Working under the table.. what are the real risks?

[CheshireCats]

I appreciate everyone's advice - but I don't think anyone is really addressing the question.

I am not asking if we should be doing this - we are well aware of the consequences of getting caught.

What I want to know is how likely it is to get caught if we keep silent about it?

ps: I should note she isn't just working from boredom. I mean, even though I meet the requirements to support us without claiming she makes any income, every dollar earned helps us plan for our future and enjoy our lives together without getting too stressed about bills. It's important that she works - and unlikely we will stop now. She has a dream job, with great people, and she is setting up her future career.

I simply need to know if anyone has been in the same situation, or if anyone has been caught, or if you guys had any info on what kind of ways the gov't can catch you?

Thanks

There is no minimum financial requirement needed for spousal sponsorship.
My husband and I were able to prove why our situation was exceptional and how our circumstances justified the issuance of a Work Permit...

All you can really do is apply. If you do it online, it really isn't that bad of a wait.
If the reasons are financial and common law falls under the same category, then do things the right way!!



Edited to add...We had CBSA bang down our door on the Monday before Christmas holidays with deportation papers in hand. Wasn't fun! If I had my time back and the stress we went through over the last 4 months, I would have done things differently...
Hope that answers your question. People aren't too happy about 'illegal immigrants taking Canadian jobs'...

 

[rjessome]

It's like deja vu. It was about a year ago the exact same type of question got asked and garnered the exact same kind of response. Everyone beating up on this person because their spouse worked illegally. And everyone also thinking that the consequences will be so drastic. Really, they won't. It's not material to the case. She should immediately cease working illegally AND she should fess up to it on the application forms. That's the trick. If she lies on those forms then she could be guilty of misrepresentation. So:

1. Stop working immediately
2. Be 100% honest about the work performed on the Schedule A
3. Say so VERY sorry, I know it was wrong, we needed money for bills but I won't do it again without authorization! - in the cover letter

Now CIC "could" decide to inform CBSA who "could" start removal proceedings but seeing as there is a sponsorship application in process. Chances are pretty slim of them wasting CBSA's time on someone doing odd jobs. It could happen but not very likely. Too many other important crooks to catch and illegal stashes of drugs to find.

 

[missmymexi]

We were in that situation, spouse was working illegally, and yes we both knew it was wrong but needed to make ends meet, but we were always living in fear he would get caught. He was on work sites that got raided and managed to run away, everytime he was late or didnt answer his phone I was terrified that that was the day. I like to share our story because I dont think people realize how much CBSA is watching. He was here almost 5 years working without gettting caught, however CBSA was one step behind him the whole time. They were monitoring his facebook knowing he was here illegally. He had posted some pictures of being on a work site, this is the evidence they used to deport him, then they found our address from a BBQ we had posted on facebook, we had been on vacation and the day after we got back they stormed our house at 5am while we were still all asleep, this includes my young daughter. So my point is, even if you think you may be evading the law, big brother IS watching, they are gathering information. They had so much info on all of us, they knew my employer and all my history as well. So even if its not an angry co worker, roommate, family member, they do have other sources to track you down, and i can tell you right now its not worth the risk if you want to be together. She needs to find something else to occupy her time, maybe making crafts and selling them online, something that wouldnt qualify as working in Canada. Anyhow good luck and just keep your nose as clean as possible so you can resume normality after your sponsorship is approved.

 

[missmymexi]

It's like deja vu. It was about a year ago the exact same type of question got asked and garnered the exact same kind of response. Everyone beating up on this person because their spouse worked illegally. And everyone also thinking that the consequences will be so drastic. Really, they won't. It's not material to the case. She should immediately cease working illegally AND she should fess up to it on the application forms. That's the trick. If she lies on those forms then she could be guilty of misrepresentation. So:

1. Stop working immediately
2. Be 100% honest about the work performed on the Schedule A
3. Say so VERY sorry, I know it was wrong, we needed money for bills but I won't do it again without authorization! - in the cover letter

Now CIC "could" decide to inform CBSA who "could" start removal proceedings but seeing as there is a sponsorship application in process. Chances are pretty slim of them wasting CBSA's time on someone doing odd jobs. It could happen but not very likely. Too many other important crooks to catch and illegal stashes of drugs to find.

