REGINA — A Regina man who submitted at least 31 falsified immigration applications and accepted money from refugees seeking faster processing has been sentenced following a Canada Border Services Agency investigation.
According to a CBSA statement issued April 30, Abdulkader Ali received two years of probation, 200 hours of community service and a $75,000 fine after a hearing in a Saskatchewan court Feb. 17.
“This investigation and conviction demonstrate the dedication of CBSA’s Criminal Investigators as they work to maintain the integrity of our country’s immigration system,” said Federal Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree on Thursday.
Ali, a refugee field worker with a local sponsorship organization, was originally charged with seven immigration- and fraud-related offences. He pleaded guilty to two lesser counts under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Court records show Ali originally faced seven charges in Regina provincial court, including Criminal Code charges of forgery, uttering a forged document and two counts of theft over $5,000.
Those charges were withdrawn as part of a plea deal. Ali instead pleaded guilty to two lesser charges of submitting false immigration sponsorship documents to Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada, and counselling a refugee applicant to provide false information on their application and counselling another person to sign as a sponsor without their knowledge.
CBSA said the investigation began seven years ago in February 2019, after IRCC received a complaint from a Regina-based group called Justice Seeks. The complainant said Ali had used his position for personal gain by accepting money from refugees in exchange for promises to fast-track their immigration applications. IRCC referred the complaint to the CBSA, which launched an investigation into the allegations.
As part of that investigation, CBSA officers executed a search warrant at Ali’s home and seized electronic devices.
Janalee Bell-Boychuk, regional director general for the Prairie Region, CBSA, said the conviction is the culmination of an extensive investigation by CBSA Criminal Investigators in Regina.
“We will continue to investigate and pursue prosecution of individuals who abuse Canada’s immigration system and safeguard asylum seekers from exploitation,” said Bell-Boychuk.
