Gujarat man promised Canada PR for son, niece; cheated of Rs 98 lakh

A Gandhinagar man has alleged that a visa agent duped them of Rs 97.5 lakh with promises of Canadian permanent residency for his son and niece. He claimed they received closed work permits instead, and the PR was never processed.

In Short

• Visa agent allegedly gave closed work permits instead of PR to son, niece
• Complainant claimed he paid extra fees repeatedly, but PR was never processed
• Applicants faced job issues in Canada; son couldn't join work, niece was fired

A family in Gujarat's Gandhinagar has alleged that a visa agent cheated them of Rs 97.50 lakh on the promise of securing Canadian permanent residency (PR) for two members of the family. Instead, they were allegedly provided with closed work permits and were eventually forced to return to India.

The complaint was filed by Sunilbhai against one Ravi Solanki, who operates a visa consultancy office under the name 'Win Win Overseas' in Kudasan.

According to the complaint, Sunilbhai was looking for a visa agent to facilitate the migration of his son and niece to Canada. Around two years ago, he was introduced to Solanki through an acquaintance living in the US.

During their conversation regarding the matter in March last year, Solanki allegedly claimed that he had helped around 35 people travel abroad and assured the family that he could arrange a Canadian visa within three to four months, followed by PR for both. A deal was then finalised for Rs 97.50 lakh.

After the applicants completed their biometric and medical procedures, the family allegedly paid the amount in cash. In July 2025, Solanki provided them with closed work permits linked to a company in Canada's Manitoba instead of the promised PR. Closed work permits are company and job-specific authorisations offered to foreign workers primarily for temporary purposes.

After reaching Canada, Sunilbhai's son was allegedly denied employment by the company because he did not have a health card. The agent then told the family that the health card process was underway.

In August 2025, Sunilbhai's niece travelled to Canada.

According to the complaint, Solanki subsequently continued to demand around 1,500 Canadian dollars (Rs 1.4 lakh) every 15 days, claiming that the PR application was still being processed.

However, when the family repeatedly asked about the PR, the agent allegedly gave them vague assurances that the process was ongoing and would be completed shortly.

By April this year, the family realised that the promised PR had not materialised. The niece was also fired from her job in Canada. When the family approached another company regarding employment, they learnt that what they received from the agent were closed work permits valid for two years.

At this point, Solanki began avoiding their questions and failed to provide clear information about the PR process. The family also allegedly learnt that he was attempting to leave for Canada with his own family.

Realising they had been defrauded, Sunilbhai approached the police and lodged a complaint. The police have registered a cased based on the complaint.

Police have begun investigating the alleged financial transactions, the visa documents provided to the family and the representations made by the agent regarding Canadian PR. A probe is also underway into the claim about Solanki's own plans to move to Canada.

- Ends