Abul Kasim, a 42 year old Bangladeshi national accused of helping dozens of people enter Canada using fraudulently obtained visas is believed to have left the country before charges were laid, according to the Canada Border Services Agency.The CBSA said Friday that Abul Kasim, 42, faces five charges after allegedly helping 65 people submit false information in temporary visa applications and asylum claims. An arrest warrant has been issued because Kasim is believed to be abroad.The agency alleges Kasim arranged for 53 people to enter Canada using temporary resident visas obtained through fraud, allowing them to remain in the country permanently.The alleged offences occurred between January 2022 and March 2024.Kasim allegedly presented himself as an immigration consultant working for a company with offices in Canada, France and Bangladesh..The investigation began in 2024 after Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada provided information to the border agency.CBSA investigators executed a search warrant at Kasim’s residence on May 8, 2025.The agency said evidence uncovered during the search indicated Kasim had helped 65 applicants provide false information in temporary resident visa applications and asylum claims.Investigators also allege he used four falsified Canadian passports to support visa applications by impersonating people identified as hosts in invitation letters.Kasim is charged with conspiracy to facilitate illegal entry into Canada, facilitating illegal entry, counselling or assisting people to provide false information in visa applications, using falsified Canadian passports and knowingly using forged passports.Court proceedings were initiated at the Montreal courthouse on July 28.However, the CBSA alleges Kasim left Canada in June 2025 — nearly two months after investigators searched his residence and more than a year before the charges were brought before the court.Authorities were unable to serve him with a summons, resulting in the arrest warrant.“Those who seek to circumvent the rules or exploit the system may face serious consequences,” Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said.Eric Lapierre, the CBSA’s regional director general for Quebec, credited criminal investigators and Immigration Department officials with uncovering the alleged scheme.None of the allegations has been proven in court.
