John McCallum promises probe into immigration consultants' fees for Syrian refugees

Immigration Minister John McCallum says he has ordered a three-partinvestigation into the practice of immigration consultants charging Syrian refugees thousands of dollars to process applications andpossiblyviolatingfederal rules on private sponsorship by asking them topay resettlement costs that should be paid by their sponsors.

• Immigration consultants violating rules of refugee sponsorship program

"We are very concerned about this, and we want to explore all avenues as to possible wrongdoing," McCallum told Rosemary Barton onCBC's Power & Politics Tuesday.

The minister was responding toa CBC News investigation that found that some immigration consultants are charging Syrians who wantto come to Canadaunder the private sponsorship program between $3,000 to $6,400 per person toprocess their applications.

The investigation also found that some consultants are asking refugees to pay the costof their resettlementin Canada up front before evenarriving in the country. Under federal rules, these costs are supposed to be covered by private sponsors, not refugees, for a full year. Refugees can contribute to their settlement costs once they arrive in Canadabut cannot be made to prepay or repaythem, according toImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

McCallum said he has asked for investigations onthree fronts:

• Law-enforcement agencies will determinewhether any laws have been broken.
• The Immigration Consultants of Canada RegulatoryCouncil (ICCRC), which overseesimmigration consultants in Canada,will determine whether any of its rules have been broken.
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canadawill determine whetherany sponsorship agreement holders have violated federal rules.If they did, those agreements could be nullified.

Given how generous the vast majority of Canadians have been, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth.- John McCallum, immigration minister

"I do think it's a serious allegation. Given how generous the vast majority of Canadians have been, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth," McCallum said. "With this three-front investigation, we should get some answers."

McCallumsaid the investigation will also look into why immigration consultants are gettinginvolved in the refugee sponsorship process at all.

"I don't see why they're there," he said.

CBC News revealedTuesdaythat some immigration consultants, inpartnership with some refugee sponsorship groups,have been marketing their services to Syrians living in the Gulf states,many of whom are there on work permits and make potentially more lucrative clients than refugees in Lebanon, Jordan orTurkey.

Some immigration consultants violating refugee sponsorship rules

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Syrian refugees in Gulf states being asked to pay settlement funds that are supposed to be paid by private sponsors

In some instances, the consultants are asking refugees topay costs and "donation" amounts thatviolatethefinancial guidelines of the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program.

The federal government does not charge refugeeapplicantsor their sponsors anyfees to process applications. Usually,refugeespayonly for the medical checks they must undergo before arriving in Canadaandthe cost of their travel, and insome cases, these costs are waivedorcovered by a loan from the federal government.

Canada has resettled more than 26,000 Syrian refugees betweenNovember 2015 and the end of March,15,001 of whomare government-assisted refugees, 8,981 privately sponsoredand 2,225 a mix of public and privately funded.

Issue surfaces in Question Period

The questions raised around the role of immigration consultants in the refugee program also came up in Question Period. Conservative MP Bob Saroya urged McCallum to "close the door" on "crooked immigration consultants" who are "taking advantage of the mostvulnerable."

MP questions refugee consultant fees

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Conservative MP John Brassard grills Immigration Minister John McCallum on the questionable practices of some immigration consultants

His colleagueConservative MPJohn Brassard asked:"What is theminister doingto protect legitimate refugeesfleeinga dangeroussituationfrom being defrauded?"

McCallumresponded by saying that if wrongdoing is found, sanctions could range from sponsorship groups havingtheir agreements terminated toindividualsor organizations being criminally charged.

"Thisbehaviouris nottoleratedby this government,andperpetratorswillbe heldtoaccount," the ministersaid.

'Possible exploitation of vulnerable refugees'

The revelations have also drawn sharp rebukes from some organizations that workwith refugees.

LifelineSyria spokesmanPeterGoodspeed said his organization,which trainsrefugee sponsors and has been heavily involved in Canada'sresponse to the Syrian refugee crisis, "isconcerned about any reports of the possible exploitation of vulnerable refugees."

"Because of the issues involved in having for-profit consultants or advisers prepare sponsorship applications, Lifeline Syria has made it a deliberate policy to work exclusively with pro-bono lawyers who have been vetted by the Refugee Sponsorship Support Program," he said.

Toronto lawyer JackieSwaisland is one such lawyer. She ispart of a network of lawyers, immigration consultants and law students that has helped hundreds of refugees get to Canada without charging for their services.

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""I find it appalling, honestly," shesaid of the fees consultants are charging.

The agency that certifiesimmigration consultants in Canadareiterated on Tuesday that it does not regulate consultants' feesbut urgedits members to heed the council's code of ethics and professional guidelines.

"ICCRC reminded its some 3,600 members earlier this morning of their obligation tocarry out their professional services as regulated Canadian immigration consultants in good faith, obeying the laws, regulations, rules and policies that affect their scope of practice, and that failure to do so can lead to disciplinary action," spokesmanDaniel Roukema said.

These allegations concern us greatly,and we are employing all resources available to us to uncover the truth.- Immigration Consultants of Canada RegulatoryCouncil

The council saidit welcomes McCallum's directive to have the ICCRClookin into whether consultantsare violating federal rules on sponsorshipand will share itsfindings with the minister.

"These allegations concern us greatly, and we are employing all resources available to us to uncover the truth and to ensure that all Canadian immigration consultants carry out their duties with the highest standards of ethical practice," ICRCC said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants issued itsown statement.

"CAPIC is deeply concerned by reports that the rules governing the private sponsorship of refugees may not have been followed," it said. "We stand ready to support any efforts by the ICCRC or the government of Canada to investigate these allegations and bring any guilty parties to justice."

It did not, however, address the question of whether consultants should be charging refugees thousand of dollars for their services.