Key takeaways
- No one can guarantee a visa, PR or faster processing: that promise is a red flag
- Employers must not charge you recruitment fees or the $1,000 LMIA fee
- A “ghost consultant” charges you but hides their name from your application
- IRCC never asks for payment by phone, threatens you, or contacts you through social media or Gmail
- Report fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: 1-888-495-8501
The biggest red flags
- Guarantees. IRCC warns about offers of “guaranteed entry into Canada or faster processing”. Only IRCC decides, and it gives no special treatment to people with representatives.
- Paying for a job offer or an LMIA. A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a document an employer gets to hire a foreign worker. Employers must pay the $1,000 processing fee themselves and must not recover it, or any recruitment fees, from you.
- Salaries that look too high. IRCC lists job ads with salaries that “seem too high to be real” as a warning sign.
- Pressure and secrecy. “Pay today or lose your spot”, “do not tell IRCC we helped you”, or “sign this blank form”.
- Unlicensed helpers. The person charging you is not on the CICC register or a law society directory.
- Requests to lie. Fake marriage, fake job letters, fake bank statements or fake school letters. You, not the agent, face the penalty, including a possible five-year ban for misrepresentation.
What is a ghost consultant?
A ghost consultant is someone who charges you for immigration help but does not put their name on your application. They often say “it is better if you apply as yourself”. They may be unlicensed, or a licensed person hiding their role.
Why it matters:
- IRCC says anyone who advises or represents you for payment is breaking the law unless they are authorized.
- If something goes wrong, you have no regulator to complain to and no record of who did the work.
- They often control your online account, so you cannot see letters or deadlines.
A licensed representative should be named on the Use of a Representative form (IMM 5476), signed by you. Ask for copies of everything submitted and keep your own account login.
What IRCC will never do
IRCC says its employees will never:
- Ask you to deposit money into a personal bank account or send money through a private money transfer service.
- Threaten you, for example with arrest or deportation, to make you pay.
- Offer special deals to people who want to immigrate.
- Use free email services such as Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo.
- Send an email asking for your private information, or start a conversation through social media.
- Ask for any sort of payment by telephone.
Real government emails end in gc.ca or canada.ca. Pay IRCC fees only through the official IRCC online payment pages.
Common scams targeting newcomers
Fake job offers
An “employer” or “recruiter” offers a job in Canada, then asks for money for the LMIA, a work permit, training or a “processing fee”. Real employers cannot charge you these fees. Check that the company exists, and look up the job on Job Bank.
Phone calls from “IRCC” or “CBSA”
The caller says there is a problem with your file or your status, and you must pay now or be deported. Hang up. Log in to your own IRCC account to check.
Fake websites and social media pages
Pages that look official but charge for free forms, or sell “draw slots” or “guaranteed ITAs”. Express Entry invitations come only from IRCC draws. See our Express Entry draw tracker.
Rental and job scams after you arrive
Fake landlords ask for a deposit before you see a place. Read our rental scams guide.
How to protect yourself
- Check the licence of anyone you pay on the CICC register or the law society directory. Our step-by-step licence check shows how.
- Get a written contract that lists services, fees and refunds.
- Pay by traceable methods to a business account, and get receipts.
- Keep control: your passport, your IRCC account password and your documents.
- Read everything you sign. Never sign a blank form or a form with false information.
- Use free help when you can. See free and low-cost legal help.
If you already paid a scammer
- Stop all payments and do not send more documents.
- Call your bank or card company right away. Some payments can be stopped or disputed if you act quickly.
- Save the evidence: messages, emails, phone numbers, receipts, website links and screenshots.
- Check your IRCC account for any application made in your name, and change your passwords.
- Report it (see the table below). A report helps police and regulators stop the person and can support a refund claim.
- Get proper advice about your immigration status from a legal clinic or a licensed representative, especially if false documents were sent in your name.
Be careful of “recovery” offers. People who promise to get your money back for a fee are often the same scammers.
Where to report a scam
| Problem | Report to |
|---|---|
| Online, phone or email scam | Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: 1-888-495-8501 (Monday to Friday, 10 am to 4:45 pm Eastern) or online. Also tell local police if you shared money or bank details. |
| A licensed consultant | Complaint to the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants |
| A lawyer, Quebec notary or Ontario paralegal | Their provincial or territorial law society (or the Chambre des notaires du Québec) |
| Unauthorized or fraudulent representative | IRCC web form for reporting fraud |
| Employer abusing a temporary foreign worker, or charging fees | ESDC tip line: 1-866-602-9448, 24 hours a day; service in over 200 languages during business hours |
IRCC says its goal “is to find and stop the people committing fraud, not punish the people who were misled”. ESDC says it will never tell your employer who made a report.