A man from Amritsar who paid an immigration consultancy firm around Rs 4.7 lakh over a decade ago after being promised assistance in securing employment in Canada has won relief from the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.The NCDRC, passed an order passed on October 30, dismissing a revision petition filed by the private immigration consultancy and upheld directions requiring it to refund Rs 1.80 lakh and $4,400 paid by Harpreet Singh, along with Rs 1 lakh as compensation and Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs.The case dates back to September 2013, when Singh entered into an agreement with the consultancy for assistance with Canadian immigration. Singh, an ITI diploma holder with 19 years of work experience, paid Rs 1.68 lakh and another Rs 33,708 after signing the agreement. In November 2014, he paid another $4,400 to the consultancy's Dubai-based associate. At the prevailing exchange rate, the total amount paid turned out to be Rs 4.7 lakh.Singh alleged that he had been led to expect positive progress, including a job offer, within 15 to 18 months. However, no such offer materialised and, as per to his complaint, repeated attempts to obtain updates did not produce a satisfactory response.ALSO READ | Canada Will Need 15,000,000 New Immigrants To Meet Growing Job Demand, Says DiplomatThe consultancy contested the allegations and argued that it had fulfilled its contractual obligations. It claimed that Singh's documents were initially incomplete and that his profile was eventually submitted to Job Bank Canada on October 2, 2015. It also maintained that neither employment selection nor visa approval was within its control.The consumer commission, however, noted that the agreement contemplated a job offer within nine months, while Singh's profile was allegedly submitted to Job Bank Canada only in October 2015, over two years after the consultancy had received its fees. The commission found that the firm had failed to produce convincing evidence of the claimed submission or subsequent efforts made on Singh's behalf.The consultancy argued that Singh's consumer complaint, filed in March 2020, was barred by limitation. The commission rejected that contention, noting that communication between the parties had continued as late as November 2018 and that Singh had not been clearly informed that all efforts on his case had ended.ALSO READ | Canada Student Visa: Indians Rethink Education Plans Amid Job Uncertainty And Safety ConcernsThe Amritsar district consumer commission initially directed the consultancy to refund Rs 2.02 lakh with interest, along with $4,400, compensation and legal expenses. The Punjab State Consumer Commission reduced the refund to Rs 1.80 lakh after excluding Rs 22,248 paid as government taxes, while retaining the remaining relief.