Beware of fraud by agencies in Canada
Every day there are tens of caregivers living abroad who fall pray to unscrupulous agencies whose only interest is to make fast money.
Lately, an agency owned by an US citizen, operating under Canadian name, collected over 100,000 USD from about 50 caregivers in Cyprus. The caregivers were promised the job and as a proof of the job, they each received a Labour Market Opinion from Service Canada.
When the visa office requested tax documents from the employers, the agency did not respond to any requests. Phone calls and e-mails were ignored. The caregivers then contacted their employers directly and voila… they found out that the person either does not exist at that number or this address; or that the person at that number had no idea that they want to hire a caregiver.
You can guess the result: All caregivers were refused because they did not have a valid offer of employment. And the agency most likely moved to another country where they easily will find more victims.
Many visa offices abroad initiated their own process to verify the existence and qualifications of the employers. They now demand a Notice of Assessment from all employers who offered a job to a live-in caregiver. This way, the integrity of the program can be maintained and there should be less victimized caregivers around the world. Most of the offices already implemented this step in the assessment of the applications for a work permit.
If you are talking to an agency that promises you a job in Canada, ask for their references. Ask who owns the company. Check their credentials. Nothing is easy when it comes to immigration to Canada and the Live-in Caregiver program is no exception. Never pay the entire fee upfront. There is no set fee for the services of the agencies. Each agency has its own policies; its own fees, and they can vary, quite dramatically. Cheap is not always good. Expensive is not always good, either.
Do your homework. It is your future, your life and the life of your family.
- Your work permit
- If you live in Philippines
- If you live in India
- Employment contract
- What you shoud know
- Health care in Canada
- Other benefits
- Taxes in Canada
- Help in Canada
- Employment standards
- Live in caregiver salaries
- What is abuse?
- Changing jobs
- Thinking about quiting?
- Permanent residence in Canada
- Family members
- Open work permit
- What to ask an agency
- Beware of fraud
