In fact, from 2020 to 2021, online scammers and fraudsters are doing more harm to people than ever before. Knowing what link, you can and can’t click on today is a skill that everybody needs to master. That is if you don’t want to end up being the victim of Canadian immigration fraud.
Being scammed out of money because you trusted someone that said they will help you move to Canada, has turned into an online manipulation scheme for other people to make money. If you are scared to trust anyone at this point, have heard about other people that were scammed, or have received a not-so-believable message from a Canadian immigration agency yourself, then you need to be aware.
Is Your Immigration Representative Authorized?
If you want to get to Canada fast, you’re more likely to fall for a scam. If something sounds too good to be true, concerning the short period it takes to get yourself a visa, or if you are told you can buy your visa, then it is not true.
Of course, there are immigration programs that can get you your Canadian visa in as little as six months, but you also need to go through a step-by-step process beforehand. Moving to another country permanently to study or work is not something you can do on a whim. It’s a life-altering decision that you are willing to make, which is why you should also respect the time it will take to do your application successfully to get a Canadian visa.
To do that, the best thing you can do is to check if your immigration representative is authorized. Even if you feel it will take longer to get your visa if you have to take additional steps that take time, it is much better to be safe and comply with the right steps than it is to lose hundreds to thousands of dollars and be discouraged from immigrating at all.
An immigration representative is a professional that represents you on your visa application. This person must be authorized with one of the following Canadian bodies as a:
- Citizenship or immigration consultant that is a member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC)
- Lawyer or notary that is a member of the Canadian provincial or territorial law society
- Paralegal that is a member in good standing of the law society of upper Canada
To tell if an immigration agency is real or if it is fake, you must lookout for the following:
- If you are told that if you pay, you’ll get a job or visa, skip it.
- If you are told that you will get your visa or get your money back guaranteed, skip it.
- The immigration consultancy/ agency doesn’t have a registration number, skip it.