Surrey, B.C., immigration consultancy firm still operating after owner's licence revoked

A larger-than-life-size photo of Raghbir Singh Bharowal is plastered on the windows of his Surrey, B.C., immigration consultancy firm. He advertises services to hundreds of thousands of his followers on social media and has even announced plans to expand his business.

Signage beside his portrait on the exterior of his firm reads "Visa and Immigration Consultant."

But Bharowal doesn't have a licence to practise immigration consulting in Canada. It was revoked permanently by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) last year for misconduct, and he was handed over $110,000 in fines, including restitution payments to past clients.

Just a handful of Canada's 13,000 registered immigration consultants have ever been hit with such a penalty.

"He was found to have engaged in misconduct that was pretty serious, including threatening clients for deportation, reporting them to police, being dishonest, overcharging fees," said Eoin Logan, an immigration negligence lawyer whose office, KSW Lawyers, is just blocks away from Bharowal Immigration Solution.

The CICC has since filed its disciplinary decision against Bharowal in federal court, citing non-compliance.

CBC News has made repeated attempts to contact Bharowal for comment to ask whether or not he is continuing to practise. Bharowal still lists himself publicly as the owner of Bharowal Immigration Solution.

Critics like Logan say Bharowal's ability to own an immigration consulting firm without being a licensed consultant shines a light on a glaring gap within the regulations.

"Immigration consulting companies don't have to be owned by immigration consultants; they can be owned by anybody," said Logan. "He's benefiting, profiting off [immigration consulting] even though the college has deemed he's somebody who should not be engaging in immigration services."

The college declined to comment on the case due to the ongoing legal proceedings but said in a statement that it issues cease and desist letters when it has reason to believe that a person is operating as an unauthorized practitioner.

It also has the legal option to file a contempt of court order in cases where an unlicensed consultant continues to practice.

Bharowal's licence was revoked by the college on Sept. 27, 2024. According to the discipline committee report, three of his past clients came forward alleging they were each charged as much as $40,000 in fees for services. The alleged misconduct happened between 2019 and 2020.

In two cases, complainants alleged Bharowal helped them get visas and employment at a Manitoba-based trucking company called John White Trucking. According to the report, when one of the complainants expressed concerns to Bharowal over poor working conditions, he was told "he should keep his mouth shut" and that he could be deported if he complained or questioned the employer.

A second complainant, also working at John White Trucking after paying Bharowal for services, said he contacted a temporary foreign worker adviser over concerns he was being exploited by the employer. According to the discipline report, the worker alleged Bharowal told him to withdraw his complaint with the adviser, or Bharowal would cancel his visa and withdraw the worker's permanent residency application.