Canadian authorities have charged five people, including four Bangladeshi nationals, in connection with an alleged immigration fraud scheme involving visitor visa applications, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said.
The investigation also identified 209 Bangladeshi citizens allegedly linked to attempts to obtain Canadian temporary resident visas (TRVs) using fraudulent documents.
Four accused — Russell Mirza, Mohammad Aminul Islam, Md Mudachchar Alam Bhuiyan and Kazi Nafiz Alam — appeared before a court in Valleyfield on October 22. The fifth accused, Md Rakibul Hasan, is reportedly in Bangladesh, and an arrest warrant has been issued against him.
The investigation began in August 2024 after CBSA officers, accompanied by local police and fire service officials, searched a residential property in Mercier, Quebec, on July 3 that year. Authorities said the search uncovered potential violations of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
Investigators allege that the accused submitted 243 visitor visa applications on behalf of 209 Bangladeshi citizens by using fictitious Canadian hosts, forged documents and false information.
On June 3, 2025, police executed four search warrants in Quebec and Ontario, seizing documents and computer equipment. Given the scale of the alleged scheme, investigators focused on 79 visa applications for which they said the clearest evidence was available.
The accused face charges related to facilitating the entry of multiple people into Canada through fraud, counselling misrepresentation or the withholding of material information in immigration documents, and aiding violations of Canadian immigration law.
Canada’s Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree welcomed the investigation, saying the country’s immigration system is built on integrity, fairness and respect for the law. He warned that those seeking to exploit the system through fraud would face serious consequences.
Eric Lapierre, CBSA’s regional director general for Quebec, said the investigation demonstrated the agency’s commitment to identifying and dismantling networks seeking to exploit Canada’s immigration system.
The CBSA said violations of the IRPA can result in fines, inadmissibility to Canada or imprisonment. The agency launched 191 criminal investigations into alleged IRPA violations in 2025 and another 55 in the first six months of 2026.
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