Canadian High Commission lectures on immigration programmes.

The session brought together officials of the Canadian Immigration and Citizenship team, and representatives from local media houses.

As explained by the immigration officer with the High Commission, the working session was to counter the spread of disinformation by providing the right and authentic information to the Cameroonian public.

The immigration officer pointed out that the goal was to help Cameroonians who seek to immigrate to Canada know the right programmes and procedures to follow, as well as the necessary requirements.

Understanding Canadian immigration 

According to information provided by the IRCC office in Yaounde, anyone can apply to immigrate to Canada providing they meet the qualifications of their immigration programmes.

The immigration officer revealed that immigrating to Canada can be temporal or permanent. She explained that temporal visas can be granted for visits, for work and for studies. 

The officer added that permanent visas can be granted based on three classes notably family sponsored, economic and refugees. She said for those seeking permanent immigration, a language test is obligatory.

Digital process

As explained by the IRCC officer, the visa application process, be it temporal or permanent is completely digital. 

She said no paperwork is required as everything is done online, and payments can be made via an international credit card.

The immigration officer highlighted that the IRCC takes fraud seriously as it remains one of their major challenges. She called on the public to be cautious and to act only on authentic verifiable information. 

She said Canada does not have a lottery system and visas are granted based on points.

The immigration officer added that if false information is found in a visa application file, the file will be refused and the applicant may receive a five-year ban on further visa applications to Canada.

The immigration office called on potential immigrants to be wary of suspicious immigration websites stating that all of Canada’s websites are in English and French and end with ‘.ca’ or ‘.gc.ca’.

Following information provided by the immigration officer, the IRCC does not recruit people to go to Canada and will not contact anyone via unsolicited emails or via social media, and neither will it ask for payment or personal information over the phone.

According to the IRCC office in Yaounde, only registered immigration representatives/agents can represent individuals, and visas are granted only by Canadian immigration officers.

The immigration office further called on individuals who have been scammed to contact local police and the IRCC office to provide tips.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3198 of Tuesday August 13, 2024