How to report fraud or abuse

Scammers want to take your hard-earned money and give you false promises of coming to or staying in Canada. Our focus is on identifying those responsible for committing fraud, and not on punishing people affected by fraud.

Help protect yourself and others by reporting immigration fraud. How you report fraud will depend on the type of fraud and whether you’re in or outside Canada.

Reporting fraud if you’re in Canada

Find out what to do and who to contact in the following situations.

You’re an international student who is a victim of fraud

International students who have been issued a removal order and are victims of document fraud may be allowed to stay in Canada. You could be eligible for a temporary resident permit if you meet 3 conditions:

  • You came to Canada with a genuine intention to study.
  • You used fake documents without your knowledge.
  • You have been issued a removal order.

Call the Client Support Centre to discuss your situation.

You should

You get a suspicious phone call, text message, or email

The suspicious call, text message or email is about:

Your visa application or immigration status

You should

Taxes

You should

  • hang up, then confirm if the call was real by calling the Canada Revenue Agency at 1‑800-959-8281
  • report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre if the call wasn’t real
  • report it to your local police or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police if you gave personal or financial information by mistake
Other common scams (like fake emails, websites, computer viruses and prizes)

You should

You think your visa documents are fake

You should

You think someone is a possible victim of human trafficking

You should

Important: Do not take the law into your own hands or take part in any illegal activity.

You think someone has committed immigration fraud

Contact us to report

  • suspicious activity at the border
  • a marriage of convenience
  • a person who has given false information on an immigration application
  • a person wanted on an immigration warrant

You should

  • call the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Border Watch Toll-Free Line at 1‑888-502-9060 (available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET)
  • report the immigration fraud online using the CBSA’s secure web form
You or someone you know is being abused

You should

Reporting fraud if you’re outside Canada

Find out who to contact in the following situations.

You think your visa documents may be fake

You should

You think someone is using fake documents to get into Canada

You should

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