Ontario will soon introduce legislation to crack down on fraudulent immigration representatives who exploit newcomers.
The bill, if passed, would allow the province to create new standards for immigration representatives when assisting individuals or employers with their Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) application. This bill includes penalties for those who violate these standards.
David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development noted that this legislation targets bad actors who exploit vulnerable newcomers by scamming them out of tens of thousands of dollars, among other abuses, and jeopardizing their immigration status.
“OTA has been calling for tougher standards when it comes to the OINP and we are pleased to see the province moving in this direction,” said Jon Blackham, OTA director of Policy and Public Affairs. “OTA is aware of the many unscrupulous actors in this space and we are hopeful this legislation will help to weed them out.”
Federally, the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has also been calling on the federal government for tougher standards and a crackdown on those who abuse the system.
“We have seen unusual activity in our sector and consistent irregularities when it comes to some carriers and the number of approved LMIAs [Labour Market Impact Assessments] they have,” Stephen Laskowski, president of the OTA and CTA.
“In some cases, we can see companies with huge numbers of approved LMIAs in proportion to their fleet size. This should be an obvious red flag for authorities that draws questions as to why more drivers are required than trucks registered to the fleets.”
In other cases, CTA has been informed how people are being charged as much as $60,000 for LMIA, then forced to work for well below minimum wage in conditions that could be considered indentured servitude, or even modern slavery, in order to pay off the debt.
The coming Ontario legislation is said to propose a ban of between three and 10 years for immigration representatives caught violating the Ontario Immigration Act, and a lifetime ban on those who have been convicted of human trafficking and withholding passports.
If passed, the bill will also expand the province’s authority to fine anyone who commits fraud in an OINP application, or representatives who counsel an applicant to lie on their OINP application.
OTA will continue to report to members on this bill as it is introduced and moves through the legislative process.