Consulting firm that forged lawyer’s signatures ordered to pay $400,000 in damages

A Chinese immigration consulting company responsible for thousands of wealthy investors moving to Canada under a federal immigration program has been ordered to pay a Canadian lawyer $400,000 after the firm forged his signature on application forms.

“Welltrend Beijing breached an implied term of its agreement with Mr. Bao by … forging his signatures,” Justice Matthew Kirchner of B.C. Supreme Court wrote in a recent judgment.

Bao had sought all profits the company had made from clients’ $50,000 application fees, or $1.25 million, but the judge said that was disproportionate to Bao’s loss.

The claim was filed in B.C., even though Bao works in Ontario and the applications were made under a Nova Scotia immigrant nominee program, because the company’s Canadian office is in B.C.