Notice on Internet fraud

Unscrupulous individuals use the Internet to offer foreign nationals false educational or employment opportunities in Québec. Some claim to represent the government, well-known organizations or large corporations, while others use false documents to convince potential immigrants of the credibility of their proposals.

You should be on your guard, for example:

• if someone you’ve “met” on a chat site promises that he or she has the necessary contacts to get you into an immigration program abroad for a specific immigration category (e.g. refugee class) to which you do not belong, as well as if they also ask you to find several other people to participate in such a program.
• if individuals who claim to be representatives of the government, well-known organizations or large corporations use e-mail addresses like Yahoo!, Hotmail or AOL.
• if they ask you to pay the fees required via a money transfer agent. Reputable transfer agents recommend that you should never use their services to send money to strangers.

A word of warning

Before responding to an offer, find out about the individuals or organizations you are dealing with by consulting a search engine, for example. If you can’t find any reliable information, it is best not to respond to the offer.

Make sure that the people you are corresponding with are really who they claim to be and that the organizations they represent legally exist. Don’t hesitate to ask for proof and to verify it with the appropriate authorities.

Avoid long distance transactions unless you’ve already had initial contact with your representative and are sure of his or her legal existence. Ideally, you should be able to visit the intermediary’s office to discuss your plans. Note that the MICC does not provide any information on immigration intermediaries.

	USEFUL INFORMATION
	Note the steps to take if you plan to immigrate to Québec (Permanent workers, Businesspeople) or to come to Québec temporarily (Temporary workers, Foreign students). You can also obtain information from a Bureau d'immigration du Québec (Québec immigration office) abroad covering your territory. Applicants must meet the requirements and criteria of both the Gouvernement du Québec and the Government of Canada.