Ottawa sets $5,000 to $1.5 million fines for bogus immigration advice
Only lawyers and licensed consultants may give immigration advice, and knowingly giving false advice carries a minimum fine of $15,000.
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The federal Immigration Department has introduced new fines of $5,000 to $1.5 million for people who give bogus or unlicensed immigration and citizenship advice, the department announced.
The fines apply to giving immigration advice, or acting as a representative on an application, without authorization. Only lawyers and members of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants are authorized to give that advice. The minimum fine for that is $5,000. Anyone who knowingly gives false or misleading advice faces a minimum fine of $15,000.
Fines are higher where an application was approved on the basis of false advice, and higher again for repeat offences. The department says it will establish a registry of those fined in 2027.
The announcement says the penalties are meant to protect applicants from fraud and exploitation.
Separately, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program has fined unlicensed consultant Jaskaran Jit Singh as part of a 2025 crackdown. In total, individuals and entities have been penalized under the Ontario Immigration Act for providing false or misleading information.
