Signs of a "guaranteed approval" pitch

No one can guarantee the outcome of a Canadian immigration application. IRCC repeats this in all its fraud guidance. This article brings together the signs of "guaranteed approval" pitches in investment immigration.

Principles from IRCC

• No one can guarantee you a job or a Canadian visa.
• Only Canadian immigration officers decide on visas.
• Honest representatives don't pressure you or guarantee outcomes.
• Using a representative doesn't get your file special attention or faster approval.

Warning signs

• Promises of "guaranteed approval", "100% success" or "money back if refused" with vague conditions.
• Selling "slots" or "commitment letters" for closed programs (for example the Start-up Visa after December 31, 2025).
• Pitching "IRCC's new investment program" with specific requirements while IRCC hasn't published details.
• Pressure to pay a deposit or transfer money urgently to a personal account.
• Refusing to give the representative's name and licence number; dodging questions about risk.
• Suggesting false information or "dressing up" financial records.
• Promising a specific processing time.

How to check

• Check the program's status on IRCC's and the province's websites.
• Check the representative: CICC member, provincial law society, Chambre des notaires du Québec, Ontario paralegal.
• Ask for a written service contract setting out scope, fees and responsibilities.
• Get a second opinion before transferring money.

Under Vietnamese law

Law No. 69/2020/QH14 prohibits luring, promising, advertising or giving false information to deceive people going to work abroad.

Note If it has happened to you, report it to the police and follow IRCC's fraud reporting guidance. Keep messages, contracts and payment records as evidence.