Government of Canada: Proposed new penalties for paid immigration representatives who break the law

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is introducing new rules to penalize paid representatives (authorized and unauthorized) who break the law when representing applicants and advising them on immigration or citizenship applications. This includes fines of up to a maximum of $1.5 million for advising clients to misrepresent themselves. The regulations would also require that the minister publish information concerning persons found liable for a violation on the department’s website, including the nature of the violation, the amount of the administrative monetary penalty and an indication of whether the person has paid the penalty.

The goals are to encourage paid representatives to act honestly and only with appropriate authorization, and to combat fraud. This will strengthen the integrity of our immigration system and support our commitment to border security.