Document fraud

It’s a serious crime to lie, or to send false information or documents to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This is fraud. It’s called “misrepresentation.”

Document fraud can involve either false or altered documents, such as:

• passports and travel documents
• visas
• diplomas, degrees, and apprenticeship or trade papers
• certificates of birth, marriage, final divorce, annulment, separation, or death and
• police certificates

If you lie on an application or in an interview with an IRCC officer, this is also fraud. It’s a crime.

If you send false documents or information, we’ll refuse your application. We may also:

• forbid you from entering Canada for at least 5 years
• give you a permanent record of fraud with us
• take away your status as a permanent resident or Canadian citizen
• have you charged with a crime or
• remove you from Canada

What we’re doing to stop immigration fraud

We work with our partners to watch for document fraud and train officers around the world. Our partners include:

• the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
• the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and
• foreign police services and
• offices that issue identity and status documents

We’re working with the CBSA and the RCMP to phase in biometrics. This means we’ll use data such as fingerprints to confirm a person’s identity.

Biometrics will make it much harder for people to hide who they are. It will also help reduce identity fraud. Find out more about biometrics.

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