Lawyers are frequently consulted by immigrants to Canada to assist them in navigating the complexities of the immigration system. However, immigrants and refugees are increasingly being taken advantage of in Montreal by people acting as immigration lawyers, which can lead to major issues.
The Montreal Bar has issued a warning to immigrants to exercise caution as it continues to look into an increasing number of claims that people are impersonating immigration lawyers.
“There are a lot of ramifications and an impact,” stated Montreal Bar President David Ettedgui. In order to “prevent people from falling victim to these scam artists,” the pub has started an awareness campaign, he claimed.
In 2022, immigration accounted for approximately 40% of the bar’s inquiries into the unlawful practice of law, an increase from
from 13% in 2018, according to Ettedgui.
The fraudulent attorneys frequently contact their targets on social media and may wind up charging them thousands or even hundreds of dollars.
“They’ll go to their victims, say that they are lawyers, take on their files, and if they do it at all, most often it’ll be poorly done,” Ettedgui stated.
The bar’s campaign will be distributed online and through neighborhood associations that have connections to recent immigrants and refugees. It seeks to increase knowledge of the dangers and assist in averting the fall of inexperienced people. It contains information on where to file complaints as well as links to check the credentials of a lawyer.
