Protect Yourself from Fraud

Fraud is a crime in Canada. Beware of telephone, email and internet scams. Beware of unauthorized, fraudulent or immigration consultants who guarantee you that you application will be approved.

Unaccredited fraudulent Immigration Consultants or “ghost consultants” as they are often called  jeopardize the integrity of Canada’s immigration system, cause hardship and cost individuals their hard earned money. 

Hire an authorized and accredited immigration representative. Only the following representatives may charge a fee or receive any form of payment to represent or advise you on any Canadian Immigration proceeding with  Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, or the Canada Border Services Agency.

Authorized and accredited immigration consultants are:

• immigration consultants who are members in good standing of  the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council.
• lawyers and paralegals who are members in good standing of a Canadian provincial or territorial law society,
• notaries who are members in good standing of the Chambre des notaires du Québec and

CIC, CBSA and the Immigration and Refugee Board will not deal with representatives who charge for their services and are not members of one of the above groups.

If you have a complaint about a non-authorized or fraudulent immigration representative you may complain to: 

• Canada Border Services Agency Border Watch Toll-free Line at
 1-888-502-9060.
• The Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council,
• The relevant provincial or territorial law society, or
• Chambre des notaires du Québec.