Scammers attempt to obtain personal information for identity theft, fraud, to steal a victim's bank account or credit card, and infecting a victim's computer with a virus. For this, they use fake websites over the phone and the Internet for many different types of scams.
In a well-known phone scam targeting international students in Canada, scammers target students in Ottawa and London, posing as Canadian immigration officials to demand payment over the phone.
IRCC states on its website: "We will never ask you to make any type of payment over the phone."
The IRCC is reminding foreign nationals that:
no-one can guarantee them a job or a visa to Canada;
only immigration officers in Canada, at Canadian embassies, high commissions, and consulates can decide to issue a visa, and;
processing fees are the same for all of the Canadian immigration services in Canada and around the world and fees in local currencies are based on official exchange rates and are the same amounts as fees in Canadian dollars;
Fees for Canadian government services are to be paid to the “Receiver General for Canada” unless the IRCC states something different on a visa office website.
The IRCC promises its employees will never:
ask a foreign national to deposit money into a personal bank account;
ask a prospective applicant to transfer money through a private money transfer service;
threaten anyone;
offer special deals to people who want to immigrate, or;
use free e-mail services, such as Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo Mail to contact prospective applicants.
Free application forms and guides for all of the IRCC’s services are on its website.
Because the Canadian immigration system is constantly changing to comply with each government's guidelines, and because visa offices have specific requirements, applicants' success or failure in the system often depends on getting the right advice from a Canadian immigration lawyer.
However, finding the right attorney for an immigration application is not always easy. Most major law firms in Canada do not provide immigration services. Immigration law is usually handled by lawyers who practice independently.
Myimmitracker.com is proud to refer our longtime partner Bright Immigration. Their representatives are licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) and Law Society of Ontario (LSO). Bright Immigration provides insight and guidance as you begin to build your new life in Canada. BRIGHT is here every step of the way to assist you in navigating Canada’s immigration and citizenship processes.
To keep track of your application and dates when you can expect to get your status updates don’t forget to use Immigration trackers. Your case means a lot!