Three men have been charged with a total of ten offences with regards to alleged immigration fraud in Halifax dating back as far as 2006.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) executed search warrants in May 2011 at the Canada 2000 Immigration and Business Solutions Inc. business location on Brenton Street and at three other locations in the city.

The accused are said to have created the fictitious appearance of a Canadian residence for immigrants with Canadian permanent resident status, for the purpose of maintaining that status and obtaining Canadian citizenship.

Albert Price, CBSA manager of criminal investigations, tells News 95.7 they poured over thousands of documents.

He adds any families who knowingly tried to misrepresent their status could also face charges.

“The investigation continues to determine the extent of any misrepresentation as well, so it’s too early to discount charges at this point for anyone that was involved or was found to be involved in misrepresenting,” explains Price.

He says that could include people who are already living in Canada all the way to people who have just started the process of applying.

Immigration lawyer Lee Cohen says in his experience, some immigrants are aware they’re misrepresenting their case.

“They’re lead to believe the misrepresentations that are being relied upon by their consultants is the way it is done in Canada,” he explains. “Other clients are simply not aware. It doesn’t get them off the hook but it is an example of some people acting blindly and other groups acting knowingly.”

Cohen says these kinds of incidents can create problems for immigration.

“People who are interested in coming to Canada, who can’t navigate the immigration system on their own, who do need professional advice who hear about this fraudulent behaviors will probably think twice about engaging professionals to immigrate to Canada,” says Cohen.

He adds when that happens, Canada is the loser.