A 41-year-old individual of Indian origin has been subjected to a fine of 20,000 Canadian dollars (equivalent to USD 14,484) for his involvement in immigration fraud, which centered on the falsification of documents aimed at facilitating newcomers' acquisition of work permits in the Canadian province of Manitoba. This significant development was reported by CBC News recently.
The accused in question, Avtar Singh Sohi, who has been residing in Canada since 2006 and is a father of two children, entered a guilty plea for misrepresentation in accordance with the Canada Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
The Provincial Court of Manitoba conducted proceedings related to this case on Monday and was apprised that Sohi had made false claims regarding an Indian woman's employment status. She had initially come to Canada under a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and Sohi wrongly asserted that she was employed as a nanny under his purview.
It is worth noting that LMIA is typically granted when there is a genuine need for a temporary foreign worker due to a lack of available citizens or permanent residents for a particular job.
The prosecutor emphasized that the woman had been employed elsewhere unlawfully, but Sohi supplied her with fabricated pay stubs to create the impression that she had been in his employ from March 2019 to July 2021. Additionally, he furnished her with several signed documents that she subsequently included as part of her application for permanent residency.
Federal Crown Attorney Matt Sinclair pointed out that Avtar engaged in fraudulent activities by producing documents that undermined the integrity of the immigration system. This conduct was deemed unacceptable, and Mr. Sinclair expressed that such behavior erodes the trust that people have in the immigration system, emphasizing the need for it to be condemned and deterred.
Both the prosecution and the defense reached a consensus on a fine of 20,000 Canadian dollars for Sohi, which was subsequently approved by the presiding judge. It is noteworthy that the maximum penalty for this particular offense is a fine of 50,000 Canadian dollars and/or a possible prison sentence of up to two years.
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