The Hongcouver | Anatomy of a scam: how rich Chinese gamed Canadian immigration
Case studies from the biggest immigration fraud in Canadian history reveal the privileged lifestyles of Chinese millionaire migrants – and the bizarre justifications some used to try to fend off exclusion orders
When unlicensed immigration consultant Xun “Sunny” Wang was jailed in 2015 for masterminding the biggest immigration fraud in Canadian history, it wasn’t just Wang who would end up paying the price.
Hundreds of his Chinese clients were caught up in the scandal when their passports were seized in raids on Wang’s home and offices.
An investigation by the South China Morning Post has revealed some of the implausible, deceptive and downright bizarre excuses offered by Wang’s clients to explain their participation in the scheme and ward off attempts to strip them of Canadian residency.
Wang faked the presence of his wealthy clients in Canada, when they were actually living in China, so that they could maintain Canadian permanent residency and qualify for citizenship. He was sentenced to seven years’ jail, but was paroled late last year.
At least 860 clients of Wang’s Vancouver-based firms, New Can Consultants and Wellong International Investments, have either lost immigration status – resulting in expulsion and five-year bans from entering Canada – or been reported for inadmissibility.
Three years of mourning
