How to Report Immigration Fraud in Canada

Last Updated: October 21, 2021 References

Immigration fraud can include anything from a marriage of convenience or overstaying a visa to drug smuggling or human trafficking. Many of these activities have serious consequences, both for Canadian taxpayers and any victims of the fraud. You can report immigration fraud in Canada whether your inside or outside the country, and all information reported is seriously investigated.^{[1]
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Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Reporting Immigration Fraud Outside Canada

1
Locate the appropriate embassy or consulate. If you want to report immigration fraud and you are currently located outside of Canada, the easiest way to do so is to find the Canadian embassy or consulate nearest you.^{[2]
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- You can find locations of all Canadian embassies and consulates by visiting the Travel page of the Government Canada website.
- Immigration fraud also can be reported to your nearest visa center. Visit the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) website for locations if you want to file your report with a visa center.
- For some types of fraud, you may want to report to the embassy or consulate in the country where the fraud is taking place, rather than the embassy or consulate nearest you.
- While you can file your report at any of Canada's immigration offices abroad, you can save time by directing your report to the embassy or consulate that likely has contact with the individuals involved.
2
Gather information about the fraud. Before you submit your report to Canadian officials, gather any documents or evidence you have and write a comprehensive outline of all the factual details you know so you don't leave anything out.^{[5]
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- The more information you have, the more likely it is that embassy or consulate officials will be able to investigate and uncover the fraudulent activity.
- However, don't worry if you don't have much information, and don't put yourself in danger attempting to acquire more information for the sake of a report.
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3
Submit your report. Once you've got your information together, contact the Canadian embassy or consulate where you've decided to file your report and talk to an official about what you know.^{[6]
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- These reports are always confidential, and you may be able to remain anonymous if you want to do so, for example because you fear for your safety.
- Although Canadian officials don't invoke penalties for reporting false information, do your best to make sure that the information you provide is complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge.
- Include as many details as you can, and don't leave anything out. Something you think is unimportant could turn out to be the fact that breaks the case for the investigators.
- If possible, get an identification or case number for your report so if you need to follow up with additional information later you can do so without repeating the same information over and over again.
4
Follow up if necessary. Authorities typically won't give you information regarding any investigation that follows from your report, but if you learn any new facts you should contact the same embassy or consulate where you filed your original report.^{[7]
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- If you were provided with a case number, you can give it to the official with whom you speak so your new information will be connected with your original report.
- Even if you don't have a number to identify your case, you still should provide additional information as you come across it. Just be sure to give the official enough information to connect the two reports so they aren't treated as separate.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Reporting Immigration Fraud Inside Canada

1
Organize the information you have. Before you report immigration fraud, take a moment to write down all the facts you know, including details of any incidents you've observed in chronological order.^{[8]
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- Since you may be filing your report over the phone, writing down the factual details you have can help you ensure the accuracy of what you're telling the agent.
- The most valuable information includes identifying information about the person you suspect of immigration fraud, such as their name, address, and date of birth or approximate age.
- Keep in mind that the more information you have about the person, the more likely immigration agents will be able to find and investigate the situation. Without much to go on, the person won't be identified and the fraud will likely continue.
- If you observed any specific incidents, write down as many details of those incidents as you can recall, including the date, time and location where the incident happened.
2
Determine if you can file a report online. For some types of fraud, such as abuse or misuse of Canada's temporary foreign worker program, you can file a report online at the Service Canada website.^{[9]
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- Online reporting can be easier because you have time to compose your message and double-check your facts before you submit your report.
- If you file a report online, any identifying information you provide will be kept confidential and not released unless you provide specific consent for authorities to do so.
- However, you don't need to provide any identifying information at all and can remain anonymous.
3
Call the appropriate phone number. For most types of citizenship fraud, you can file your report by calling the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Call Centre and speak to an agent.^{[10]
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- The IRCC Call Centre number is 1-888-242-2100. Automated service is available 24 hours a day seven days a week.
- However, if you want to speak to an agent and report immigration fraud, you should call Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. (your local time), excluding statutory holidays.
- Citizenship fraud relates primarily to people who pretend to live in Canada to become a citizen, or who hid information about their case so they could gain citizenship.
- For other types of immigration fraud, another number may be more helpful to get your report to the right agency that can do something about it.
- For example, if you know of immigrants who are not paying taxes, you can call 1-866-809-6841 to report that type of fraud. If you know immigrants who are trying to hide assets offshore, you can report that activity by calling 1-855-345-9042.
4
Tell the agent what you know. Provide all factual details you know about the fraud, including names and locations or any other information that may help identify the individuals involved in the fraudulent activities.^{[13]
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- Provide as many specific details as you know, but don't worry if there's something you don't know – even if it seems important.
- Depending on the content of your report, the agent may have questions for you. Answer them as best you can, but feel free to say you don't know if they ask something about which you don't have information.
- You typically can remain anonymous, but it may be important to your report to identify yourself or your relationship to the person you're reporting – especially if you want the agency to keep your identify confidential.
5
Update your report as necessary. While you typically won't be able to find out what happens as a result of your report, if you learn any new information you should call the same number you used to file your original report and tell an agent about it.^{[14]
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- If you were given a report number when you made your initial report, you should give that number to the agent who answers so that your new information can be connected to your initial report and everything is all in one place.
- Take care not to go out of your way or put yourself in danger to learn new information. The agency will investigate based on the information you provided.
- If you gave contact information, an agent involved in the investigation also may contact you with questions.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Reporting Suspicious Border Activity

