Concerned citizen helps police nab illegal TFW recruiter after government fails to act

January 29, 2015  Halton Police arrested Imelda Saluma for an illegal check cashing scheme¹.  This is not Ms. Saluma’s biggest offense, however; she is wanted by the Toronto PD for defrauding foreign workers who seek to work in Canada through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. ^{1   4}

ntfw.ca can verify that Calgary resident Bernadette Boudreault carried out an three-month-long investigation into Imelda Saluma and GoWest Jobs, after the Harper government failed to take action. Ms. Boudreault informed the Toronto Police Department of her findings early on, and kept in touch with the Toronto PD.

The police probe started in October 2014 after hearing allegations from Ms. Boudreault, and possibly others, that many people had been defrauded by GoWest Jobs International, a recruiting agency primarily dealing with migrant workers. ⁴

Police say that GoWest Jobs received over $1.5 million in fees from over 500 applicants, ^{1   4} and that many applicants were Filipino. ⁴

Police say applicants would pay for employment contracts & permits; applicants would be denied entry to Canada due to fraudulent documents submitted on their behalf, and would be barred from re-applying for 2 years. ⁴

Saskatchewan Immigration Services states that foreign workers paid GoWest Jobs for contracts, and the permit known as a Labour Market Opinion (LMO, now called LMIA).  The foreign workers were sent contracts by Rose Lising-Grey & Imelda Saluma ²

The Philippines government stated publicly that GoWest Jobs has been selling fake jobs; ^{2   3} the Philippines government was notified by the government of Saskatchewan about GoWest Jobs’ fake job offers & forged Labor Market Opinions ^{2   3}

GoWest Jobs is not a licensed recruiter; the licensing involves background checks by government personnel, follow-up checks, and an insurance bond. ³  Licensed recruiter Actyl says  workers paying recruiters is a red flag ³

“We were in Croatia last year and that was a pretty common story,” said Linda West, Actyl Group President. “The fees seemed to be between $500 and $8,000.” ³

The Philippines’ Department of Labour and EmploymentOverseas  warned Filipino citizens last month about the alleged fraud committed by GoWestJobs. ²

Several Filipinos asked Saskatchewan-based SRI Homes if signed employment contracts & LMOs from GoWest Jobs (purportedly to fill vacancies for SRI Homes) were real. ²

SRI Homes general manager has stated that his signature was forged in employment contracts,  ^{2   3} and Employment & Social Development Canada (ESDC) says the LMOs were fake. ²

Many similar stories people losing thousands of dollars from GoWest easily found on immigration services websites; ³ Potential victims advised to submit affidavit of complaint to Philippines Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). ²

As of Feb.5, 2014, no recruiting companies are listed as banned from the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. ⁵   Bernadette Boudreault claims that GoWestJobs first came to the attention of the Employment and Social Development Canada more than a year ago, but the department failed to take any action, even after then-Employment Minister Jason Kenney personally promised her that he’d do so.

“This shows the corruption of program and incredible incompetence of Kenney’s immigration department,” (Kenney was Minister for CIC from 2008-13)  Boudreault said. “And believe it or not I have found links to other major recruiters. This fraud runs deep.”

1. Imelda Fronda Saluma from Oakville charged with 4 Counts of Fraud
   By Chantal Corner, Oakville News
   Published Jan.30, 2015     Accessed Feb.5, 2015
   http://oakvillenews.org/imelda-fronda-saluma-from-oakville-charged-with-4-counts-of-fraud/
2. News Advisory 2 January 2015
   POEA issues warning on immigration consultant
   Philippine Overseas Employment Administration
   Published Jan.2, 2015     Accessed Feb.5, 2015
   http://www.poea.gov.ph/News/2015/PR_Jan2015_GoWest.pdf
3. Philippines issue warning of recruitment scam in Saskatchewan
   By Kim Smith, Global News
   Published January 9, 2015     Accessed Feb.5, 2015
   http://globalnews.ca/news/1765963/philippines-warns-of-recruitment-scam-in-saskatchewan/
4. Toronto woman faces 39 charges in immigration fraud case
   By The Canadian Press
   Published Feb.5, 2015
   Accessed Feb.5, 2015
   http://globalnews.ca/news/1813342/toronto-woman-faces-39-charges-in-immigration-fraud-case/
5. Employers who have broken the rules from the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
   By Employment and Social Development Canada
   Accessed Feb.5, 2015
   http://www.esdc.gc.ca/eng/jobs/foreign_workers/employers_revoked.shtml