CANFIL Agency Faces Charges in Fraudulent Recruitment Scheme

The Toronto Police Services (TPS) announced that it has arrested Judith Ga and Myrna Valencia, two women from CANFIL Cleaning and Caregiver Services. They are facing a total of 15 counts of fraud over $5,000 and 6 counts of fraud under $5,000. They are scheduled to appear in court on June 20, 2019.

Within the last three years, the two women supposedly collected recruitment fees from foreign workers, promising them jobs that would allow them to apply for Permanent Residency in Canada. They took advantage of the foreign workers’ lack of knowledge of the Canadian immigration system to charge recruitment fees for non-existent jobs.

They are charged with collecting over CAD$120,000 (over PHP4.6 million) from their victims.

Illegal recruitment is not a criminal offence in Canada, but fraud is. Third party representatives, such as immigration consultants, do not require any licensing. Thus, immigration consultants can easily use loopholes in the Canadian immigration system to make money, charging foreign workers recruitment fees amounting to thousands of dollars which Canadian employers are supposed to shoulder.

Under the official immigration process, Canadian employers and foreign workers both have to meet the minimum requirements of the Government of Canada in order to enter an employment agreement. The employers must demonstrate that they have the need and the capacity to hire a foreign worker, while the foreign workers must meet the minimum requirements for the job as and for the work visa application.

The Police is concerned that there may be more victims so they encourage them to come forward.

Anyone with information about CANFIL is asked to contact TPS at 416-808-4200, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).