The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced that Sardar Hussain Hasan (AKA Sardar Hussain Hasan Al Bebany) recently pleaded guilty in Nova Scotia Provincial Court to two counts of misrepresentation under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). He was ordered to pay a $70,000 fine.
This case began on July 2, 2013, when CBSA officers at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport discovered that Hasan’s son was attempting to import his father’s Jordanian passport, in the name of Al Bebany.
A CBSA investigation revealed that the passport belonged to Hasan, an Iraqi and Jordanian citizen with Canadian permanent resident status, who was using the passport in a different name to circumvent his Canadian residence requirements. By using a dual passport scheme, Hasan had, over a period of almost four years, created the appearance of living in Canada when in fact he was not. He did this by using his Iraqi passport in the name of Hasan to enter Canada, and his Jordanian passport in the name of Al Bebany when travelling extensively abroad. The offences were identified when Hasan applied to renew his permanent resident card, and when he made statements to immigration officials that he had been outside of Canada for only 71 days over the previous four years, when in reality he had never permanently resided in Canada.
In October 2013, CBSA investigators charged Hasan under IRPA for using two different passports to circumvent his residency requirements in order to maintain his permanent resident status.
Quick Facts
- The CBSA’s Criminal Investigations Division works closely with Citizenship and Immigration Canada and CBSA frontline staff to investigate offences under the IRPA and to bring violators to justice.
- CBSA criminal investigators frequently investigate potential IRPA offences, including: human smuggling, immigration consultant fraud, marriages of convenience and employing foreign nationals without authorization. Other IRPA offences include possessing and using false identity documents and residency fraud.
- Section 28 of IRPA identifies the residency obligation to maintain permanent resident status.
- To report immigration fraud in Canada, please call the Border Watch Toll-free Line at 1‑888-502-9060. All information is treated as confidential.
Quote
“The CBSA is committed to maintaining the integrity of Canada’s immigration system and takes the issue of immigration fraud very seriously. We work closely with our national and international partners to identify, investigate and prosecute to the full extent of the law anyone who engages in this kind of fraud.”
- Tom Critchlow, Director of Enforcement and Intelligence, CBSA Atlantic Region
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Contact
CBSA Atlantic Region Communications
902-426-0900
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