Woman busted selling Canadian tourist visas for work

Nguyen Thi Tuong Vi, 42, who lives in Thua Thien-Hue, has been prohibited from leaving her place of residence while she is investigated for organizing illegal emigration.

Authorities said Vi formed the Nguyen Tuong Vi company, which brands itself as helping customers with study abroad paperwork and the procurement of foreign visas.

But police said that the company has been knowingly obtaining tourist visas for people intending to use them to work abroad.

In 2022, Vi cooperated with a person named Hanh in Canada to bring workers from Vietnam to Canada through tourist visas, according to investigators.

In March last year, a person named Loan allegedly asked Vi to perform necessary procedures to go to Canada for $18,000, police said.

Vi is accused of then applying for a tourist visa on Loan’s behalf.

Aside from filing the visa application, Vi’s services included creating profiles on official Canadian government websites and recommending jobs to Loan, according to allegations.

On Feb. 12, Loan, per Vi’s instructions, managed to travel to Canada, but was discovered by Canadian authorities the next day using a tourist visa for work purposes. Loan was eventually deported.

On Feb. 15, Vi visited the Da Nang International Airport to help two others illegally emigrate to Canada, but was discovered by authorities. Vi confessed to having received $22,000-27,000 from the two people to perform necessary procedures.

The investigation into the case is ongoing.