'We will continue to pursue prosecution for individuals who abuse our immigration system while safeguarding workers from exploitation'
A construction manager in Manitoba has been arrested and fined $50,000 for violating immigration laws concerning the employment of foreign workers.
Gurwinder Singh Ahluwalia, a resident of Winnipeg, pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized employment of foreign nationals under Section 124 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
Ahluwalia received a sentence of 20 months’ house arrest and was ordered to pay a $50,000 fine.
Recently, three Ontario-based employers were fined a combined total of $450,000 for employing foreign nationals without proper authorisation to work in Canada, according to the federal government.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Criminal Investigations Section began investigating Ahluwalia in August 2023 after receiving information about the employment and mistreatment of unauthorized workers at a local construction site.
Investigators uncovered documentation and work permit applications linked to Ahluwalia, who served as the construction site manager.
In May 2024, the CBSA executed search warrants, seizing multiple electronic devices and physical records.
The documentation revealed that Ahluwalia lured foreign nationals to Canada to work without legal authorization and underpaid some workers who did hold valid work permits, the CBSA reported.
"The Canada Border Services Agency Criminal Investigations Section in Winnipeg worked diligently to investigate this case and provide evidence for conviction,” said Janalee Bell-Boychuk, regional director general, Prairie Region, CBSA. “We will continue to pursue prosecution for individuals who abuse our immigration system while safeguarding workers from exploitation."
Earlier this year, Amnesty International released a report detailing how Canada has implemented rules that lead to harsh working conditions for migrant workers. That came less than a year after, in an August 2024 report, Tomoya Obokata, United Nations special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, noted that the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program “serves as a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery, as it institutionalizes asymmetries of power that favour employers and prevent workers from exercising their rights”.
Ottawa has made significant changes to immigration rules over the past year.
For example, effective Sept. 26, 2024, Ottawa refused to process Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications in the low-wage stream in census metropolitan areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher. Under the rule, 24 metropolitan areas are banned from accessing the said stream of the TFW Program from April 4 to July 10, 2025.
In 2024, the CBSA opened 184 criminal investigations into suspected offences under the IRPA.
CBSA is encouraging the public to report suspicious immigration activities through the Border Watch Line or by calling 1-888-502-9060.
