March 2018, fraud prevention month

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that the month of March 2018 marks the 14th anniversary of Fraud Prevention Month, an initiative launched by the federal government in 2004, to raise awareness among Canadians with respect to immigration and citizenship fraud.

The Canadian immigration and citizenship system is based on fairness. Applications are processed on a case-by-case basis. No application receives special treatment and no representative or other individual can guarantee that it will be approved.

Immigration and citizenship applicants are not required to hire a representative. In the event that applicants choose to have a paid representative, they are advised to make sure their representative is authorized. IRCC clearly indicates that they will not deal with representatives who charge a fee but are not authorized. If applicants use the paid services of an unauthorized representative, in Canada or abroad, IRCC may return the application or refuse it. For IRCC purposes, authorized representatives are:

• 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

• citizenship or immigration consultants who are members in good standing of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council​.

Beware of citizenship and immigration fraud!