That $700 'settlement paperwork' lawyer was a complete scam in Toronto

I paid a so-called immigration consultant $700 CAD to help me file my refugee claim paperwork back in March. He promised he had inside contacts at the IRB and that my file would move faster. Turns out he was just printing forms I could have downloaded for free and submitting them online like anyone else. My claim got delayed an extra 4 months because he missed a signature on one page. I found out from a real legal aid clinic that his license was suspended the whole time. Please do not pay anyone before you check the College of Immigration Consultants registry. Has anyone else lost money to these fake consultants, and how did you get it back?

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barbarab5622d ago

I lost $900 to a guy in Mississauga back in 2022, same kind of thing, fake contacts at the IRB and all that. What actually got my money back was filing a complaint with the College of Immigration and Consultants, because once they confirmed he was unlicensed they sent me a letter I could use. I then took that letter to small claims court and filed online for about $100, and he settled before the hearing date because he did not want the case on record. Also call your bank and ask about a chargeback if you paid by credit card, because that worked for a friend of mine within the 120 day window. The legal aid clinic can also help you write the complaint for free, so do not skip that part.

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