An Edmonton man who acted as an unauthorized immigration consultant has pleaded guilty to abusing Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program and is set to be sentenced this week.
Seong Yong Park, also known as David Park, pleaded guilty to three offences under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act earlier this month. Park was charged with working as an unauthorized immigration consultant and “inducing” at least 20 foreign nationals to enter the country under the Canadian Temporary Foreign Worker program between 2012 and 2014.
Park’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for today in an Edmonton Provincial Court.
He has pleaded guilty to fraudulently charging fees to clients and securing employment for them using false or misleading information, according to a release from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Park also allegedly illegally aided businesses obtain Labour Market Impact Assessments, which determine whether a company has a need for a foreign worker to fill a job position.
“The CBSA takes immigration fraud very seriously and is committed to fully investigating and prosecuting those who violate our laws and seek to profit illegally from out immigration system,” said CBSA Regional Director General Kim Scoville in a news release.
The country’s Temporary Foreign Worker program allows Canadian employers to hire foreign nationals to temporarily fill gaps in the labour market if they cannot find Canadian citizens or permanent residents to do the job. In 2014, the federal government placed the program under a temporary moratorium after several high-profile instances of abuse were discovered.
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