06 May 2009

Canadian visa holders invited to comment on immigration agents

The Canadian government has invited all Canadian visa holders who have emigrated to Canada using immigration agents to report on the service they were provided.

A national online survey for Canadian visa holders is now available for Canadian immigrants so that those affected by fraudulent immigration agents can have their experiences counted by the Government.

The survey will be online for the next two weeks, and is part of the government's campaign to scour out unethical agents and help people thinking of emigrating to Canada to become more aware of the dangers of using dodgy immigration services.

"I’ve heard a lot of unsettling stories of how people have been taken in by dishonest immigration consultants or unethical representatives, such as labour, student or live-in care-giver recruiters," said Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism.

"Make no mistake – the Government enforces Canadian law when immigration fraud is proven. But we’d prefer to prevent the wrongdoing in the first place to protect the integrity of Canada’s immigration system and protect people from harm."

The survey is available on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) website until the 17 May, and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.

The Government will not be collecting personal details from the survey, but will be using the information collated to establish a sense of the extent of problem of fraudulence so that policies can be put in place to protect future potential migrants.

Any Canadian visa holder who recently emigrated to Canada and needs to file a complaint about a fraudulent immigration adviser needs to contact the appropriate authorities as well as use this survey. 

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The Canadian Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people apply for Canada visa and immigration services.