A Regina-based transportation company faces several charges under Saskatchewan’s immigration legislation governing foreign-worker recruitment and immigration services.
The provincial Ministry of Immigration and Career Training has charged Escalade Transportation Inc. and Hafiz Tariq Ayub with three offences each under Section 22 of The Foreign Worker Recruitment and Immigration Services Act, according to a Sept. 16 news release.
The alleged offences include producing or distributing false or misleading information; misrepresenting employment opportunities, including the position, duties, length of employment, wages, benefits, or other terms of employment; and taking unfair advantage of a foreign national’s fear, lack of experience, or lack of knowledge.
The alleged offences occurred between November 2022 and August 2023 at Escalade Transportation in Regina.
The accused are scheduled to appear in Regina Provincial Court on Sept. 17.
Saskatchewan proclaimed the Immigration Services Act on July 1, 2024, replacing the Foreign Worker Recruitment and Immigration Services Act.
The ministry has described the Immigration Services Act as “the most comprehensive program integrity framework in the nation,” and said it includes “the highest fines for violation in the country.”
Because the alleged offences occurred before the new legislation took effect, the charges were laid under the former act.
Other Immigration Charges
Saskatchewan has announced several other immigration-related enforcement cases this year.
On Sept. 15, the province announced charges against Regina’s Jorawar Singh and JD Trucking Ltd. under the Immigration Services Act for “making or signing any false statements or providing any false, misleading or inaccurate information.” The two appeared in Regina Provincial Court on Sept. 2, and the matter was adjourned to Sept. 28.
In August, a Moose Jaw business was fined $5,000 and ordered to pay $12,000 in restitution after charging a foreign worker $12,000 to keep his job. Dhyan Jeny Enterprises, which operated Guac Mexi Grill, pleaded guilty to charging Parth Patel an employment-related fee while he worked as a foreign worker at the restaurant.
Patel made three $4,000 payments to the business to avoid jeopardizing his employment status. The company was also ordered to pay a $2,000 victim fine surcharge.
Also in August, Syed Taha Rizvi and 102092451 Saskatchewan Ltd. were charged with eight offences allegedly committed at the Swift Current Husky Travel Centre between September 2023 and August 2025. The eight charges were laid against each accused and included allegations of exploiting foreign nationals and charging foreign workers fees for employment under both the former and current provincial legislation.
In July, a Saskatoon man received a conditional sentence after pleading guilty to counselling foreign nationals to misrepresent their employment details on federal and provincial immigration applications. A Canada Border Services Agency investigation found that Balvir Singh “falsified pay stubs, offers of employment and other supporting documents related to non-existent employment in Canada.”
The agency also found that Singh charged foreign nationals as much as $40,000 for immigration sponsorship. Singh received a conditional sentence of two years less a day, a $10,000 fine and 40 hours of community service.
In March, the ministry ordered an unlicensed immigration consultant to pay $96,000 in compensation to a victim. The ministry said Yan Wang collected payments for immigration services but did not “submit any documents on the client’s behalf to the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program and provided the victim with falsified documentation.”
In January, Vikram Singh and Harinder Sachdeva were charged with a combined 10 offences under provincial immigration legislation, including allegations involving employment fees, misrepresentation and threats of deportation.
Vikram Singh faces four charges, while Sachdeva faces six. The alleged offences occurred between April and July 2024 at Taste of Battlefords and Rick’s Place Restaurant in North Battleford and Humboldt.
TFW Changes
Use of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) has come under increased scrutiny in Canada in recent years, amid elevated youth unemployment and debate over the program’s effects on the labour market.
The federal government has moved to reduce the number of new temporary residents coming to Canada. Under its 2026-28 Immigration Levels Plan, the target for new temporary-resident arrivals is 385,000 in 2026, declining to 370,000 in both 2027 and 2028. The targets include temporary foreign workers and international students.
Meanwhile, Ottawa announced in March a temporary relaxation of rules governing the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in rural areas. At the request of participating provinces or territories, eligible rural employers can increase the share of low-wage temporary foreign workers in their workforce from 10 percent to 15 percent.
The measure took effect April 1 and runs until March 31, 2027.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has argued that the TFW Program displaces Canadian workers, particularly young people, and allows businesses to rely on low-wage foreign labour. He has called for the program to be scrapped.
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