Federal Government must reform regulatory system to protect prospective
immigrants to Canada
Ghost immigration agents are dishonest people who pretend to be immigration consultants, but have no qualifications and offer none of the protections offered by members of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants or other authorized immigration representatives.
"Minister Kenney needs introduce specific penalties for those who falsely hold themselves out to be immigration consultants. Dishonest people are taking advantage of legal loopholes in the regulatory system. Ghost immigration agents are front-ending immigration applications and offering their services in areas such as citizenship where the Canadian Government has yet to designate who can represent for a fee. The Government must act quickly to close these loopholes so that vulnerable people are protected," said Imran Qayyum, Chair of CMI.
"Consumers don't need to hire a representative to help them with the immigration process, but Citizenship and Immigration Canada's own survey revealed that those who seek help hire an immigration consultant. The Government needs to take action to ensure that the only representatives available to prospective immigrants are authorized representatives such as a member of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants, a lawyer or
The role of the Canadian Migration Institute (www.cmi-icm.ca) is to educate, advocate and accredit on immigration policy. CMI represents more than 1700 authorized immigration representatives and is the largest organization of its kind in
For further information: Contact: Tiffany Nyklickova, (416) 815-4277 x 3, [email protected]
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