Saskatchewan man sentenced in CBSA immigration fraud investigation

A Saskatchewan man has been sentenced to a conditional sentence of two years less a day after a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) investigation into an immigration fraud scheme.

According to a CBSA news release issued Friday, Balvir Singh was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. The agency said the investigation began in 2018 after border services officers across Canada noticed an unusually high number of immigration applications connected to a Saskatoon-based non-profit organization.

The CBSA, working with the Government of Saskatchewan, said investigators identified foreign nationals who entered Canada after allegedly providing false information through Balvir Singh. Authorities said many of those individuals later worked in the delivery, construction and restaurant sectors in violation of the conditions of their work permits.

Investigators also found that Singh allegedly charged foreign nationals up to $40,000 in exchange for immigration sponsorship. The CBSA said the investigation was conducted under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.