Latest news with #LMIAs
CBC
03-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
B.C. immigration consultant discovers forged foreign worker documents — with her name on them
Social Sharing Twice in two weeks, Surrey, B.C., immigration consultant Neera Agnihotri discovered her firm was listed on employment documents for foreign workers supposedly bound for B.C. The only problem: she had never heard of any of the prospective workers or the businesses wanting to hire them. "I was like, 'No, this is not our client,'" Agnihotri says, reviewing the paperwork and highlighting signs of forgery. "You can see a little bit of alteration in the font," Agnihotri points out on one. On the other, there's a typo on the name of her firm, Agnihotri Immigration Consulting Inc. The documents were forged Labour Market Impact Assessments, or LMIAs. Employers typically receive the documents from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) if they want to hire a foreign worker. They're meant to show that a foreign worker is needed to fill a specific job. LMIA-supported positions can also increase the worker's chances of becoming permanent residents in Canada. Workers also need to demonstrate they have requisite skills and language proficiency before they receive a work permit from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). But in recent years, fraudsters have used the documents to prey on foreign nationals who are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for them under the false promise they'll legally be allowed to live and work in Canada. "There are scammers, numerous scammers out there in the world, who are making these fake LMIAs and selling them to unsuspecting workers who have this glimmer of hope that they might be able to get a job in Canada," said Cassandra Fultz, an Ontario-based immigration consultant. Previous CBC investigations have uncovered scammers selling fraudulent LMIAs for up to $45,000. "The problem is, when someone is desperate, when someone really wants that job or that ability to work in Canada, they're willing to believe it," said Fultz. WATCH | Scammers selling fraudulent worker documents to foreign nationals: Surrey immigration consultant raises concerns over fraudulent documents 2 days ago Duration 2:28 A Surrey immigration consultant has raised concerns after discovering her firm was listed in fraudulent employment documents known as Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs). These documents are required by businesses seeking to hire foreign workers and must be obtained from the federal government. However, as Jon Hernandez reports, scammers are selling counterfeit documents to foreign nationals, falsely promising them the chance to live and work in Canada. Forged LMIA In Agnihotri's case, the LMIAs were brought to her attention by neighbouring firms that received them on behalf of the worker in March. Her firm, Agnihotri Immigration Consulting Inc., was unwittingly listed as a third-party representative on behalf of the employers, an Okanagan construction company and an Abbotsford trucking business — neither of which she had ever heard of. Both businesses denied any knowledge of the forged LMIA. CBC News has reviewed the documents which Agnihotri has submitted to ESDC for investigation. Agnihotri suspects previous legitimate LMIAs were replicated by a bad actor and are now being used as a template for fake documents. She fears there could be more forged documents with her company's name on them circulating without her knowledge. "It's quite concerning, because I've only seen two, and I'm one individual, one company," said Agnihotri. "We don't know how vastly this is happening." ESDC told CBC News that it does not publicly release figures on LMIA fraud. Growing challenges According to the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), any instance where a prospective employee is asked to pay for an LMIA is considered fraud. The organization, which represents licensed consultants, says it's fighting "unauthorized practitioners" who pose as licensees and try to sell immigration documents. "In a series of recent enforcement blitzes, we have shut down more than 5,000 web pages and social media pages advertising [unauthorized practitioners]," said an ESDC spokesperson in a statement. WATCH | Foreign workers targets of costly schemes: Temporary foreign workers targeted by costly online immigration schemes 6 months ago Duration 7:15 As Canada tightens its path to permanent residency, more immigration schemes are appearing online, offering fake jobs to foreign workers in exchange for up to $45,000. Cassandra Fultz, a registered consultant at Toronto's Doherty Fultz Immigration in Toronto, says her office routinely gets calls and emails from people asking if their LMIA documents are real or fake. "It's never real," said Fultz. "Some of them look pretty good, they have a lot of the details correct, but some are just a little bit off. And some of them look totally ridiculous." "People are forking out hundreds, and literally thousands of dollars for these LMIAs, and they're not real. They're just out that money," said Fultz. Fultz says scammers will often impersonate representatives from legitimate firms, so she is calling on Ottawa to step in and investigate fraud claims brought forward by immigration consultants who risk losing credibility.
CBC
02-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Surrey immigration consultant raises concerns over fraudulent documents
A Surrey immigration consultant has raised concerns after discovering her firm was listed in fraudulent employment documents known as Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs). These documents are required by businesses seeking to hire foreign workers and must be obtained from the federal government. However, as Jon Hernandez reports, scammers are selling counterfeit documents to foreign nationals, falsely promising them the chance to live and work in Canada.
CBC
11-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Putting illegal recruitment fees in writing 'takes a lot of courage,' says immigration lawyer
Toronto-based immigration lawyer Lou Janssen Dangzalan says The Promise Land Consultancy could face 'triple jeopardy' for illegally recovering recruitment fees from migrant workers. Fees for Labour Market Impact Assessments, or LMIAs, should only be paid by employers, not the foreign nationals they hire.
CBC
27-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Immigration uncertainty, housing top of mind at the Bow Valley's largest-ever job fair
At Banff's annual summer job fair on Wednesday, businesses and applicants alike said immigration changes and staff housing have been at the top of their minds. The event, which was held a month earlier than usual, was hosted by the Job Resource Centre and the Bow Valley Chamber of Commerce. With a goal of filling 600 positions across the region, 32 businesses set up booths to meet potential new employees. Savanna Yeager, assistant HR manager with Banff Park Lodge, said current staff have been sticking around longer than usual lately — a rarity in the seasonal nature of the Bow Valley. But they're still looking for more staff ahead of the busy summer season, and she said it's been challenging navigating uncertainties around immigration, particularly with the temporary foreign worker program. "A lot of people who are foreign-born workers … it's a bit harder to assist them because you're still trying to figure out yourself what exactly is going on, and we're all kind of waiting for answers," said Yeager. She pointed to changes to labour market impact assessments (LMIAs) — essentially a document, issued by the federal government, that allows employers to hire temporary foreign workers after they prove they can't find a Canadian or permanent resident to fill a position. Yeager said companies aren't allowed to apply for as many LMIAs now, and the documents are valid for a shorter period of time. She said she's bracing for hiring to become more difficult in the coming years. At another booth, Melanie Vandervaart with Cornerstone Catering and Events is seeing similar things. "A lot more people this year are looking for LMIAs. We do seem to have a lot of people looking for staff accommodation as well," said Vandervaart. Her company is looking to hire 50 new employees ahead of the busy wedding season, which she said seems to be kicking off earlier than usual this year. Starting early Reinira Lankhuijzen, career coach with the Job Resource Centre, said they held the job fair early this year at employers' requests. "Employers face really high turnover here, so they are trying to fill those positions earlier so that they know that they're set up for their summer season," said Lankhuijzen, who added the event used to run in April or early May, which was often too late. She said the annual summer job fair is always a good way for people in the Bow Valley to make face-to-face connections with employers. Job seeker Lucas Leclerc said he hopes it helps him stand out. "I've been job hunting for a while. It's been a little rough, I won't lie. [I've been] applying to a lot of things — in person, online, but haven't been getting a lot of replies back." Tane Nieuweboer, originally from Amsterdam, recently moved to the Bow Valley and hopes to find a job with staff housing — soon. "If they don't have that, I'd rather not apply…. I stay in a hostel right now, which is fine because it's still low season. But when high season comes, the prices are going to go up."
