Such Sticklers!

"Immigration fraud is a criminal offence in Canada and damages the integrity of our immigration system."  Andrew LeFrank, CBSA, director, Atlantic region.

The Canada Border Services Agency is such a bore.  Upholding the letter of the law.  Like, really, is that not absurd.  Canada has such wide, open spaces and such a low population base.  All that Canada 2000 Immigration and Business Services Inc. wanted to do to begin with, was to be useful and helpful.  In a two-pronged approach, be of service to people wishing to help populate the vast open areas of that great country, and on the other hand, help a population too busy to replicate themselves to a nice increase.

Here we have three citizens of Canada, doing their best to help others, and suddenly they're accused of illegalities.  Ziad El Shurafa's immigration consulting firm located in Halifax has had ample opportunity to exercise their proficiency in having "helped hundreds of people pursue their dreams", tutoring them in tailoring their responses to CBSA queries, to enable them to come and live in Canada, or obtain work or study visas.

And this is the way Canada demonstrates its gratitude. 

Mr. El Shurafa and his two associates, Mohammed Elhajabed and Awni Sakalla now face penalties of up to $100,000 in fines.  And five years imprisonment for each of eight counts of counselling misrepresentation.   Investigators had examined over 500 files.  And discovered that these three professional immigration consultants had aided clients living abroad 'create' the impression they were living in Canada to enable them to obtain Canadian citizenship.

Imagine, charges of defrauding Canada's generous immigration system.  Never having lived in Canada, these applicants representing eight different families were able to obtain Canadian citizenship.  Cheap at half the price.  The company was raided in May of 2011but there was quite the lag, charges filed a full year later.

As it happens, only Mr. Sakalla has been placed under arrest.  Mr. El Shurafa and Mr. Elhajabed remain outside the grasp of Canadian authorities, as they've chosen rather wisely to ensconce themselves abroad.  Mr. El shurafa operates the company's Dubai office.  This is a far-flung company, with offices in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Beirut and Jordan.

Quite the ambitious enterprise.  Their slogan? "Catch us if you can".