Fraud

Key Messages

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has a multi-layered approach to prevent, detect and address fraud in immigration applications.
• This approach targets fraud in individual applications as well as coordinated fraud schemes to prevent systemic abuse within immigration and citizenship programs, and hold bad actors accountable.
• IRCC actively targets organized and coordinated fraud schemes through its administrative investigations and undertakes fraud disruption techniques in collaboration with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), who is responsible for pursuing enforcement action related to foreign nationals in Canada.

Key Facts and Figures

• In 2024, IRCC reviewed an average of 9,000 cases of suspected immigration fraud every month. This led to thousands of applications being refused and tens of thousands of bad faith actors being banned from entering Canada.
• Under a renewed effort to detect fraud, the total number of applications refused for misrepresentation has been consistent.
• We are also seeing early signs of a decrease in non-genuine visitors among more recently approved visas, demonstrating that measures are working.
• In 2024, IRCC increased integrity measures in the student program by verifying more than 650K letters of acceptance (LOAs) with designated learning institutions (DLIs) leading to an increase in additional officer reviews for “no match” files to verify authenticity.

Organized Crime and Other Public Investigations

• Canada maintains a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and organized crime. Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, individuals convicted of serious crimes are inadmissible and may lose their immigration status, with the CBSA empowered to enforce removal orders.
• IRCC collaborates with the CBSA, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and international partners to detect and disrupt organized crime while raising public awareness to encourage reporting of suspicious activity.
• IRCC has been monitoring recent fraud concerns related to recent media coverage in Quebec. IRCC takes a firm stance against abuses of our programs. When information is uncovered, it is shared with our partners, such as CBSA and RCMP, to take enforcement action. We are also able to flag cases to our processing offices to prevent further abuse and disrupt the activities of these criminals.
• Permanent and temporary residents who are convicted of criminal offenses may be inadmissible to Canada and subject to removal. Business owners participating in illegal activity may also be charged with criminal offences.

Misuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program

• The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is jointly administrated by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and IRCC with the support of CBSA. Questions related to misuse or fraud under the TFWP should be directed to ESDC.
• Instances of suspected criminal activity, including fraud, are referred to the appropriate authorities including the CBSA, RCMP or local police force.
• To support workers, Service Canada offers a confidential tip line, available 24/7. Live agents are available in 200 languages. Concerns can also be reported anonymously through an online reporting tool. Workers are encouraged to report any concerns about unsafe conditions and protections are in place to help ensure workers can speak up without fear of reprisal.

If pressed:

• Canadian employers who want to hire a temporary foreign worker under the TFWP must submit and obtain a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) through ESDC. ESDC assesses LMIA requests received and makes an assessment on the genuineness of the employer and on the impact these temporary foreign workers would have on the Canadian labour market.
• LMIA misuse is a principal concern for the program and refers to the buying and selling of LMIA applications, as well as the unethical recruitment and exploitation of vulnerable foreign nationals for personal and financial gain. LMIA misuse can be carried out by employers, third parties and/or temporary foreign workers, including stakeholders overseas.
• ESDC has a number of tools already in place to mitigate risks linked to program misuse. Specific questions should be referred to ESDC.

If pressed on IRCC’s role:

• IRCC reviews and processes work permit applications submitted by temporary foreign workers by assessing whether applicants meet eligibility, regulatory requirements including the genuineness of the job offer, and admissibility (health, criminality, and security).
• While LMIA misuse is primarily addressed by ESDC, IRCC also addresses this issue by:
  • training officers to detect misuse when assessing the genuineness of a job offer prior to issuing a work permit;
  • participating in domestic and international outreach with a focus on advancing ethical recruitment practices;
  • maintaining dedicated web pages on LMIA fraud on IRCC websites; and
  • implementing a new temporary measure so that Express Entry candidates no longer receive additional points for having a job offer to reduce fraud by removing the incentive to illegally buy or sell LMIAs to improve a candidate’s chances of being selected to come to Canada as a permanent resident.

Employer Inspections (International Mobility Program and TFWP)

• Canadian employers hiring foreign workers on employer-specific work permits under both the International Mobility Program (IMP) and the TFWP are subject to an employer compliance regime to promote safe and fair working conditions, to help prevent program misuse, and to ensure that they comply with the conditions imposed under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.
• Employer compliance inspections under the IMP are conducted by IRCC, whereas inspections under the TFWP are conducted by ESDC.
• Under both programs, should an employer be found non-compliant following an inspection, they may be subject to a warning, an Administrative Monetary Penalty (AMP), or a ban from the program.
• The AMP amount and the length of the ban are determined based on several factors, including the type or classification of the condition, any past history of non-compliance, and the severity of the violation. All employers found non-compliant who have received an AMP and/or a ban under either program are listed on a public website.

