Beware of Asylum Visas

As a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, I usually promote my services on social media and in doing so, I get a lot of inquiries from prospective clients or just curious foreign nationals.

On a particular day, I received a message asking for information concerning obtaining Canadian Asylum Visas, I thought okay a prospect asking about Canada's refugee (also known as Asylum) system or process.

I prodded further by asking the individual what exactly was he interested in knowing and was he currently in Canada, his reply was and I paraphase, that he is not in Canada, saw that I am into Canadian Immigration and was inquiring about my company's price to help him procure a Canadian Asylum Visa to compare to the price an agent in his home country had quoted him. My next question was this, - Are you in fear for your life - Are you being persecuted or prosecuted in your home country his reply was '

NO' to both questions, so I then proceeded to lecture him a little about the meaning and international process of Asylum.

Asylum is not a Visa that you apply for. It is a status of protection issued by a country(Once you are inside the country) or the UNHCR, United Nations High Commission for Refugees, also known as 'The UN Refugee Agency'(When outside the the country) to displaced individuals or people in genuine fear of their lives who can not be protected by their state.

The process in applying an being granted Asylum by either a country or a the UNHCR is a complicated and administrative process.

Canada does not issue Asylum or Refugee Visas, you can only be granted refugee status and you can only apply to be granted refugee status once you are inside Canada; you must request for the refugee status either at the border(land, sea or air crossing) or at designated IRCC locations and this request most be done in person with the help of an Immigration Consultant if need be.

So no one can obtain a Canadian Asylum/Refugee Visa for you because it does not exist and an Immigration Consultant can only help in explaining the process, review you application, documents that will be submitted to prove the genuineness of your fears and preparing the client for the interview or tribunal proces.

Please do not fall for the 'Asylum Visa' scam. Visit here to verify that the consultant you are consulting with is actually registered and licensed in Canada or else you are dealing with a scam artist

If you are in Canada and you think you have a reason to apply for refugee status in Canada please get in touch with me today to talk about your option and also the weight of your refugee case if you have already applied for refugee inside Canada.

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About The Author

Olayinka Ogundipe is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant with Arborway Immigration Inc a Canadian Immigration Firm located in the GTA. He is a member in good standing with The Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC), which is the Canadian government mandated supervisory, licensing and regulatory body for all Canadian Immigration Consultants and also an Ontario appointed Commissioner of Affidavit on Immigration, Citizenship and Refugee matters.

You can follow him on Facebook @ArborwayImmigration, Instagram @ArborwayImmigration & LinkedIn @ArborwayImmigration