B.C. couple face dozens of charges related to alleged immigration fraud

A pair of immigration consultants have been charged with 69 counts under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, following an investigation by the CanadaBorder Services Agency into alleged fraud.

Rupinder "Ron" Batth and Navdeep Batth, both 51, were charged in early September. All but 15 of the counts have been filed against Rupinder Batth.

The alleged offences took place betweenOctober2014 andNovember2018 and revolve around work the two Langley, B.C., residents carried out at the Can-Asia Immigration Consulting company where they were directors.

The Can-Asia office at the Payal Business Centre in Surrey was the site of a CBSA raid in 2017. The office is now occupied by a different immigration consulting company, and while Can-Asia's website remains online, there's no B.C. location listed.

The charges include:

• 18 counts of counselling or attempting to counsel misrepresentation or helping people misrepresent facts related to their immigration.
• 50 counts of knowingly misrepresenting or withholding facts that can induce error in administration.
• 1 count of communicating false information with regard to someone's immigration.

The pair's first court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 13 at Surrey Provincial Court.