I also agree with this, I wouldnt necissarly volenteer the information, but if she is asked she is best to answer truthfully or she will never be able to return to Canada. Being caught working is one of the most serious offenses to CBSA, My spouse answered everything truthfully, even though we knew it could get him in more trouble, but both of us were completely upfront and honest, in the end we won our hearing, without that honesty we would have surely lost and he would have been banned from Canada permanantly.

 

[JimM]

Agreed with your whole post except this: "there are many a$$holes who would report her for working illegally" ... you don't really mean that illegal employment is always okay, do you? Perhaps yes if the person was desperate, but that's not the case here. If businesses could hire foreigners willy nilly, what kind of impact would that have on Canadians?

It depends on the situation, my wife is from Estevan, and the unemployment rate there is 1.7%, (no that's not a typo) and it's full of immigrants because Canadians don't want to move there and if they do its for jobs in the oil fields, not in stores, restaurants, garages, etc. In a case like that I can't blame somebody for getting workers any way they can, or for somebody taking a job off the books.

If there were Canadians/legal workers who wanted the jobs that would be another matter, but when the local WalMart has to close it's car care center because they can't get mechanics, (all working for oil companies), etc I find it hard to be upset if somebody takes them under the table.

 

[missmymexi]

It depends on the situation, my wife is from Estevan, and the unemployment rate there is 1.7%, (no that's not a typo) and it's full of immigrants because Canadians don't want to move there and if they do its for jobs in the oil fields, not in stores, restaurants, garages, etc. In a case like that I can't blame somebody for getting workers any way they can, or for somebody taking a job off the books.

If there were Canadians/legal workers who wanted the jobs that would be another matter, but when the local WalMart has to close it's car care center because they can't get mechanics, (all working for oil companies), etc I find it hard to be upset if somebody takes them under the table.

Another good point, most of the jobs available illegally are not nice jobs, they tend to be jobs that no one locally will fill, I found a lot of the time my spouse was paid quite well even though illegal, it wasnt because these employers were trying to cut corners but that they could not find anyone Canadian who would take the work. Oddly enough my spouse found several of our Canadian friends work through his illegal work, ironic really !

 

[canadiangirl78]

I'm shocked they used your Facebook pictures to track your husband down. Were your pages public or does Facebook give them access to everyone's account?!

 

[waikiki]

I thought it is not even allowed to work as a volunteer without pay?

 

[OhCanadiana]

I thought it is not even allowed to work as a volunteer without pay?

This info from CIC may be helpful - there's specific guidelines.

 

[rjessome]

We were in that situation, spouse was working illegally, and yes we both knew it was wrong but needed to make ends meet, but we were always living in fear he would get caught. He was on work sites that got raided and managed to run away, everytime he was late or didnt answer his phone I was terrified that that was the day. I like to share our story because I dont think people realize how much CBSA is watching. He was here almost 5 years working without gettting caught, however CBSA was one step behind him the whole time. They were monitoring his facebook knowing he was here illegally. He had posted some pictures of being on a work site, this is the evidence they used to deport him, then they found our address from a BBQ we had posted on facebook, we had been on vacation and the day after we got back they stormed our house at 5am while we were still all asleep, this includes my young daughter. So my point is, even if you think you may be evading the law, big brother IS watching, they are gathering information. They had so much info on all of us, they knew my employer and all my history as well. So even if its not an angry co worker, roommate, family member, they do have other sources to track you down, and i can tell you right now its not worth the risk if you want to be together. She needs to find something else to occupy her time, maybe making crafts and selling them online, something that wouldnt qualify as working in Canada. Anyhow good luck and just keep your nose as clean as possible so you can resume normality after your sponsorship is approved.

Working illegally for 5 years is a whole lot different than doing odd jobs here and there. Was your husband a failed refugee claimant? CBSA has some pretty serious tracking methods if they choose to use them. Don't ever think that anything you put out there on the internet is private. And if they are looking for you, that means they are looking AT your whole life, including your family. 5 years is a very long time to go without normalizing your status, especially being married to a Canadian and with a child. And if a person is discovered to have had previous convictions are criminality in their past, they are going to get a higher level of attention. NOT saying that this was the case with your husband but just a point. While what happened to you and your family must have been traumatic, I can't help but wonder why it went on for 5 years. Seems to me that your husband had plenty of time to set things right within that 5 year period, before CBSA came knocking. But sharing your story is important for others to learn from that experience and hopefully you will be able to go back to a normal family life soon.