1
Assess the level of the situation. Who you call to report suspicious border activity depends on the level of danger involved. If you suspect that someone's life is in danger, or if you know a victim of human trafficking, you should contact your local police immediately.^{[15]
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- Don't take the law into your own hands or become involved in illegal activity yourself, whether to get more information or to protect possible victims.
- If you're concerned for your own safety and want to submit a report anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
2
Gather information about the activity you've observed. While you want to take care not to put yourself or anyone nearby in any danger, the more factual details you have about the activity, the more likely it will be stopped.^{[16]
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- You may want to create an outline with the dates, times, and locations of activity you've observed.
- If you're observing continuing activity, take notes of your observations as the incident is happening. You may be able to record more information in the moment than you would be able to remember later.
- Documents and photographs also may be helpful if you can acquire them safely.
3
Consider contacting your member of parliament (MP). Particularly if you've observed ongoing activity on several occasions, your MP may be able to investigate and help you report the situation to Border Services.^{[18]
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- Call your MP's office and tell the staff member that answers that you want to schedule an appointment.
- After you've scheduled your appointment, you may want to look into your MP's background and positions, if you aren't already familiar with them. Learning about your MP's stance on immigration can help you understand how to approach them.
- Bring all the information you have about the immigration fraud you're observing with you to the appointment.
- Explain to the MP that you're not asking them to investigate the matter. You only want them to help you report and bring the issue to the attention of someone in Border Services who will do something to stop the fraud from continuing to happen.
4
Call the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The CBSA is responsible for investigating immigration matters that relate specifically to smuggling and illegal border crossings. The agency has a hotline you can call at any time 24 hours a day, seven days a week.^{[19]
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- Call 1-888-502-9060 to file your report with the CBSA Border Watch. Press "1" when prompted to speak to an agent, and tell the agent what you want to report.
- Include as much specific information as you have, including names, addresses, ages, and physical descriptions of those engaging in fraudulent activities.
- At a minimum, the CBSA needs the persons complete name, age or date of birth, and a description of the fraud the person has committed.
- Ask the agent for a log or case number so that if you have to call again, you can give that number to the agent who answers.
5
Follow up on your report. While the CBSA will begin investigating your report as soon as possible, the time it takes to complete an investigation varies, and they will not give you any information regarding an ongoing investigation or its results.^{[21]
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- Your identity will be kept confidential. While the CBSA may share information with other law enforcement agencies, your identify will not be revealed and you likely will not be contacted again as a result of your report.
- For that reason, if you learn new information it's up to you to call the CBSA number again and let the agent know what you've learned.
- Keep in mind that the CBSA prioritizes certain types of issues, such as terrorism and human smuggling, over others.
- The CBSA takes every tip seriously and will investigate it as soon as possible as far as they can given what you've told them.
- Even though you can't expect to learn anything regarding the progress of the investigation, additional information can move the investigation forward.

Warnings

Don't file a false report just to get back at someone you don't like. Although there are no penalties for false information, filing a false report can waste significant government resources.^{[23]
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