Four individuals have appeared in a Canadian court over an alleged immigration fraud scheme involving hundreds of visa applications, while a fifth accused, believed to be in Bangladesh, is subject to an arrest warrant.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said Rashel Mirza and Mohammed Aminul Islam, both from Montréal, Md Mudassar Alam Bhuiyan, from Toronto, and Md Rakibul Hassan, from Bangladesh, appeared at the Valleyfield courthouse on 22 October 2026.
Hassan is reportedly in Bangladesh, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Canada’s Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the country’s immigration system depended on integrity, fairness and respect for the law.
“Those who seek to exploit or undermine our system for fraudulent purposes face serious consequences,” he said, thanking CBSA employees for their work to protect the country’s borders.
The investigation identified 209 Bangladeshi nationals for whom 243 temporary resident visa (TRV) applications had been submitted.
The applications allegedly presented Canadian citizens as hosts and relied on fraudulent documents and false statements to support the applicants’ visits to Canada.
According to the CBSA, the investigation began after officers conducted a compliance and control operation at a private residence in Mercier, Quebec, on 3 July 2024, with representatives of the town’s police and fire departments. Suspected breaches of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act prompted a formal investigation the following month.
On 3 June 2025, investigators executed four search warrants across Quebec and Ontario. Documents and computer equipment gathered during the searches allegedly pointed to the involvement of five individuals in the scheme.
Given the scale of the alleged operation, investigators concentrated on 79 visa applications they considered the most probative.
The accused face three categories of charges relating to conspiracy to organise or facilitate entry into Canada, knowingly assisting or encouraging misrepresentation in immigration applications, and knowingly helping others contravene Canadian immigration law.
Eric Lapierre, the CBSA’s regional director general for Quebec, said the investigation demonstrated the agency’s determination to identify and disrupt networks seeking to exploit Canada’s immigration system.
The agency said it opened 191 criminal investigations into suspected offences under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in 2025. Between 1 January and 30 June 2026, it opened a further 55 investigations into suspected offences under the legislation.
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