An Ontario woman has pled guilty to charges after she admitted to providing immigration services without proper authorization — she was neither a registered immigration consultant nor a practicing lawyer, according to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
M.M. pled guilty in an Edmonton courtroom under section 91 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), which criminalizes providing immigration advice for a fee without the requisite legal credentials.
M.M. received an 18-month conditional sentence, including a six-month period of house arrest. Additionally, she was ordered to pay $148,000 in restitution to the victims of her fraudulent scheme. Her business, NAMI Immigration Inc. based in Edmonton, was implicated in these illegal activities.
The case unfolded after a 2019 referral from the Government of Alberta’s Temporary Foreign Worker Advisory Office prompted the CBSA to investigate M.M. She had reportedly charged two clients substantial sums, $30,000 and $45,000, promising employment in Alberta that ultimately proved to be non-existent. Instead, these individuals were ensnared in a ploy involving fraudulent pay stubs.
Further investigation revealed M.M.’s continued illicit practices, which included issuing fake job offers and forging documents while failing to submit necessary paperwork to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). It was confirmed that she was neither a registered immigration consultant nor a practicing lawyer, thus not meeting the criteria mandated by the IRPA.
In late 2019, CBSA escalated its actions against M.M., executing a search warrant at NAMI Immigration’s offices where they discovered forged immigration documents and additional client information. Charges were officially laid against her on April 21, 2023, leading to her arrest 10 days later in Mississauga, Ont.
Janalee Bell-Boychuk, Regional Director General for the Prairie Region at the CBSA, emphasized the agency’s resolve, stating, “The Canada Border Services Agency is committed to investigating and pursuing the prosecution of individuals who abuse Canada’s immigration system. By dismantling fraudulent immigration schemes, we are protecting the integrity of Canada’s borders and safeguarding potential immigrants from exploitation.”
Section 91 of the IRPA is a protective measure to guard against exploitation in the immigration system, mandating that only authorized individuals can charge fees for immigration advice. The CBSA continues to play a critical role in curbing immigration fraud and related crimes, urging the public to report suspicious activities and to refer to official resources for reliable immigration information.
