Immigration fraud leads to charges

April 16, 2018               Mississauga, Ontario              Canada Border Services Agency

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced today charges against a 42-year-old Mississauga Immigration Consultant, his 36-year-old wife, and their consulting firm 7891296 Canada Inc, for immigration fraud.

Wissam Qita is also the owner/operator of Explore Canada Immigration Services Inc. which employs his spouse Lama Loubani. It is alleged that between October 2015 and March 2018, Qita and Loubani sponsored refugees to immigrate to Canada under the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Privately Sponsored Refugees Program, requiring payment of cash between $7,500 and over $56,000. Requiring pre-payment for sponsorship is not permitted under the guidelines of the Program.  It is alleged that Qita, Loubani, and 7891296 Canada Inc. misrepresented the facts to IRCC in their refugee sponsorship applications.
 
On April 9, 2018,  following an extensive investigation by the CBSA Criminal Investigations Section, charges were laid against Qita, Loubani, and 7891296 Canada Inc. Qita was charged with nine counts of misrepresentation under subsection 127(a), and six counts of counseling misrepresentation under section 126 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). Loubani and 7891296 Canada Inc. were charged with four counts of misrepresentation under subsection 127(a) of the IRPA.

Court appearances for both Qita and Loubani are scheduled for May 10, 2018.