Fraud: International Students

• Changes have been implemented in recent years to build upon existing systems and to mitigate risks in the International Student Program (ISP) that have surfaced following record intake volumes in the years after the global pandemic. In some cases, volume increases can be attributed to large-scale organized fraud networks enabling certain foreign nationals to gain entry into Canada, under the guise of the ISP.
• Since December 2023, IRCC systematically verifies LOAs with DLIs for each study permit application. This new verification process aims to mitigate fraud and ensure that study permits are issued only based on genuine LOAs.
  • In 2024, IRCC verified 650,808 LOAs with DLIs. 14,255 of these letters received a “no match” response from DLIs. When a “verified—no match” response is received, officers review the file to ensure that the LOA is authentic.
• New regulations came into force on November 8, 2024, to strengthen program integrity, including:
  • Requiring international students at the post-secondary level to attend the DLI identified on their study permit and to apply for a new study permit if they decide to change their DLI, and
  • Requiring DLIs to participate in mandatory student compliance reporting and LOA verification, and introducing consequences for DLIs that fail to comply with these requirements.
• Between January and September 2025, IRCC approved 92,000 study permit applications compared to 223,500 in the same period in 2024 (a decrease of 59%). Over the same period of time, global study permit intake decreased 44% from 379,200 to 211,000.
• The total percentage of refusals for misrepresentation reasons has increased since 2023:
  • January to September 2025: 1.9%
  • January to September 2024: 1.7%
  • January to September 2023: 1.4%

If pressed on organized crime and other public investigations:

• Canada maintains a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and organized crime. Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, individuals convicted of serious crimes are inadmissible and may lose their immigration status, with the CBSA empowered to enforce removal orders.
• IRCC collaborates with the CBSA, the RCMP, and international partners to detect and disrupt organized crime while raising public awareness to encourage reporting of suspicious activity.
• IRCC has been monitoring recent fraud concerns related to recent media coverage in Quebec and takes a firm stance against abuses of our programs. When information is uncovered, it is shared with our partners such as the CBSA and RCMP to take enforcement action. We are also able to flag cases to our processing offices to prevent further abuse and disrupt the activities of these criminals.
• Permanent and temporary residents who are convicted of criminal offenses are inadmissible to Canada and subject to removal. Business owners participating in illegal activity may also be charged with criminal offences.

Biometrics

• The use of biometrics (i.e., fingerprints and photograph) has become an integral part of Canada’s immigration screening and border management practices. Set against the backdrop of an increasing number of immigration applications to Canada, changing international travel patterns and greater sophistication in identity fraud, identity verification is key to optimizing positive outcomes for both IRCC and CBSA, which share the administration and enforcement of the immigration programs.

Updated Regulations to Address Misconduct by People who are Paid for Representation or Advice

College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Regulations

• The government established the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants in 2021 to regulate immigration and citizenship consultants and protect the public from fraud.
• The College is an important part of the government’s efforts to fight fraud in Canada’s immigration system. IRCC maintains oversight to ensure the College fulfills its mandate to protect the public and strengthen the integrity of the immigration and citizenship consultants’ industry.
• IRCC is introducing regulations to further define the structure and operations of the College. These new regulations aim to improve the regulation of immigration and citizenship consultants.
• The regulations will:
  • elaborate on the College’s authorities under the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act (College Act) in such areas as the public register, the complaints and discipline processes, and investigations conducted by the College;
  • prescribe the management of the College’s compensation fund for victims of unethical immigration and citizenship consultants; and
  • clarify the Minister’s power to appoint someone to take over the board of directors’ duties if it fails to meet its responsibilities under the College Act.
• The draft regulations were published in the Canada Gazette on December 21, 2024, followed by a 45-day public consultation period during which stakeholder feedback was received and considered. The regulations are anticipated to take effect in spring 2026.

Administrative Penalties and Consequences Regime

• The Government of Canada is introducing a new system called the Administrative Penalties and Consequences Regime. This system is being added to the immigration and citizenship system to help protect people from fraud and unauthorized advice.
• The new regime allows IRCC to issue fines to people who give immigration or citizenship advice or representation without proper authorization, or who encourage others to lie or misrepresent information. In addition to fines, IRCC will be able to publish the names of those who break these rules.
• To enforce this, IRCC will be able to inspect records and request documents from those offering paid services. The new system will apply to anyone who is paid to give immigration or citizenship advice or represent someone during the application process. This includes authorized professionals like licensed consultants and lawyers, as well as unauthorized individuals in Canada or abroad.
• Fines are given per application, so someone can be fined multiple times if they break the rules on several applications. Anyone who receives a penalty can ask for a review by an independent reviewer.
• Fines vary based on the violation, ranging from $5,000 for each case of unauthorized practice to $15,000 for each case of encouraging misrepresentation. Total fines can go up to $1.5M.
• The proposed changes were published in the Canada Gazette on December 21, 2024, with a 45-day public consultation with the final rules expected to come into effect later in 2025 or early 2026.