How to avoid immigration and recruitment scams?
Background:
Jeanett Moskito, through her companies Link4Staff and Berderald Consulting, allegedly defrauded hundreds of Filipino migrant workers by charging them illegal fees for job placements.
Members of the media may directly contact:
Luisa Veronis (English, French, & Spanish)
Full Professor, Geography, Environment and Geomatics; Faculty of Arts
Professor Veronis focuses on issues related to transnationalism, migration, identity and citizenship in Canadian cities, with an emphasis on issues related to the settlement of immigrants, minority groups and migrants.
"As more and more people are seeking to migrate in hopes of improving their livelihoods, accessing better economic opportunities and quality of life, and achieving financial stability and professional success, immigration policies have become increasingly complex and selective, and thus more difficult to navigate. This increasing demand from potential migrants on the one hand, and the increasingly difficult processes of filling immigration applications on the other, has created an opportunity for what is known as "migration intermediaries", a category that encompasses everything from immigration lawyers and paralegals, to recruitment agents and consultants, social (media) networks of migrants and diasporas, travel agencies and bogus institutions, to "coyotes", "passeurs" and even traffickers. These intermediaries can play many different roles, from giving advice and providing useful information to filling official documents and immigration applications, to making travel arrangements and obtaining visas, finding jobs and housing, whether for free or for a fee. The line between formal and informal 'help' is very fluid and tenuous, but there can be risks in terms of becoming victim to scams and fraudulent intentions. This category of migration intermediaries is very complex, ambiguous and contradictory, between legal and illegal activities, yet the risks can be very high in terms of financial and legal impacts or worse."
Omer Livvarcin (English only)
Part-time professor, Telfer School of Management
Professor Livvarcin's research focuses on all types of non-profit and charitable organizations, including food banks, shelters, community centers, refugee and immigrant integration service providers, and other community-based organizations.