Home NEWS Crackdown on "ghost" consultants

Crackdown on "ghost" consultants

By Jasminee Sahoye

Caribbean Camera

The Canadian Societyof Immigration Consultants (CSIC) on Wednesday announced new initiatives aimed at protecting immigrants from being exploited by "ghost" immigration agents.

"Ghost" agents provide immigration services without holding the mandatory CSIC membership. They

don't have to prove their competence and they're not accountable to anyone.

As part of National Immigration Protection Day, the CSIC is launching a national advertising campaign

to raise awareness around the issue of ghost agents.

The ads promote CSIC's new toll free referral line, which makes it easier than ever for immigrants to find a fully accredited Certified Canadian Immigration Consultant 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In order to get their message across the CSIC is targeting the ethnic media across the country as many ghost agents are placing ads in the ethnic media and opening up offices in ethnic communities.

"Immigrants come to Canada because we have a reputation for protecting the vulnerable. And yet many immigrants arrive here only to be exploited by a ghost agent," said John Ryan, CSIC Chair and Acting CEO.

The CSIC executive said ghost agents have been able to thrive by exploiting legal loopholes and the

agency wants the federal government to step up and close the legal loopholes.

"CSIC, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and other agencies have been gathering information on

ghost agents for years – we know who many of them are and where they are operating from, but law enforcement agencies can't do anything to stop them," Ryan told members of the media.

CSIC is a professional regulatory body for immigration consultants in Canada. Established in 2004 it currently has more than 1600 members. Further information can be obtained at www.csic.ca.