“Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up to your ruin.” –Aesop
Was Carl Benito a victim of the dreaded Pinoy “crab mentality?” The immigration consulting business is thriving because those in the industry are reportedly destroying each other by tipping off authorities with false allegations. Benito is one of the latest foreign-based Filipino immigration consultants who have been disgraced after being accused of committing fraud with regard to immigrants and workers intending to reside in Canada permanently; however, the accusations have yet to be proven in court.
A similar misfortune has happened to others Filipinos working in immigration consultancy, both in the United States and other parts of Canada. If they don’t “pirate” applicants, they allegedly accuse others of charging exorbitant fees or operating without license and authority. A Filipino-Canadian immigration consultant in Canadian province of British Columbia, who has requested strict anonymity, is currently under investigation by the consulate and immigration authorities after another Filipino-Canadian immigration consultant reportedly “destroyed” their reputation.
They noted, results of an “important meeting,” where they appealed to be heard on the matter, are due out this week.
“It’s a plain and simple crab mentality,” they sobbed. “Once your business it doing good, somebody [in the same industry] will feel bad about it and invent intrigues to destroy you.”
The immigration consultant affirmed their business is legal and duly licensed.
“I have helped a lot of clients who are now permanent residents in Canada,” they added.
Meanwhile, Benito, a former Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta member of the province’s legislative assembly, saw his home raided last week by Canadian immigration authorities on suspicions of immigration fraud after allegedly counseling dozens of Filipino immigrants on how to fraudulently extend their stay in Alberta, using bogus applications for study and devious work-extension permits. He was also accused of illegally employing at least one Filipino immigrant.
Authorities seized over $250,000 in cash, mostly in P100 bundles, from the raid.
According to the Canada Border Services Agency, Benito has reportedly been committing such fraud since November 11, 2015.
Benito’s supporters suspect “jealous business rivals” fed authorities “half-truths and false information in a bid to sabotage his good business.”
As of this writing, the immigration consultant has yet to make an official statement regarding the matter.
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Even if immigration consultancy firms are accused of dubious actions, many desperate Filipinos continue to play deaf and blind thinking they can still enter Canada, the US, Australia, New Zealand, or some other developed western nation in order to escape poverty in the Philippines – this is the mindset unscrupulous “immigration consultants” are exploiting.
It also explains why “immigration consultancy” firms have mushroomed throughout the Philippines.
There are still many legal and prestigious immigration consultancy agencies that facilitate and fast track documentation that have not been tainted with shady transactions./WDJ