Document Fraud and Misrepresentation

How to Identify Document Fraud and Misrepresentation

“Honesty is the best policy.” This saying is particularly true when it comes to submitting applications to the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. If an immigration officer finds out you are being untruthful about your application, your application can be refused. Moreover, the immigration can charge you with misrepresentation. If you are not confident to submit your own applications without any errors in them, then it is highly recommended that you seek professional guidance. In this blog, you will learn about document fraud and misrepresentation.

Document Fraud

As previously mentioned if you submit any incomplete, inaccurate or inconsistent documentation or information to Immigration, they have the authorization to investigate further and may deem the documentation as fraudulent. Certain documents that can be altered or falsified include but are not limited to:

· Passports

· travel identification

· visas

· educational certificates

· birth certificates

· marriage certificates

· divorce certificates

· death certificates

· police certificates

· travel itineraries

· translated documents

Therefore, before submitting any documentation or information to Immigration Canada, it is vital for you to review and analyze if any of the documents are fake. If you get charged with misrepresentation, it can be truly detrimental to your application and your status in Canada in general.

Apart from physical documentation, information that you provide to Immigration Canada can also be considered fraudulent. For instance, should you lie or omit information on an immigration application or verbally to an Immigration officer during an interview; this can also be considered fraudulent. In Canada, this is also considered a crime and it has severe consequences. Such consequences of falsifying documents or providing false information can include:

· Banning you from re-entering Canada for a minimum of 5 years

· Providing you with a permanent record of fraud in Canada

· Withdrawing your status as a permanent resident or a Canadian citizen

· Charging you with a crime, or

· Being removed from Canada

Fraud and Misrepresentation Affecting your Future

Of course, taken into consideration the previously mentioned consequences, which are quite severe, there are other circumstances that can arise as well. For instance, if you are removed from Canada, there can be one of three different types of removal orders that can be issued to you. You can either be issued a departure order, an exclusion order or a deportation order. If you are issued a departure order, you must comply with it and leave Canada as soon as possible. You must also inform Immigration Canada once you have departed the country. If you do not abide by these requirements, unfortunately the departure order will automatically become a deportation order, and you will need to apply for an Authorization to Return to Canada (ARC) prior to returning to Canada.

Moreover, if you are issued a deportation order, you will also be permanently banned from entering Canada unless you apply for an Authorization to Return to Canada. It is also important to pay back any funds that Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has paid for your removal order. If you fail to appear for a removal interview or to comply with your removal order, the CBSA will issue a Canada-wide warrant for your arrest. Once arrested, the CBSA may detain you in a holding facility before removal. Consequently, it is very apparent that in any circumstance that is deemed to be fraudulent or misrepresentation, the consequences are very significant for the applicant and their future in Canada and outside of Canada.

Example of Fraud and Misrepresentation

You can be removed from Canada due to misrepresentation and failure to omit material facts with regards to your marriages in the immigration application. If Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada finds out that you got married to a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, so that you could get a status in Canada as well, you are very likely be charged with misrepresentation. It is important for you note that Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada takes misrepresentation very seriously, as they want to eliminate any factors that will influence an officer’s decision made under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. It is, therefore, essential for you carefully review your application before submitting it to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada.

Contact Akrami & Associates

A lot of foreign individuals, who are not familiar with Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, are very likely to provide false information or omit facts on their immigration applications. If you are a victim of misrepresentation or fraud and would like help on what to do next, we can definitely help you with the process. Alternatively, if you want to make sure you are not omitting or providing misleading information to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, you are highly recommended to seek professional help as well. Appealing a misrepresentation allegation can be difficult to pursue on your own, and it is highly recommended that you seek out professional and experienced help before attempting to proceed. Here, at Akrami & Associates, we work and have experience with many different immigration issues. We have helped many of our clients gain entry into Canada after being accused of misrepresentation or fraud. If you believe that you may be eligible, please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates at our office at 416-477-2545 for more information or if you would like to book a consultation with an immigration professional for more advise.

With Akrami & Associates, there is always a way!