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Got a PNP 'selection' email from a Gmail address? Here's how to spot the scam

Canada • Provincial Nominee Program • immigration 0 views
By VisaBuddies Communityvia community — compiled from public visa forums

Step-by-Step

An applicant received an email from a Gmail address (pnp.nominee@gmail.com) claiming they'd been selected for a 'Canadian Resettlement Provincial Nominee Program' and suspected it was a scam.

What the group confirmed:
  1. Real provincial nomination communication (a Letter of Interest / LOI) arrives in your official GC Key account, not by direct email. At most, you'll get a generic email notification telling you a new message is waiting in your account — never the actual offer details sent directly to your inbox.

  2. A Gmail (or other free personal-email) sender address is a major red flag. Government programs communicate from official government domains, never a generic Gmail account.

  3. The group's unanimous read: this is a scam. No legitimate PNP would reach out this way.


Takeaway: never act on immigration-related emails from personal/free email addresses — always verify by logging into your official GC Key or IRCC account directly rather than clicking links or replying to the email.

Dos, Don'ts & Tips

  • Tip: Legitimate PNP nomination communication happens inside your GC Key account, not via a personal email address.
  • Don't: Don't trust or respond to immigration-related emails sent from Gmail or other free personal email domains — verify directly through your official government portal instead.

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