Immigration fraud doesn't just steal money — it plants misrepresentation on your record that follows you for years. The scams are predictable; so are the defences. Five minutes of verification defeats almost all of them.

The five dominant scams

1. The fake job offer

An unsolicited "offer" from a Canadian company, often with real logos, asking for fees to "process" your employment. Real employers do not charge workers for jobs — and recruitment fees charged to workers are illegal in Canada.

2. LMIA for sale

Buying an LMIA is illegal, full stop. Applicants caught in purchased-LMIA schemes face refusals and five-year misrepresentation bans. Our LMIA guide explains what a legitimate one looks like.

3. The ghost consultant

Unlicensed operators who prepare applications but never appear on them — leaving you holding every error and lie they filed in your name. If they won't sign the Use of Representative form, run.

4. "Guaranteed" visas and "special relationships" with IRCC

Nobody can guarantee decisions, and nobody has back channels. Regulated consultants are prohibited from claiming either; scammers lead with both.

5. Payment into personal accounts

Legitimate firms invoice, receipt, and contract. Wire-me-on-WhatsApp "consultants" using personal accounts and vanishing after payment are the sector's oldest story.

The five-minute defence

  • Verify the licence: every legitimate Canadian consultant appears in the CICC public register at college-ic.ca — search the name, check status is Active. Lawyers appear in their provincial law society registry.
  • Verify the employer: registered business? Real address and phone? Does the company confirm the vacancy when contacted through its official website?
  • Demand a written contract naming services, fees, and the licensed person responsible
  • Never pay for a job — employers pay recruitment costs, by law
  • Keep everything — contracts, receipts, chats. Paper trails protect victims and convict fraudsters.

Our standing invitation: verify us. David Johl, RCIC R519520, appears in the CICC register — and any consultant who reacts badly to being checked has just told you everything.

If you've already been scammed

Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and local police; if fraudulent filings were made in your name, disclosure through a licensed professional beats hoping IRCC never notices. Recovery is harder than prevention — but silence is the worst strategy.

Verify Before You Pay — Anyone

Check any consultant at college-ic.ca, including ours. Legitimate professionals welcome verification.

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This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or immigration advice. Program requirements, fees, and IRCC policies change without notice. Always consult a licensed Canadian immigration consultant or lawyer before applying. Mirus Immigration consultants are registered members of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC). No guarantee of immigration outcomes is expressed or implied.