REGINA – Two people are facing seven charges each for allegedly acting as unauthorized immigration consultants and committing fraud in Regina.
According to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Qi Wang, 41, and Yujuan Cui, 40, allegedly acted as immigration consultants without a licence and provided false documents containing job offers to foreign nationals between 2007 and 2013.
“The people who were involved, some of the foreign nationals are currently in Canada while others have left,” Luke Reimer, communications officer with CBSA, said.
The CBSA has charged Wang and Cui with three counts pursuant to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and four counts pursuant to the Criminal Code.
Two of the charges include misrepresentation of material facts that could result in an error in the administration of the IPRA and counselling persons to misrepresent material facts that could result in an error in the administration of the IRPA. Each count carries a maximum conviction of a $100,000 fine and five years in prison.
Four of the other charges, including committing forgery by making false job-offer documents, using forged job-offer documents and two counts of possessing $5,000 or more in proceeds obtained by committing an indictable offence, carry a maximum conviction of 10 years in prison.
One of the other charges of representing individuals applying for status in Canada without authorization carries a maximum conviction of a $100,00 fine and two years in prison.
Reimer said this incident is the first time the CBSA has prosecuted a case of such kind in Saskatchewan.
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“They have occurred in other parts of Canada, such as Calgary and Winnipeg before,” Reimer said. “It just shows that we take these charges very seriously.”
The CBSA’s Criminal Investigations Section first launched an investigation into the two individuals in April 2012 after receiving information on possible immigration fraud. The investigation continued for over three years.
“Each time we lay charges of this nature, we send a clear message that the CBSA has no tolerance for abuse of Canada’s immigration system. We will investigate and prosecute alleged offenders to the fullest extent of the law,” Kim R. Scoville, CBSA prairie regional director general, said.
The charges against the two individuals were sworn on Dec. 16, 2015. Wang and Cui appeared in Provincial Court on Jan. 26. Their next scheduled appearance in March 9.
Reimer added employers seeking consultation services or an individual looking to work in Canada can check the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website to see a list of who is allowed to charge a fee for representation.
The list includes lawyers, paralegals and citizenship or immigration consultants in good standing.
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