CBSA dismantles an alleged immigration fraud scheme

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced the results of Project Husky, a five-year investigation into a large-scale alleged immigration fraud scheme.

The investigation began in 2015 based on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada officials’ identification of suspicious documents submitted as part of permanent residency applications. On the surface, these appeared to be nomination certificates from the Government of Yukon issued under the Yukon Business Nominee Program. However, the Government of Yukon confirmed these documents were non-genuine and had not been issued by their office. Since the non-genuine documents were detected during the processing of applications, none of the applications to immigrate to Canada were approved. Therefore, no one obtained permanent resident status as a result of this alleged scheme.

The CBSA Criminal Investigations Section executed numerous search warrants in British Columbia and Yukon seeking evidence of the alleged fraud scheme. Five people are now facing charges for alleged violations of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Criminal Code.

“Project Husky shut down a large-scale alleged immigration fraud scheme that impersonated a legitimate nominee program. This investigation highlights the CBSA’s commitment to protecting Canadians and prospective immigrants from the threats posed by unlawful activities.” said Nina Patel, Regional Director General for the Pacific Region, Canada Border Services Agency.