Alberta immigration experts say a job scam is targeting temporary foreign workers

Immigration lawyers, consultants and agencies in Alberta are sounding the alarm over what they say is a common scam targeting temporary foreign workers, as the province's population grows.

The scheme can involve employers, immigration consultants and recruiters who sometimes work together to promise jobs to temporary foreign workers — often for tens of thousands of dollars.

They sell labour market impact assessments (LMIAs). That's a federal document most employers need before they can hire a temporary foreign worker, proving they could not fill the job with a Canadian or permanent resident for at least 28 days.

It's illegal to charge for an LMIA under Canadian immigration laws. The government fee for an LMIA application ($1,000) should be fully covered by the employer who is facing a labour shortage.

But those who work in the immigration field say it's no secret that it does happen due to a poorly structured system, a lack of enforcement and desperation.

At the Centre for Newcomers, CEO Anila Umar has been watching the scam evolve for around 30 years.

"The temporary foreign workers — they don't often know better," said Umar.

"They don't realize that this isn't the process and this isn't how you're supposed to do it. So they come in good faith. They may spend years collecting the money that they need. They get here and then they're told that it was a complete sham and there was another way that they could have come here without having to spend any money."

She says the scam has historically been more common in cities with larger populations like Toronto and Vancouver, but it's now becoming more common in Alberta as the province experiences record-breaking population growth.

Umar says she is now seeing an average of two people a week come into the centre asking for help with this issue.

"Alberta is quickly becoming the No. 1 destination [for immigration]. So with that, we're also going to have the growing pains of that. We're also going to have these issues come in a lot more, unfortunately."

Umar and others who work in immigration say the exploitation often doesn't end once the worker has paid. 

Because temporary foreign workers' permits are tied to their employers, and they've already spent thousands to get the job, they can be more vulnerable to further abuse. 

Calgary-based immigration lawyer Jatin Shory — who has worked with clients who've been charged fees up to $75,000 — calls extreme cases of this scam "a form of pseudo slavery."