Canada Border Services closes inquiry into troubled P.E.I. immigration program

CHARLOTTETOWN – The Canada Border Services Agency says it hasn’t found sufficient evidence to lay charges following an investigation into Prince Edward Island’s troubled immigration nominee program.

The agency says an investigator’s report was completed last November and it has concluded there wasn’t enough evidence to support charges under the federal Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Last September, the federal Immigration Department referred allegations that the immigration program was marred by bribery to the agency and the RCMP.

The agency says it now considers the matter closed.

The RCMP says it is still conducting its investigation and expects to submit a report in a few weeks.

The accusations surfaced after a former employee of the program alleged that senior provincial officials were bribed in order to expedite immigration applications.

The provincial nominee program allowed foreign investors to fast-track receipt of Canadian visas by providing about $150,000, some of which was invested in P.E.I. companies.