IS THIS JOB OFFER A SCAM? NEED HELP ASAP.

[Mindtourist]

Hi, I'm a civil engineer from Turkey. I've got a job offer from a canadian construction company. The first mail came from Jooble via a canadian staffing agency. Then the main company contacted me for the interview. There was one interview on the phone with the manager which included techincal engineering questions too, then continued with online aptitude tests. This process took 1-2 weeks and now they offered me a job position.

The contract includes the company's full name and Registery ID. Salary is good and they offer accommodation too. But there is a article in the contract as:

""xxx will not cover any expenses such as LMIA (labour market impact assessment),
governmental visa fees, biometric fees, medical report fees, any translation or notary fees and transport
costs upfront. Employee will be issued a refund of the expenses he makes once he starts his employment
in Canada."

I've searched their registery ID from the below link and the company name showed up. It matched.

https://beta.canadasbusinessregistries.ca/search

After all, they gave me two ways to proceed. One of them was continuing with PR but this is more risky, time and money consuming at the moment for me. Other way was temporary work permit with LMIA document. The company have a deadline for starting time and i have nearly 2 months for the visa approval, so i chose the second option. But they wanted immediatly 1390$ via some payment link as a "security deposit" for the LMIA process. Again, they said it will be refunded when the employment starts.

Right now am in a middle point of a scam or giving up a good opportunity because of my concerns. Can someone help me how to be sure about this situation? If you need any further information please ask, thanks in advance.

 

[Bs65]

Generally construction job offers are all scams and companies do not provide accommodation or ask for security deposits. An employer is responsible for paying the LMIA fee not the employee

There is zero possibility for anyone to be able to commit to get any visa within a specific time or start date which is often a clue that something is not right, even more so during a pandemic when processing times are extended.

What is the company name and assume they mentioned being an engineer in Canada requires a licence

The people who operate scams can be very convincing with interviews, fake websites and convincing job offers.

 

[Mindtourist]

Ty for the reply. They didn't mention any requirement of a licence.

This information is from the contract:

Winn Constructors (KEN WINN CONSTRUCTION LTD.) https://www.winnconstructors.com/
Registry ID: 754210
Registered Office Location: PICKERING, Ontario
Status: Active
Status Notes: Active
Business Type: Ontario Business Corporation
Created: 1988-01-11

 

[Naturgrl]

Scam. I bet the company doesn’t even know they are being used. You are dealing with a “staffing agency”. What is the name. If they are asking you for that much money when a LMIA application costs $1000, it is a scam.

 

[Mindtourist]

This is the website of the agency: globalstaffing.ca

But in the website, which belongs to the main company, this is written : https://www.winnconstructors.com/careers

"WINN Construction is a family owned and operated business since its conception in 2002, bringing together an elite team of construction professionals with decades of experience. Bound together, by a passion for quality and teamwork, our company continues to exceed the status quo by delivering high quality heavy civil construction and environmental remediation projects, on time – on budget for both private and public entities.

For general job inquiries please contact to our HR solution partner, globalstaffing.ca"

Which indicates that they are working together and it is for quite a long time. Also they mentioned this partnership on the telephone conversation and on the mails too. The manager specially said that I should always contact with the agency first because they are the provider for employee.

Also the "security deposit" is named as "LMIA application fee and consulting costs = 1390$" on the request link. I am very confused.

 

[Naturgrl]

Ty for the reply. They didn't mention any requirement of a licence.

This information is from the contract:

Winn Constructors (KEN WINN CONSTRUCTION LTD.) https://www.winnconstructors.com/
Registry ID: 754210
Registered Office Location: PICKERING, Ontario
Status: Active
Status Notes: Active
Business Type: Ontario Business Corporation
Created: 1988-01-11

If you go to website, It is in Manitoba. Your information is for Ontario based company. So the website is not even the same as the contact information. KENN WINN CONSTRUCTION is not Winnconstructors.com.

 

[scylla]

This is the website of the agency: globalstaffing.ca

But in the website, which belongs to the main company, this is written : https://www.winnconstructors.com/careers

"WINN Construction is a family owned and operated business since its conception in 2002, bringing together an elite team of construction professionals with decades of experience. Bound together, by a passion for quality and teamwork, our company continues to exceed the status quo by delivering high quality heavy civil construction and environmental remediation projects, on time – on budget for both private and public entities.

