Few people used motel address on PNP application, says Palmer

Economic development minister says province aware of 17 people who used address involved in investigation

Economic Development Minister Chris Palmer says there were 17 people who used a motel at the centre of an immigration investigation as their address for their Provincial Nominee Program applications.

Palmer spoke to the media Tuesday after the Canada Border Services Agency arrested two people for allegedly helping to set up fake addresses for Chinese immigrants who came to P.E.I. under the PNP.

The Canada Border Services Agency said there were hundreds of immigrants who used the same addresses, including the Sherwood Motel in Charlottetown.

Palmer said only a small number used that address in their application with the province’s immigration office over the last six years.

“That did not raise any flags with us,” he said.

Palmer said an address search turned up only 17 names, but the Canada Border Services Agency did tell the government all of the others involved in the investigation were PNP applicants.

Other than the 17 people he referred to, the provincial government doesn’t know who used the motel as their address, he said.

Palmer also said the Canada Border Services Agency hasn’t released the names of the people who listed their address as the motel.

“We would have those people in our system, but we don’t have the address that border services has,” he said.