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1 Hundreds of Filipinos Paid Countless Dollars to Canada Recruitment Agency In Job Scam reports

Numerous Filipinos in Canada were scammed by a Vancouver-based recruitment firm after paying thousands of dollars for supposed tasks however were never ever employed, according to reports.

CBC News Canada and ABS-CBN News reported that The Promise Land Consultancy, owned by Filipino-Canadian Joseph Miranda alias Joseph Powers, allegedly promised tasks in Canada to Filipinos in the Philippines and abroad.
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Victims consisted of Marilyn Fernandez Rabadon, a public high school head teacher in Pangasinan, and Marivic Sumawang Pingaron, a caretaker in Tel Aviv.

Rabadon and Pingaron remembered that they were recruited and convinced by TPLC representatives to sign a contract stating that they would pay the agency approximately C$ 12,000 (P496,000) to secure jobs.

They each made a down payment of the equivalent of P150,000 in Canadian dollars.

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Pingaron, who's applying on behalf of her kid, stated she paid TPLC over C$ 8,000 (P332,000) in 2 installments. Rabadon, on the other hand, declined to pay more than her preliminary deposit of C$ 4,000 (P166,000).

According to Rabadon, the contract specified that the payment would be reimbursed if she didn't get a job deal within 5 months.

"Ang lakas ng loob ko na magbigay ng ano kasi anyhow after 5 months, mare-refund ko naman," she is quoted as saying.

They required a refund when no task uses materialized.

Pingaron became suspicious and asked for a refund when TPLC told her that to get her kid's Labor Market Impact Assessment, a file that a Canadian employer might require from foreign workers before hiring them, she would require to make a second payment.

"Wala po ni piso akong na-refund," said.

"Ken," another victim, informed the media outlet that Miranda advised him to go to Canada as a traveler before working for TPLC while waiting on his papers.

Ken said he met 14 Filipino travelers whom TPLC had likewise employed. A substantial chunk of their income as expected TPLC workers went back to the company for their retainer fees.

"Ilan po sa amin, mga apat po ata kami, binigyan po niya kami ng task offer na it turns out hindi naman pala valid," Ken said. (Under Canadian laws, travelers can not work in the country otherwise they 'd face deportation.)

Ken stated other TPLC candidates paid the business with their life savings. Others also took loans.

They attempted to get a refund from TPLC, and when they couldn't, they sought the help of the Migrant Workers Center and submitted charges before the Small Claims Court of British Columbia.

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Rozana Solita, an immigration specialist and previous TPLC employee, said she was shocked that the business right away hired her upon using in March 2024.

Solita, who stopped from TPLC after a month, stated many candidates were asking her when they would get task offers. She likewise expressed issue when TPLC presumably charged candidates a downpayment ranging from C$ 2,500 to C$ 3,500 (P103,000 to P145,000).

Applicants were also supposedly asked to sign a contract that had a breakdown of fees and immigration services. The treatment, however, only required sending a resume, according to Solita.

Solita stated she also saw 400 applicant folders going back to 2023. Even with a "conservative" estimate, she kept in mind that TPLC charged a minimum of C$ 2 million (P83 million) to more than 150 individuals, and gathered a minimum of C$ 500,000. She told CBC News that she believes she was worked with as a "front to make themselves look genuine."

Lawsuits

Ken and his companions submitted cases versus TPLC before the Employment Standards Branch for unfair salaries. They also submitted cases before the Canada Border Services Agency and the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants.

Criminal cases against Miranda, on the other hand, include scams, providing migration services without a license, and illegal recruitment of foreign nationals.

In a declaration, the CBSA said it "carefully evaluates all grievances of criminal activity that might make up an offence under the Customs Act or the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, consisting of those related to Labour Market Impact Assessment fraud."

"When we end up being aware of situations where there are possible infraction of these acts, we examine and take the appropriate action," it included.

The CBSA likewise asked victims to submit complaints online through CBSA Border Watch.

According to ABS-CBN News, the TPLC workplace in Vancouver has actually currently been closed.

The company likewise has a brand-new social networks page called "PLC Global Solutions," which likewise hires hopefuls to operate in different nations. The page likewise has a brand-new address for TPLC in California.

Ken stated the Migrant Workers Office in Vancouver gave their group a money help of 1,500 Canadian dollars (P62,000).

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TAGS: employment CANADA OFW fraud Overseas Filipino Workers The Promise Land Consultancy Joseph Miranda

NICK GARCIA

Nick composes about politics, law, health, entertainment, and popular culture, among others. Outside work, he's a wannabe artist and cook. Email him at nick@philstarlife.com.
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