Desperate people hoping to immigrate to Canada. Greedy consultants and agents sowing seeds of hope while grabbing thousands of dollars from would-be immigrants. Fortunes made and savings lost.

This is not a Hollywood movie script; this reality is playing out every day across the country. The aftermath of use, abuse and exploitation in the labor market impact assessment (LMIA) program has left a trail of despair and shattered dreams.

Take the case of Jagjit Singh (name changed), who arrived in Canada on a spousal visa in 2022, following his wife, who came as a student in 2020. The couple later moved to Montreal.

With his paperwork expiring in 2025, Singh was looking for a way to stay. He paid $11,000 to a registered immigration consultant in Brampton, Ont., who promised him an LMIA from a trucking company in Nova Scotia.

After a few weeks and no sign of the LMIA, Singh contacted the trucking company. An official told him they did have an LMIA job, but it had expired.

Realizing the immigration consultant had pulled a fast one, Singh sought a refund. He was provided paperwork, but the money was never returned.

Nitin Chopra, co-founder of Hashtag Media Group, said the same immigration consultant has duped many others, some of whom are truck drivers and mechanics.

“LMIA jobs were promised, people paid in cash and via e-transfers. The jobs did not materialize,” he said.

Gateway into Canada

Chopra said trucking companies were involved and that LMIAs were being sold for prices ranging from $10,000 to $70,000. He estimates the consultant, who later shut shop, made around $20 million over the past three years from people seeking jobs in various sectors. Many victims have remained silent.

Stephen Laskowski, president and CEO of the Ontario Trucking Association, said he is aware that occupations within the trucking industry are being used as a gateway into Canada, and that some entrants have no intention of becoming truck drivers.

An analysis of 2022–2024 LMIA data provided by the OTA shows a strong concentration of approvals among a relatively small group of employers, particularly within Ontario’s trucking and logistics sector.

Repeated approvals for some employers

Approvals peaked in 2023 and remained elevated into 2024. As of March 2025, job offers could no longer earn candidates additional points in the Express Entry selection process.

The data show several firms receiving repeated approvals across multiple years, indicating sustained reliance on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program rather than short-term labor shortages.

Laskowski said the OTA presented the data to government, but there appears to be a lack of political will to address the issue.

LMIA approvals were heavily clustered among transportation and freight operators, with individual employers frequently receiving 20-40 approved positions per year.

If an LMIA was sold for an average of $30,000 and 30 were sold, roughly $900,000 could be generated annually to be shared among employers, consultants and agents.

Kanwar Sierah, a regulated Canadian immigration consultant based in Mississauga, Ont., recalled rushing from his office to a truck stop after receiving a call about a truck driver threatening suicide.

The driver’s company had been deducting LMIA payments from his wages. After hauling freight from British Columbia to Ontario, the driver asked to be paid so he could buy food. The company deposited $50 into his account.

That was nearly the breaking point, Sierah said, adding that he managed to talk the young man out of a potentially tragic situation.

He said abused temporary foreign workers can apply for vulnerable open work permits, and that the number of such permits has doubled year over year.

LMIAs helped boost immigration scores

Manan Gupta, CEO of Brampton-based Skylake Immigration, said rampant abuse has undermined the integrity of Canada’s immigration system.

Over the past few years, LMIAs were sold to boost Comprehensive Ranking System scores, leading to permanent residency invitations and, later, Canadian citizenship.

Some became truck drivers out of necessity; others left the industry at the first opportunity.

Laskowski said some individuals should not be on the road, adding that the public is sharing highways with drivers who pose safety risks.

Gupta added some company owners who benefited from selling LMIAs were unconcerned about complaints of wage theft or abuse.

“They had already made their money, declared bankruptcy and moved on,” he said.

Chopra described bankruptcies as loopholes used by some to abuse the system, calling it a business model for quick enrichment. Sierah shed light on the mindset of those paying for LMIAs, noting that many truck drivers assumed they would earn the money back within a year.

Agreeing to abuse

However, some who secured jobs later faced wage theft, abuse and exploitation. Others lost their money and were left jobless. Gupta added that while there are genuine cases of abuse, some workers paid for LMIAs and agreed with employers to claim abuse so they could move from closed work permits to vulnerable open work permits.

Going forward, Laskowski said Canada needs to remain welcoming while shedding its naivety.

“Vetted trucking companies are the way to prevent immigration fraud and turn the system around,” he said.

Suggestion to prevent fraud

Sierah suggested creating some form of insurance or common fund to curb fraud and support victimized workers. Employers, including trucking companies, would pay into the fund so abused workers could be compensated.

“That would help keep unscrupulous employers and consultants in check,” he said.

Based on trucking figures alone, there could be thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people legally in Canada who obtained permanent residence and later citizenship through these unscrupulous practices.

Chopra noted the clock is ticking for many whose visas are expiring or whose promised jobs never materialized.

Remember Singh, who paid $11,000 to a consultant who vanished?

He and his wife have since had a baby. Singh remains desperate to stay in Canada and is currently residing on applied status while awaiting word on another LMIA. He declined to say whether he has paid for it.