Early this morning, I logged into one of my professional fellowship profiles and got a direct message from one of my fellow experts from Kampala, Uganda asking about a particular email message he received which went into his spam folder about a purported nomination for the 2023/2024 resettlement program in Canada. And, I would like to use this blog post to analyze this email’s validity in relation to our past nomination letters from the real Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) secure account.

A Simple Google Search

If you are like me, I would hurriedly go on Google to search for this acclaimed “Canadian Resettlement Provincial Nominee Program” and alas what seems to be similar to it is there well on at least 3 official Canadian immigration website URLs; “How the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) works”, “Provincial Nominee Program: Who can apply (non-Express Entry process)” and “How do I apply to immigrate to Canada as a provincial nominee?” among the other unofficial numerous web pages on the subject. However, do not be deceived, the way by which the immigration pathway is indicated and written is way different from the acclaimed title shown on the email message.

Much In-depth Study

Taking a step further, looking into each of the URLs, you would notice that there is a modus operandi that the PNP programs follows. The process states that a candidate must;

1. meet the eligibility requirements of the province or territory

2. either submit an Express Entry profile before or after NOI and show that you meet the minimum criteria for Express Entry, including being eligible for one of the immigration programs it covers.

3. a province or territory sends a “Notification Of Interest (NOI)” to one’s IRCC secure account for one to contact them directly. See a sample of the NOI from a province below;

The Nomination Process

Lastly, the applicants who are nominated under an Express Entry stream or a non-Express Entry PNP stream will receive an Invitation To Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. If the applicant is invited to apply, then s/he submits an electronic application to IRCC.

One major first step to do to get a nomination from a province or territory is to apply to the PNP program in the province or territory where you want to settle. To qualify, one must have the skills, education and work experience needed to settle in Canada and support oneself and one’s own family.

In all these stages, there is one emphasis on the IRCC secure account and provincial or territorial portals. A nomination can and will never be sent via email message to any applicant outside of these application paths.

More Letter Analyses

There are so many grey areas on the letter that makes it look like a VERIFIED SCAM from an online cybercriminal. Let’s dive into it as we compare and contrast from an authentic Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) nomination letter;

1. Unofficial Address – Starting with the address of the email message which is in the form of a letter, a nomination letter coming from Ontario, for instance, will have the address of the “Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development” for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program with the date by which the letter was written.
2. Generic Salutation – I have never received any correspondence from the province of Ontario that doesn’t state my name either in ‘part-full’ (that is first name and family name) or in ‘complete-full’ (like first name, middle name and family name). So, a “Hello Nominee” seems very fishy.
3. More Application Reference(s) – this is even a more crucial factor. IRCC, OINP, among other provincial or territorial government would always quote any or some of one’s application number, Express Entry profile number, bar code or nomination code (a combination of 1-4 letters first followed by 8-9 digits NOT 6 letters and 12 numbers) underneath the salutation.
4. Major Letter Title in Bold – again, Ontario and other governments are always formal to the core. They would mostly state the purpose of the letter by writing its heading after the salutation and reference(s) in bold letters before the contents of the letter.
5. Country’s Flag, provincial logos, Official Email Address and Sites URLs – as a matter of fact, there is NO corporate applicants’ letters from the provincial, territorial or federal governments of Canada that is always void of their emblems, official email addresses and governmental links.

Extra email flaws

• Canadian Resettlement Provincial Nominee Program – the underlined congratulatory program is a charade. The concept of Canada resettlement is used for refugees and asylum seekers while PNP is for permanent residency applicant. There are separate pathways and are not together.
• PERMITS to LIVE AND WORK IN CANADA – Come on! There is nothing like such permits under the provincial nominee programs which is meant to be a permanent residency pathway to move to Canada. Permits are meant for temporary residency routes like study permits and work permits.
• Nomination Validation Code (NVC) – what is that? In my over 5 years of assisting immigrants with their Canadian relocation process, I have never heard of any NVC code which is even more than the recognized letter and number standards or do you mean NOC code?
• Electronic ballot system for resettlement in Canada – this search was really interesting. Just again by searching on Google, IRCC themselves debunk this crap since 2016. IRCC @CitImmCanada said on their twitter handle that “Canada Immigration & Resettlement Bureau” is a company pretending to be them. If they contacted you, report it via this link: http://ow.ly/2RjK304hXqu
• Canadian government support programs to some Countries – will you scam just shut up? There is nothing as such. There are agreement, policies and international initiatives like Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) but be careful of support programs who doesn’t state the countries or type of alliance with Canada.

Common IRCC email practices

From the IRCC official website, the question; “I received an email from an immigration officer. Is it a scam?” was responded at length. So, I would also advise anyone who receives such messages, calls or emails, which is not from @cic.gc.ca, @canada.ca or @international.gc.ca, should read through the query and determine the legitimacy of such contents immediately before ever even responding to such correspondences. It is never to late to be so careful when it comes to Canada immigration.

Moral of the Story

Be vigilant and make sure that you are not scammed by unscrupulous agents, fraudsters and cybercriminals please. Also, do not be so happy about such messages that you fail to do your due diligence to confirm how authentic it is. IRCC will never send such emails without you even applying for any of their programs on their official websites – Canada.ca or cic.gc.ca. So, beware of scammers please.

Our own Input

We, at A.O.S Group, can help you detect such fake promises and also teach you how to even spot them as well. In addition, we can be of help to you if you want to apply for legal programs recognized by the IRCC be it for study permit, work permit, visitor visa or permanent residency pathways. Contact us today to assist you in any little way we can. Do not forget to RSVP for our upcoming live event to learn more about how you can migrate to Canada as unmarried partners.