- Canada's CBSA investigated a fraud network that submitted 243 fake visa applications for Bangladeshi nationals seeking entry into Canada
- Four suspects appeared at a Quebec courthouse on October 22, 2026, while a fifth accused remains in Bangladesh with a warrant out for his arrest
- Investigators executed search warrants in Quebec and Ontario in June 2025, recovering documents and computer equipment tied to the scheme
Canada's Border Services Agency (CBSA) has laid three charges against four people accused of running an organised immigration fraud scheme that helped hundreds of Bangladeshi nationals obtain temporary resident visas (TRVs) through fake documents and false statements.
Rashel Mirza, Mohammed Aminul Islam, Md Mudassar Alam Bhuiyan, and Kazi Nafeez Alam appeared before the Valleyfield courthouse in Quebec on October 22, 2026. A fifth suspect, Md Rakibul Hassan, is believed to be in Bangladesh, and authorities have issued a warrant for his arrest.
How the fraud scheme began
The case traces back to July 3, 2024, when CBSA officers, alongside members of the Mercier police department and fire department, carried out a compliance and control check on a private residence in Mercier, Quebec. Officers found several signs of violations under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and formally opened an investigation in August 2024.
That investigation uncovered 209 Bangladeshi nationals on whose behalf 243 TRV applications had been filed. The applications falsely presented Canadian citizens as hosts, as part of what the CBSA described as an elaborate scheme to help foreign nationals enter the country through fraudulent means.
Search warrants and evidence
On June 3, 2025, CBSA investigators executed four search warrants across Quebec and Ontario, seizing documents and computer equipment that pointed to the five suspects. Given the volume and complexity of the fraud, investigators narrowed their focus to the 79 most significant TRV applications out of the 243 identified.
The accused now face three charges:
- Conspiracy to organise or help bring one or more persons into Canada, contrary to subsection 117(1) of the IRPA, an offence under subsection 117(3)
- Knowingly inducing, aiding, or assisting persons to misrepresent or hide material facts in immigration applications, contrary to section 126 of the IRPA, an offence under paragraph 128(a)
- Knowingly inducing, aiding, or assisting persons to violate the IRPA, contrary to section 131, an offence under subsection 117(3)
All charges remain subject to validation by the court.
Source: Legit.ng
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