Going to live in Canada, “it’s been a dream ever since we’ve known each other.” But the dream of this Geneva couple is about to turn into a nightmare. In mid-October, these young parents took the plunge. He works 100%, she takes care of their young children. “For once, we wanted to get administrative help.” Having come across the site viveaucanada.com, which claims to help initial candidates put together their file and take the steps for them, they got started. Six weeks later, they fear having invested a lot of money for nothing.
The company, with its flashy website, first requested a deposit of 721 francs, then a series of personal documents. A zoom was organized with another company to explain to them how to find a job. They finally had to add 6579.80 fr. (always claimed in… pounds sterling). And since then, nothing. They are passed around from contact to contact, the call numbers are constantly changing. They demand a refund. On Tuesday, a “financial service” told them they agreed to give them back 1000 euros, and that’s it, given the steps already taken.
“We got screwed. We would like to warn people. Especially since we have now noticed that we can find channels on YouTube that provide the same information for free.” And that the official Canadian website allows you to take the steps alone. The costs then amount, for economic emigration, to 961 francs per person (164 francs for children).
The affair smells bad. After three requests in ten days, viveaucanada.com finally indicated that our email was forwarded to the manager. “A return will be made to customers.” The woman presented as their approved consultant to Canadian authorities never responded. And the government agency IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) is not reassuring. Without mentioning the site, he “advises his clients not to trust or believe anyone who asks them for payment to bring them or allow them to stay in Canada.”
A strange Bulgarian society
The Vaudois police have not received any complaints regarding viveaucanada. According to her, the description of the case could be compared to an advance fee scam. She points out that the appearance of a site is never a guarantee of its reliability. “The simple fact that this site is operated by a company established in Bulgaria should/could have raised questions from the victims.” The Federal Office for Cybersecurity received a notification regarding this site a year ago. “We regularly see such private sites where one can apply for a visa. The people behind the site each time ask for a fee for a service that would be cheaper on the official site.” The problem: “these costs are indicated correctly, so you have to be careful”.
Amid positive opinions, denunciations
On viveaucanada.com, the reviews are laudatory. Impossible to know if they are real. On evaluation sites, such as Trustpilot, the company is generally well rated (4.3 stars out of 5), but several opinions, in the minority, describe an experience similar to that of the Geneva couple: thousands of euros stolen for nothing . Vivezaucanada responds as follows: “We are sorry that our internal protocol (sic) does not correspond to you” or “we understand your frustration and sincerely regret that your experience does not correspond to your expectations”.
