Immigration Lawyer Malpractice

[Freitas1998]

My husband and I are going the spousal sponsorship route and have been depending on the same lawyer who obtained my in-laws' PR via the CLC work permit. We signed in July 2022 and only realized in Jan 2024 that our spousal sponsorship application we signed was not submitted. We've identified huge issues with the communication from our legal representative and at least 2 attempted methods of fraud by him and his consultant associate. I'd like to sue for this incredible delay!!
We've submitted our own application without the use of a representative but surely people should be aware of the lack of professional services, and I don't know how to contact the IRCC to report the serious fraud attempted. Does anyone have advice?

 

[scylla]

My husband and I are going the spousal sponsorship route and have been depending on the same lawyer who obtained my in-laws' PR via the CLC work permit. We signed in July 2022 and only realized in Jan 2024 that our spousal sponsorship application we signed was not submitted. We've identified huge issues with the communication from our legal representative and at least 2 attempted methods of fraud by him and his consultant associate. I'd like to sue for this incredible delay!!
We've submitted our own application without the use of a representative but surely people should be aware of the lack of professional services, and I don't know how to contact the IRCC to report the serious fraud attempted. Does anyone have advice?

If it was a lawyer vs. consultant, then the complaint is not filed with IRCC. Follow instructions here:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigration-citizenship-representative/file-complaint-against-representative.html

 

[Freitas1998]

If it was a lawyer vs. consultant, then the complaint is not filed with IRCC. Follow instructions here:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigration-citizenship-representative/file-complaint-against-representative.html

All of our communication has been through his assistant whatever when we believed she was a paralegal. The actual lawyer is listed as the representative on our form though.

 

[armoured]

All of our communication has been through his assistant whatever when we believed she was a paralegal. The actual lawyer is listed as the representative on our form though.

If you were communicating through a representative of the lawyer or the legal firm's office, you either complain within that firm or to/through the relevant legal society. If you're in doubt, look at the contract or receipt that you have: that's who is representing you.

This is covered in the link you were provided (which you should read again): "If you have a complaint about an employee of an authorized representative, discuss your complaint with the person they work for. If the employer doesn't deal with your concern, complain to the governing group they belong to (see above)."

The point about 'consultants' is that this is a specific form of immigration representative that is regulated separately (citizenship or immigration consultants). It doesn't refer to people within the law firm you dealt with.

 

[Freitas1998]

I am going through the LSO to lodge my complaint against the law firm but I feel obligated (and spiteful) to report their attempted fraud. Context is they submitted our application through the individual portal and not through the representative portal which is illegal, and their attempt to get a job letter for a company my husband would never work for. Doesn’t the IRCC want to know who is doing this? They could probably access the IP history to see my husbands electronic signature had been forged on the application as well.