Supporting Afghan nationals: Avoid becoming a victim of immigration fraud

The Government of Canada is working hard to welcome at least 40,000 refugees and vulnerable Afghans to Canada. You should be aware of fraud scams aimed at vulnerable people who want to resettle in Canada.

Learn more about

• immigration and citizenship representatives and
• how to check if a person is licensed to represent immigrants or give advice

Things to remember

The Government of Canada will never:

• charge fees to be considered for the Special Immigration Measures Program or the humanitarian program for Afghan nationals
• offer jobs or guarantee the outcome of resettlement applications
• ask you to send personal information by text or social media
• guarantee a visa to Canada

What to look out for

Don’t reply to messages like these:

• Unsolicited contact by email, text or social media
• Requests for you to submit personal information by text or social media
• Requests for you to submit information to an email domain you do not recognize
• Charging fees, especially by phone, prepaid credit cards or through a private money transfer service provider (like Pay Pal or MoneyGram)
• Guarantees of approved applications, fast-track processing or job offers
• Communication by personal channels (like non-government emails or websites that use .com domains)
• People impersonating Government of Canada staff or agents claiming to act on our behalf

What to do if you get a suspicious message

• Call IRCC to make sure the message is legitimate.
• Check that the reply-to email address uses an official Government of Canada email domain, such as
  • @cic.gc.ca
  • @canada.ca
  • @international.gc.ca
  • @forces.gc.ca
  • @notification.canada.ca
• Don’t respond to messages that ask for personal information or click on any links from email domains you don’t recognize.
• Report any money lost to a fraudster to your local police, if you feel safe doing so.

If you have questions about communications you received claiming to be from the Government of Canada or IRCC, call us at +1-613-321-4243. We take calls

• from people in Canada and abroad
• Monday to Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)

We accept charges for collect calls or calls with reverse charges.