With the hope of starting a new life in Canada alongside his wife and children, Dattaray Avhad paid a lawyer over $24,000 to help him find a job as a cook in Newfoundland and Labrador and obtain permanent residency.

But more than a year later, he is on a work permit for vulnerable workers and is picking up shifts as a cab driver, with no clear path toward permanent residency.

He's still fighting to get his money back.

The lawyer, Amardeep Singh, advertises his immigration services on social media, with promises of available kitchen jobs and "immigration to Canada within 6-12 months."

Singh's services encompass both legal representation for migrants and job recruitment, something immigration experts described to CBC News as "unethical" and exploitative…

When Avhad migrated from Mumbai, he said Singh promised him a job and to get his wife and children to Canada.

Six months after paying, Avhad accepted a job offer with Shenanigans Bar & Grill in Conception Bay South, working in the kitchen. He said the job gave him a closed work permit that only allowed him to work there…

According to publicly available online records and websites, Singh holds high level positions in multiple entities, including Atlantic Business College, Atlantic Immigration, and Atlantic Jobs…