The CBSA announced Friday that their investigation has led to a conviction for counselling immigration misrepresentation in Saskatchewan

On Wednesday, Saskatoon resident Balvir Singh received a two-year less a day conditional sentence, $10,000 fine, and 40 hours of community service after pleading guilty in Saskatoon Court of King’s Bench to Counselling Misrepresentation under Section 126 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).

In a news release the Canada Border Services Agency says criminal investigators in Regina started their investigation in 2018 after Border Services Officers across Canada reported unusually large numbers of immigration applications for a Saskatoon-based non-profit. In June 2021, search warrants were executed at Singh’s residence and a Saskatoon restaurant where evidence was seized.

The investigation found that Singh was counseling foreign nationals to misrepresent employment information on federal and provincial immigration applications. This included falsified pay stubs, offers of employment and other supporting documents related to non-existent employment in Canada.

Furthermore, those foreign nationals connected to Singh who came to Canada with misrepresented information began engaging in unauthorized work outside of the scope of their permit, including in the delivery, construction and restaurant industry. The CBSA also learned that Singh was charging foreign nationals up to $40,000 for immigration sponsorship.