Man gets conditional sentence for Sask.-based immigration scam

An investigation began in 2018 after border services officers reported what they referred to as unusually high numbers of immigration applications for an unnamed Saskatoon-based non-profit.

Photo: La Presse canadienne / Darryl Dyck

Laura Gillis (new window) · CBC News

A Saskatoon man who pleaded guilty to counselling immigration misrepresentation after an investigation by the Canada Border Services Agency will not spend time behind bars.

A King's Bench judge gave Balvir Singh a conditional sentence of two years less a day, a $10,000 fine and 40 hours of community service for violating Section 126 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

According to a news release from the CBSA, the investigation into Singh started in 2018 after border services officers reported what they referred to as unusually high numbers of immigration applications for an unnamed Saskatoon-based non-profit.

The investigation found that Singh was counseling foreign nationals to misrepresent employment information on federal and provincial immigration applications, the release said.

The CBSA found Singh had instructed people to use falsified pay stubs, offers of employment and other supporting documents related to jobs in Canada that didn’t exist.

It also found Singh charged people up to $40,000 for immigration sponsorship.

After arriving in Canada, many of those people took work outside of the scope of their permits, including jobs in the restaurant, delivery and construction industries.

According to the CBSA, Singh’s home and a Saskatoon restaurant were searched and evidence was found on June 3, 2021.

Singh was charged on June 23, 2022 and March 14, 2023. He pleaded guilty on April 2, 2026.

The Government of Saskatchewan takes the integrity of our immigration system seriously, Minister of Immigration and Career Training Eric Schmalz said in a statement.

This investigation and conviction is a result of important collaboration between our provincial immigration enforcement team and the Canada Border Services Agency.