration. Always look for a registered immigration advisor and consultant company in India and do a detailed background check, like customer testimonials, terms and conditions, return policy, etc.
  • Always beware of those who guarantee you a real processing time for your visa application. There is no fixed timeline for processing any application under any visa category. The IRCC always provide a stipulated period, but no one can guarantee it. The time varies based on a case-by-case basis. For example, there could be a delay in processing your application for different reasons, like missing documents, incomplete information, etc.
  • Beware of those who charge you for any service other than immigration, for instance, a job placement. A regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant is licensed to provide only immigration services. If a person or company is offering you a job placement under a different contract, perform a proper check and ensure that they are certified recruiters and licensed to provide job placement services.

Keeping in mind the prevalent fraud cases, Canada came up with a regulatory body responsible for regulating the consultants. It was introduced in 2019 and is primarily accountable for identifying and controlling the malpractices and fraudulence performed by an immigration consultant. If you aspire to move to Canada permanently, consider the points mentioned above before choosing an immigration consultant. For guidance, you may connect with our team of advisors at Visas Avenue on Toll-Free No. 78-18-000-777 or drop your details at info@visasavenue.com to get a callback.