What are the red flags of this scam?

An unsolicited call, email, or text claims to be from IRCC saying your permit, PR application, or citizenship has an error requiring immediate payment to fix • The caller threatens deportation, cancellation of your status, or loss of your citizenship if you do not pay a fee today • You are asked to pay by wire transfer, prepaid credit card, money order, or cryptocurrency — IRCC only accepts payments through banks or its official website at canada.ca • The caller asks for your SIN, passport number, biometric reference number, or online banking information to 'verify your file' • Caller ID shows an IRCC or Government of Canada phone number — caller ID spoofing and AI voice cloning can fake official numbers convincingly • A social media post or WhatsApp message offers a guaranteed study permit, work permit, or PR pathway for an upfront fee — authorized immigration consultants are registered with the CICC

What should I do if this happened to me?

Hang up. IRCC does not call people to demand payment and does not accept fees by phone, prepaid card, cryptocurrency, or wire transfer • If you believe there may be a genuine issue with your application, log in directly to your IRCC account at canada.ca/immigration — do not use any link from the suspicious contact • Verify any immigration consultant or representative with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) at college-ic.ca before paying any fee • If you already paid, contact your bank or wire service immediately — some transfers can be intercepted if reported the same day • If you shared your SIN or passport number, contact Service Canada (1-800-206-7218) to flag potential identity fraud and monitor your credit • Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.

CRITICAL government impersonation Last reported: Oct 17, 2026 Share

A caller claims to be from IRCC and says your immigration paperwork has an error — pay now or face deportation

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. Fraudsters call immigrants and newcomers claiming to be IRCC officers, saying their permit or application has a critical error requiring immediate payment to avoid deportation or status cancellation. IRCC never calls to demand payment.

Fraudsters call immigrants and newcomers claiming to be IRCC officers, saying their permit or application has a critical error requiring immediate payment to avoid deportation or status cancellation. IRCC never calls to demand payment.

Also known as: fake IRCC call scam Canada, immigration fraud newcomer Canada, deportation threat immigration scam, fake government official immigration Canada, IRCC impersonation phone scam, study permit work permit fraud call Canada, ghost consultant immigration fraud

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.

What to do right now

1 Hang up. IRCC does not call people to demand payment and does not accept fees by phone, prepaid card, cryptocurrency, or wire transfer
2 If you believe there may be a genuine issue with your application, log in directly to your IRCC account at canada.ca/immigration — do not use any link from the suspicious contact
3 Verify any immigration consultant or representative with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) at college-ic.ca before paying any fee
4 If you already paid, contact your bank or wire service immediately — some transfers can be intercepted if reported the same day
5 If you shared your SIN or passport number, contact Service Canada (1-800-206-7218) to flag potential identity fraud and monitor your credit
6 Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.

Red flags

⚠ An unsolicited call, email, or text claims to be from IRCC saying your permit, PR application, or citizenship has an error requiring immediate payment to fix
⚠ The caller threatens deportation, cancellation of your status, or loss of your citizenship if you do not pay a fee today
⚠ You are asked to pay by wire transfer, prepaid credit card, money order, or cryptocurrency — IRCC only accepts payments through banks or its official website at canada.ca
⚠ The caller asks for your SIN, passport number, biometric reference number, or online banking information to 'verify your file'
⚠ Caller ID shows an IRCC or Government of Canada phone number — caller ID spoofing and AI voice cloning can fake official numbers convincingly
⚠ A social media post or WhatsApp message offers a guaranteed study permit, work permit, or PR pathway for an upfront fee — authorized immigration consultants are registered with the CICC

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Sources