 

[missmymexi]

Working illegally for 5 years is a whole lot different than doing odd jobs here and there. Was your husband a failed refugee claimant? CBSA has some pretty serious tracking methods if they choose to use them. Don't ever think that anything you put out there on the internet is private. And if they are looking for you, that means they are looking AT your whole life, including your family. 5 years is a very long time to go without normalizing your status, especially being married to a Canadian and with a child. And if a person is discovered to have had previous convictions are criminality in their past, they are going to get a higher level of attention. NOT saying that this was the case with your husband but just a point. While what happened to you and your family must have been traumatic, I can't help but wonder why it went on for 5 years. Seems to me that your husband had plenty of time to set things right within that 5 year period, before CBSA came knocking. But sharing your story is important for others to learn from that experience and hopefully you will be able to go back to a normal family life soon.

No, he never made claims for anything. they became wise to him after deporting about 20 other people that they knew, they were doing a crackdown on the illegals at that time in the city and were following facebook pages to find others (this is in the report from when they detained him). We are common law not married, and the child is mine from another marriage, however he is very much her stepdad. The reason for such a long wait was that we were waiting out my divorce (we are almost 5 years into our fight now and thankfully almost over). We found out to late about the common law sponsorship but we are doing it now. He had never had a run in with the police here or in his home country, he is just another hard working guy looking after his family and this is why we won the hearing, because it was more than obvious, plus we had tons of proof already about us that was used at the hearing. So yes, he did have plenty of time to set things right, I agree, but we dont always make the right decisions in our lives and in turn have to pay for them and he is doing that now by stuggling in his home country and being apart from us. Which is why I bring it up here, the original poster should consider this scenario, its easy to make the wrong the choice.

 

[missmymexi]

I'm shocked they used your Facebook pictures to track your husband down. Were your pages public or does Facebook give them access to everyone's account?!

Yep, we were shocked too ! As per my last post, there were many illegals (Mexicans) that CBSA decided to crack down on at that time, they connected them all through facebook, apparently they are aloud full access to facebook profiles when they are investigating criminal activity and being illegal or working illegally is considered criminal activity. He had a picture of himself in work boots standing in a work site, this is the evidence they used in the hearing to prove he worked in Canada, the irony of it is that they all built stuff for the olympics and recieved gold medals in a ceramony from the preimire himself, and pretty much all of them were illegal !

So the answer is yes, if they have any notion that you may be involved in something "criminal" they have full acess to your facebook. I have since closed my account, it was all to creepy for me !

 

[Zouk Princesse]

Wow ... I guess Big Brother really is watching. I always tell people the only way to have a truly private conversation these days is to go underground in an island somewhere. Everything else is open to those watchful eyes!

 

[canadiangirl78]

Yep, we were shocked too ! As per my last post, there were many illegals (Mexicans) that CBSA decided to crack down on at that time, they connected them all through facebook, apparently they are aloud full access to facebook profiles when they are investigating criminal activity and being illegal or working illegally is considered criminal activity. He had a picture of himself in work boots standing in a work site, this is the evidence they used in the hearing to prove he worked in Canada, the irony of it is that they all built stuff for the olympics and recieved gold medals in a ceramony from the preimire himself, and pretty much all of them were illegal !

So the answer is yes, if they have any notion that you may be involved in something "criminal" they have full acess to your facebook. I have since closed my account, it was all to creepy for me !

Wow that's good to know. And it is creepy. I'm glad you guys are almost done with this stressful ordeal. Kinda funny about the awards...

 

[missmymexi]

Wow that's good to know. And it is creepy. I'm glad you guys are almost done with this stressful ordeal. Kinda funny about the awards...

Me too ! We are on our way now to making things right now and I am so happy about that The award thing always cracks me up, we have it sitting on our mantle lol !