Online posts promoting news of a “Canadian Visa Lottery Application” for 2017/2018 or 2018/2019 are misleading and readers are advised not to interact with the websites involved.
Residents of Ghana and Nigeria in particular have reported articles on a variety of websites entitled either “Canadian Visa Lottery Application Form 2017/2018” or “Canadian Visa Lottery Application Form 2018/2019” that promise readers an opportunity to apply to live in Canada. In fact, the Canadian government does not issue immigration visas through a lottery system and the promised application form does not exist.
Immigration to Canada is achievable only through programs operated by Canada’s federal government or through programs run by Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories. No other bodies or agents are authorized to run immigration programs to Canada.
Some of the posts invite readers to submit their phone numbers and email addresses in the comments section. Readers should avoid providing any personal information through these websites.
For more information on how you can protect yourself from immigration fraud, please see the Canadian government’s website.
To find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration, CanadaVisa offers a free online assessment form that you can complete here.