Immigration Loopholes: How Can We Fill Them As Ghanaians?

From: Stephen A.Quaye, Toronto-Canada.

For the past one week, the Ghanaian media and that of the international media has been full of stories about fraudulent immigration activities uncovered in Canada where in a particular case two Ghanaians have been named as suspects of war crimes and being sort for by the security.

Both the electronic and print media have been covering series of fraudulent visa activities going on in Canada and else where in the world where in some cases reports had it that suspects arrested included Ghanaians which raises concern that something must be done immediately to plug the loopholes.

On November 9,2009 Accra radio station Joy F.M. posted an article on its webpage titled “IMMIGRATION ALERT: GHANAIANS ENSLAVING GHANAIANS ABROAD” where the concern writer revealed many secrets how certain innocent people are lured to overseas only for them to enter their foreign destinations as captives and suffer all kinds of abuse. So surprising, the reactions which greeted the article were full of attacks on the concern writer instead of looking into the causes and come out with a possible solution to plug the loopholes.

The complaints raised by the writer were not looked into therefore getting pregnant with so many fraudulent cases that we are witnessing today both back home in Ghana and in many foreign countries where Ghanaians dominates in the communities.

As if not taking the complaints serious, Cable News Network [CNN] on December 2, 2010 aired a documentary on immigration fraud or human smuggling which involved two innocent girls one from Nigeria and the other from Ghana to America where they suffered all sorts of inhuman treatment.

In order for you to have a fair idea as to how visa contractors deal with their clients readers should kindly watch this chilling documentary by goggle “HELD AS MODERN DAY SLAVES IN AMERICA, WEST AFRICAN GIRLS NOW FREED”. I hope this chilling award winning story will offer good advice to you to make an inform choice before going in for a visa contractor.

Now to the readers and commentators who brushed off my recent articles exposing the canker in immigration dealings, they should be informed that there is a serious search in the United States of America, Canada, London, Spain and other parts of the world where in some of the arrests conducted by the police were Ghanaians who were allegedly issuing fake passports and resident permit cards to criminals.

There have been series of arrests that were conducted and reported in the media back home in Ghana, Europe and in North America here with Canada being part of it. A case in point is how the Canadian government through the Canada Border Services Agency [CBSA] is seriously searching for 30 war criminals including two Ghanaians Kobena Berko Frank and Alidu Kiemtor and removes them from the country.

In October last year, the Spanish police broke up a gang that arrange around 100 bogus marriages for immigrants seeking residency papers and arrested 34 suspects including a priest, reported by the Metro newspaper in Toronto-Canada. In the same story the police statement revealed how the gang were charging 15,000 to 18,000 dollars to set up fake unions where most of the foreigners who used the service were Colombians involved in drug trafficking.

On November 23,2009, another Accra based radio station Peace F.M. posted on its webpage a story where a London based Ghanaian was arrested by the police for allegedly issuing fake passports to more than 350 illegal immigrants before recruiting them and sharing their wages with them.

Two nationals of the DR Congo, believed to be his accomplices in the scam were also arrested where the U.K. Border agency also uncovered hundreds of fake documents including national insurance numbers, security passes and passports belonging to some of the workers recruited by the suspects as cleaners and caterers.

Three days after that story broke out, the 24 HOUR newspaper in Toronto, reported another case where 29 persons were arrested in Montreal fraud ring. The police were not clear how many fake Canadian passports were in circulation after arresting alleged members of a large counterfeit ring that produced high quality, fake government ID cards.

With these proven recent reported cases of arrest of immigration fraudsters, it is difficult to accept that illegal immigration activities involving Ghanaians do not exists in a foreign land.

Meanwhile, some Ghanaian resource persons living in Canada have expressed concern about the story of the two suspected war criminals and have called on all citizenry to distance themselves from any fraudulent activities that may drag the image of the country Ghana into the mud.

As part of activities to school members on how to distance themselves from suspicious acts, these dignified ladies and noble men of Ghana in Toronto, are organizing forums to educate members more on the immigration laws of the country and how to abide by them.

This was contained in press release forwarded to this freelancer by Mr. David Firang, who is the chairman of the committee on social responsibility and education, Ghana Methodist Church, Toronto, disclosing the church’s intention to hold a forum come August 14 to educate members on immigration laws in Canada. Just as this reporter was about to file this piece, a breaking news came in that two out of the suspected war criminals have been apprehended by the police. For further details kindly goggle CANADA BORDER SERVICES AGENCY, WANTED WAR CRIMINALS. END.