Canada warns Pakistanis of visa and eTA scams: nobody can guarantee approval, says High Commission

The High Commission of Canada in Pakistan has warned Pakistanis about visa and eTA scams in a public advisory issued on Tuesday 13 October: anyone who calls, texts or emails promising to "guarantee" a Canadian visa or Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) is a fraudster, because no person or company can guarantee approval, ProPakistani reported, citing the High Commission's post on its X account, @CanHCPakistan.

What the official fees are

Canada's immigration department, IRCC, lists these fees on its official fee page:

Pakistani passport holders apply for a visitor visa, not an eTA. The eTA is for people travelling on a visa-exempt passport (a British passport, for example). If someone offers a Pakistani passport holder an "eTA" for Canada, that alone is a warning sign.

How to spot the scam

• A guarantee. Only an IRCC officer decides; nobody can promise a result.
• A job offer that needs a fee. Real Canadian employers do not ask you to pay for a job or a work permit.
• Payment to a person. Government fees are paid online to IRCC, not by bank transfer, Easypaisa or JazzCash to an individual.
• An unofficial website or a Gmail address. Official Canadian government addresses end in canada.ca or gc.ca.
• Pressure to pay today. Scammers invent deadlines.

What to do

1. Apply yourself through the official IRCC website, or use a licensed Canadian immigration consultant or lawyer you can verify on the regulator's public register.
2. Never hand over your passport or pay cash to an "agent" who cannot show a licence.
3. Keep every message, receipt and number from anyone who asked you for money, so you can report them.

Planning the trip? Check your passport is valid with our passport fee calculator if you need a renewal first, and convert the CAD fees into rupees on the day you pay with our currency converter.