As per the Ontario Immigration Act, providing fake information on your immigration applications is a punishable offense. In Ontario, Canada, the provincial government has announced that it will reveal the names of persons sanctioned for giving out wrong information or submit fraudulent documents in their immigration applications.
From 3rd May, the provincial government shall release the names of candidates, employers, and representatives who have received an administrative order for letting out imprecise, incorrect, or misleading information to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).
As per the Ontario Immigration Act of 2015, those applicants, as well as employers or their representatives who apply to the OINP, should state information that is accurate,” “correct,” and “not misleading,” failing which an administrative order shall be issued against them for any violation of this laid out decree.
This order by this administration of Ontario shall permit the immigration director to forbid the candidate, employer, or representative to apply to the OINP for a continuous duration of five years in total, or there can even be an imposition of an administrative monetary penalty.
This penalty cannot go beyond $150,000 for every violation and should be mandatorily paid within 60 days after the service of the order. Also, as an addition, there shall be other sanctions subjected to the candidate, employer, or representative upon rejection of these OINP applications. Or when any related approvals are canceled or even prosecuted under the Provincial Offences Act.
The OINP stated that “Publishing contraventions of the Immigration Act is an important measure to protect the public and further strengthen the program’s integrity.” The Ontario PNP program is regarded as one of the top provincial nominee programs to have invited aspiring and eligible candidates looking for career possibilities and a comfortable and high standard of living.
For the benefit of persons who are not well-versed in legal matters, the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 and the rules that accompany it control the OINP. In addition, under this Act, foreign nationals (or their representatives) may submit an application to participate in either the nomination or employment offer streams. In addition, employers (or their representatives) must submit an application in order for a post to be considered for approval. As a consequence of this, if any of them supply information that is inaccurate, they are in violation of the Ontario Immigration Act, which was passed in 2015.
The OINP believes that making public the names of persons, employers, and representatives who are subject to an administrative monetary penalty or banning order will assist in protecting both the general public and the program itself..
Possible Penalties
If you do not give accurate information in your application, you may face the following penalties:
• rejection of the application(s), as well
• revocation of any associated authorization (s),
• a violation in the Provincial Offences Act,
• a governmental order
• Orders to prohibit. A person or group banned by the director may not participate in the OINP for up to five years.
• Order to impose an administrative monetary penalty (AMP). An AMP recipient must pay the amount specified in the order to the Minister of Finance within 60 days.
How Do You Report Fraud?
The OINP advises that if you suspect:
• An applicant (person or employer) supplied inaccurate, erroneous, or misleading information to the OINP, or Ontario Canada PNP program.
• A representation (immigration consultant or lawyer) failed to make reasonable measures to ensure the accuracy of information,
You can send an email with the following information to [email protected]:
• name(s)
• location(s)
• Also, explain why you think the material is erroneous, incorrect, or misleading. Of course, you must supply as much detail as possible.
You can also go to the Government of Canada’s website to learn how to report immigration or citizenship fraud.
How to Prevent Immigration Fraud in Canada?
Canada’s month of March is Fraud Prevention Month, and the Honorable Sean Fraser, who is in charge of immigration, made a public statement. He says it’s sad that there are still people who want to take advantage of people who want to move to Canada. He says that moving to Canada can be one of the biggest decisions someone makes in their life. Since Canada’s immigration system is complicated, it makes sense to ask licensed professionals for formal advice. But it’s important to make it less likely that someone will take advantage of you.
Here are some of Minister Sean Fraser’s ideas about how to stop fraud in Canada.
Awareness
The first piece of advice from the Minister is to stay aware of the signs of fraud. Also, our CEO and RCIC have written more about how to tell if your immigration services are real or a scam. The main thing to remember is that the criteria for authorized entities to provide these services are pretty narrow. The only people who are allowed to provide services are:
• Lawyers for immigration,
• Canadian immigration consultants who are regulated (RCICs),
• Members of the Law Society of Ontario who work as paralegals,
• And public notaries who belong to Chambre des notaires du Québec..
Also, the Minister says that even if you use an authorized service provider, that doesn’t mean your application will be approved. But it sets rules for their fees and makes sure that the process is fair.
New Oversight Body
The Minister also talks about what the government has done to make the job of immigration consultant more regulated. The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants opened in November 2021. We’ve also written about the college, and here are some of the most important skills it will have:
• breaking into the office of a consultant to get information for an investigation,
• requiring witnesses to testify in front of its Discipline Committee,
• asking the court to stop people who aren’t licensed from giving immigration or citizenship advice without permission
Investing
The Minister also talked about the $51.9 million that is being spent to protect people from bad-faith immigration consultants. This money is for:
• keeping an eye on immigration consultants;
• stepping up measures for compliance and enforcement,
• and support activities that raise public awareness to help newcomers spot and avoid fake immigration consultants.
Canada’s website does have more information about fraud, of course.
Want more such latest updates on Canadian immigration? You can reach our experienced certified immigration consultants by ringing us at 8595338595 or mail us at [email protected] for a free counseling session
