Tens of thousands of migrants all over so-called canada are being scammed by immigration consultancies. These consultancies charge prospective migrants fees, sometimes at costs upwards of $300,000, with promises of permanent status. However, upon moving here, migrants are being left without status and without a job, all while these fraudulent companies take their money.
On September 8, Filipino migrants and allies gathered in Vancouver in front of the office of one such company, The Promise Land Consultancy (TPLC), to demand refunds for every person who has been scammed by this consultancy. A small claims action has been filed by victims who have decided to come forward.
We spoke with the TPLC victims and supporters (quoted below) about why they joined the action.
“We trusted him”
“I want everybody to spread awareness of our story right now—that this is what’s happening because of the Canadian government’s policies. The policies of Canada are being exploited by these scammers. And I want people to spread awareness for this type of scam so that their friends or families wouldn’t experience the same thing that happened to us.
“We didn’t have intentions to work here illegally. We were promised we could process our papers here. But that’s unfortunate for us, that we’ve been tricked. We trusted him [the owner of TPLC] because he said he’s an immigration consultant and he studied for immigration, so we believed him.”
“Exploited by false promises”
“I am a member of Anakbayan and I feel like it’s important to support the victims of The Promise Land Consultancy because they’ve basically been exploited by false promises. I remember this report from the UN that said Canada’s Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) Program is a breeding ground for modern-day slavery. And I think even though they are not temporary foreign workers and they’re on a tourist visa it’s still the same kind of intense labor exploitation. And people should do something about this and say this is not right at all.
“I’ve also seen different types of worker exploitation of Filipinos back at home in Manitoba. There’s this company, I won’t name it, but it’s a very popular book company. Most of their workers are Filipino and they’re on a work permit, but they have bad working conditions and very few benefits and things like that, so they have to rely on the community there.
“I understand how hard it is to be coming from a different country to work somewhere, because my parents were also like that, and we didn’t have any support, aside from the other Filipinos who are already living there. And if it wasn’t for them, we would probably have to go back to the Philippines, or we would be in some pretty big legal trouble. And so I just wanted to support the TPLC victims and be in solidarity with them.”
“So many of us are facing the same thing”
“I am a member of the United Migrant Front (UMF) and I am a migrant myself. Migrants are facing a lot of problems and immigration consultants are a really big part of it. Recently we organized a big sit-in in Mississauga that was fighting against the deportation of seven hundred and fifty Indian students who were frauded by an immigration consultant. So many of us are facing the same thing. And that’s why I’m here.”
“It’s about the victims…but it’s bigger than that”
“I am a member of Friends of the Filipino People in Struggle (FFPS) I think it’s important for every progressive person to support the struggles of migrants because when you think about why people from other countries even come to Canada, it’s because there’s conditions in their home countries that are forcing them to leave. So in the case of the Philippines and many other countries, it’s because there’s such immense poverty because of what many people would call corruption in their government. But I think more accurately, it’s puppet states. It’s a puppet government that’s being controlled for the benefit of foreign powers like Canada and like the US.
“So in the Philippines, you have this kind of puppet government. Since the time the Philippines became ‘sovereign,’ it’s always been subservient to imperialist powers who want to profit off of the resources and labor of the Philippines. So in this situation for the TPLC victims, they are preying on people’s desire to get out of the Philippines for a better life. And they’re scamming people. It’s literally so ironic that it’s called ‘The Promise Land.’ It’s this promise of better life that they’re not even giving people. But even if they were, there’s something wrong about profiting off of people’s desire to get out of their home country, because their home countries are being pillaged by that very same country they’re trying to get to!
“So of course, it’s about the victims of this Promise Land Consultancy and their right to get their funds back that they’ve been scammed out of. But it’s bigger than that. It’s also drawing attention to the roots of migration in the first place, and how imperialism drives migration, separates families, and makes people leave their homelands and come to these places where they’re isolated in these horrible situations.”
“I ended up paying $8,500”
“They promised me a job here in Vancouver. And I paid them a down payment of $3,500. And then later on, he said that there’s going to be a package for permanent residency, so I need to add more money. In the end, I ended up paying $8,500 and in exchange, I also had to do work for them at a very low wage. For some of my coworkers who are also on tourist visas, they work at $8 per hour. And we work from afternoon to midnight, because there’s a lot of stuff that he asked us to do.
“And in that job, we also became one of their scammers, unfortunately. When we worked with him, it was in our good faith that he was saying that the job offers are real, so we were just doing our job. So unfortunately, they also used us to scam other people to make them pay. And then those people right now are coming after us as well, because we are one of the reasons why they paid this kind of money. That’s why for anyone who’s reading right now, they can help in spreading this awareness that we are just one of their victims as well. And that they should do their own due diligence as well to research the kinds of licenses that these kinds of agencies have.”
“Together, we will demand justice!”
“We at Migrante BC urge the other victims to come forward and join our network of victims and supporters in seeking justice and defending the rights of Filipinos in Canada. Together, we will demand justice! Join Migrante BC as we stand up, expose and fight alongside Filipino workers towards ending the system of exploitation and trafficking! Justice for victims of illegal recruitment agencies and fraudulent agencies!”
To learn more about how to support the victims of The Promised Land Consultancy, visit Migrante BC.
To join the fight for migrant rights and justice, join the rallies this weekend saying No To Racism, Yes to Immigrant Justice! Find a location near you here.
Did you like this article? Help us produce more like it by donating $1, $2, or $5. Donate