For general job inquiries please contact to our HR solution partner, globalstaffing.ca"

Which indicates that they are working together and it is for quite a long time. Also they mentioned this partnership on the telephone conversation and on the mails too. The manager specially said that I should always contact with the agency first because they are the provider for employee.

Also the "security deposit" is named as "LMIA application fee and consulting costs = 1390$" on the request link. I am very confused.

Job is a scam. Company doesn't exist.

The winn constructors website is clearly fake and a scam. There are several places on the website where you can see they have copied and pasted descriptions from other websites but haven't bothered to change the company name from the website where the stole the information - so the other company's name is still there. This is extremely typical of scam websites.

LMIA fees are ALWAYS paid by the employer. No real employer would every make you pay the LMIA fee. This isn't allowed.

 

[Mindtourist]

They are saying that the HQ of the company is based on Winnipeg but it is working on Ontario and other cities. They even said that the project name is Windsor Mega Hospital Project which you can find a little information on the internet. Also starting date of the project is reasonable too. A very well organised scam then. Thank you for the replies @scylla @Naturgrl .

 

[Naturgrl]

They are saying that the HQ of the company is based on Winnipeg but it is working on Ontario and other cities. They even said that the project name is Windsor Mega Hospital Project which you can find a little information on the internet. Also starting date of the project is reasonable too. A very well organised scam then. Thank you for the replies @scylla @Naturgrl .

That hospital project is only in Stage 2 as the land was just purchased and it hasn't even been designed yet. It will not start construction for at least another 5 years.

 

[Mindtourist]

I am so pissed right now. They have my passport number, diplomas and signature copy. Is there a way to take action about this situation?

 

[scylla]

I am so pissed right now. They have my passport number, diplomas and signature copy. Is there a way to take action about this situation?

Most likely nothing you can do.

They almost certainly aren't located in Canada. So there's nothing Canadian authorities can do to help you.

If they happen to be located in your home country and you can figure that out, then you can try to pursue them through your home country's police and court systems. But probably not worth the time and money.

For the future, assume that any job offer you are given is fake. It's extremely difficult / next to impossible to secure a job offer in Canada. Signs it's fake include them asking for money close to the start, promising free accommodations or transportation or food, getting the job easily and an urgency in submitting your paperwork or you'll lose out on the job offer.

If you want to come to Canada, forget about finding a job offer and focus on qualifying and applying to immigrate through an economic immigration stream like Express Entry.

Good luck.

 

[Mindtourist]

Thank you for the info.

 

[Bs65]

Ty for the reply. They didn't mention any requirement of a licence.

This information is from the contract:

Winn Constructors (KEN WINN CONSTRUCTION LTD.) https://www.winnconstructors.com/
Registry ID: 754210
Registered Office Location: PICKERING, Ontario
Status: Active
Status Notes: Active
Business Type: Ontario Business Corporation
Created: 1988-01-11

Assume you noticed that the website shows an address in Winnipeg as the HQ and not Pickering ?

 

[Mindtourist]

Yeah, I have noticed. I am still talking with them via emails. Right now I've sent an email about LMIA fee should be covered by company legally and i cant proceed with a security deposit. Their phone numbers are canadian (start with +1) and they always reply me with canada time. Also they know a lot information from canada. So i am guessing that they are in Canada, not Turkey. My friend, who is a yacht designer secured a job and went to Canada with a job offer and this gave me hope i think. But asking for money is a clear sign for a scam i guess.

 

[scylla]

Yeah, I have noticed. I am still talking with them via emails. Right now I've sent an email about LMIA fee should be covered by company legally and i cant proceed with a security deposit. Their phone numbers are canadian (start with +1) and they always reply me with canada time. Also they know a lot information from canada. So i am guessing that they are in Canada, not Turkey. My friend, who is a yacht designer secured a job and went to Canada with a job offer and this gave me hope i think. But asking for money is a clear sign for a scam i guess.

There is 0% chance this is real. The website is fake and the company doesn't exist.