I am interested to know that has any one succeeded in getting their money back from Angela Codina. Its surprising that the government does not take any action against this woman who has taken money from so many people and not provided any services. The government should understand that this is the hard earned money of people and have the right to get their money back.

We should all write to this Mr. James J. McGuire to find out whether he is still backing this devil woman. She is now free only on bail and waiting to go back where she deserves to be. She is also being investigated by TPS for criminal charges. I hope that all victims of this bitch have so far filed with TPS, mostly with the Downtown office, 52 division which is following this case. If you file with any other location in Toronto, you can ask them to send it to Downtown office. Mr. McGuire is no one but another accomplice if he is supporting this criminal. I hope that she and all her consultants pay for defrauding vulnerable innocent people. She would pay %10 to her consultants for each client brought to her for balking, but not receiving service. Some of her thief, manipulative consultants are: Sara, Yasmine, Keyvan, Maria, Marilyn, Eshita, Altaf, Prem, Jamshid, Ziba, Amy, