Could you please help get the answer of a question regarding the immigration business.
Many consultants offer LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment) or job offers for an additional fee. Legally, the government prohibits such payments, yet some consultants accept them, often in cash or under the table. Would the income earned by consultants or business owners through selling LMIAs in exchange for such payments—despite being legally prohibited—be considered permissible or halal?
Bismillahi Ta’ala
Walaikum Assalam Warahmatullah,
Working as consultant to assist people, advise, fill out, file, follow through with their application is permissible. These are legitimate services which can be charged at nominal pricing as well.
This are also legally acceptable services in Canada as well. However, this is only as long as the consultant maintains legality in all his works.
If the consultant forges, lies, deceives, incorrectly reports or maliciously files the applications and charge additional to the client then this is neither acceptable in legal jurisdiction of Canada, nor islamically. Any income from such malicious activity will be haram or tainted with detestability.
Moreover, assisting the client to fraudulently set up a cash-jobs, circumvent legalities through under the table deals or any such mechanism to secure legal papers will also come under the same prohibition.
This prohibition applies to the consultant, as well as the one who give out such jobs, and the client who taken upon such jobs to hoodwink legal authorities as well.
Lastly, with so much deceit, lies and fraud, no decent Muslim individual can expect a wholesome and halal rewards in his income from Allah. No wonder many cry for lack of barakah and blessings in their household lives.
Instead, the avenues of LMIA for securing jobs should be utilized in the most legal and amicable manner. If done, the consultant may charge fee for his administrative and consulting works, and insha’ Allah he will be rewarded through it.
Wallahu A’lam
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Faisal al-Mahmudi