Suspended British Columbia immigration consultant vows to fight allegations of misconduct and continue his political campaign

A British Columbia immigration consultant and political hopeful who has been the subject of numerous complaints and a class action lawsuit has had her driver’s license revoked for 30 months.

Liza Lucion was also ordered to repay $17,225 to four former clients and pay a $10,000 fine following a decision by a disciplinary panel of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants earlier this month.

The November 6 decision states that Lucion engaged in misconduct in her dealings with five clients and breached her duties of loyalty and competency.

The problems identified by the Commission included, among others, the provision of inaccurate advice, failure to refund unearned fees, falsification of receipts and documents, provision of misleading information about the status of immigration applications and failure to provide honest and candid advice.

The panel’s decision further stated that Lucion attempted to mislead college investigators by providing them with an “apparently forged receipt” in connection with one complaint and “clearly altered” documents in connection with another complaint.

Although the college had called for Lucion’s license to be revoked entirely, the disciplinary committee said that would be excessive in this case.

“This suspension provides the defendant with an opportunity to reflect on her actions, to seek further training or refresher courses to address the issues identified in this case, and to return to practice with an improved understanding of her professional duties,” the decision states.

A separate disciplinary case that resulted in an indefinite suspension of Lucion’s license in the summer of 2022 has yet to be decided. A proposed class action lawsuit on behalf of dozens of former clients awaits a licensing hearing.

Lucion, who has announced her intention to run as a Conservative candidate in the next federal election, told CBC she has filed a petition in federal court for a judicial review of the Nov. 6 decision.

“Your decision is so extreme. (You) are trying to destroy me,” she said.

She claimed that all the complaints against her had been fabricated by a former business partner.

Allegations of conducting a fraudulent immigration scheme

Lucion’s license was suspended last year following complaints from 11 other clients who accused her of orchestrating a fraudulent immigration scheme and falsely representing herself as an attorney.

That suspension remains in place and complaints have yet to be submitted to the college’s disciplinary committee, a college spokesperson said.

Lucion has denied all allegations in these complaints and told CBC he will fight them with all means at his disposal.

She tried to lift the suspension earlier this year, but a university committee rejected her request in October.

Among other concerns about Lucion’s compliance with her suspension, the panel said there was evidence that she “continued to provide consulting services in blatant violation of the interim suspension order.” The decision said it appeared Lucion attempted to circumvent the terms of the order by providing her services under another person’s name.

Liza Lucion shakes hands with Conservative Party leader Pierre Poiliviere. Lucion has announced that she will seek the party’s nomination in the Burnaby North—Seymour constituency. (Liza Lucion/Facebook)

Lucion said these results are an example of the college’s bias.

“I’m just running my company and trying to make ends meet, even though I’m really at rock bottom,” she told CBC.

Lucion is also facing a class action lawsuit accusing her of defrauding migrants with the promise of an immigration program that allegedly does not exist.

The complaint states that “dozens of victims paid Lucion and the company fees of approximately $5,000 or more” for a COVID-related program that they said would provide them with a two-year permanent work permit that would allow them to bring their families to Canada and provide them with a path to permanent residency.

In her response to the allegation, Lucion says she acted “honestly and in good faith” at all times and relied on genuine immigration programs and policies related to the pandemic.

“I want to say I’m innocent,” she told CBC. “It continues to damage my life. I’m physically and mentally damaged.”

A certification hearing in the case was scheduled for June 2023 but has been postponed to a later date to be determined.

“I will use this as part of my campaign”

Meanwhile, Lucion has launched a social media campaign page announcing her candidacy for the Conservative Party nomination in Burnaby North—Seymour, saying she is unsure whether her legal and regulatory troubles will affect her political hopes.

“I will use this as part of my campaign that a person like me living in Canada should have human rights. My human rights have been tarnished,” she said.

Luke Reed, the financial agent for the Conservative constituency of Burnaby North—Seymour, told CBC in an email that the candidate nominating committee for the constituency is not yet active and no official candidates have been approved for nomination.

“While some people may express their intent or desire to run prior to this process, it would be inappropriate to speculate or comment on that until the process is complete,” he said in response to questions about Lucion’s candidacy.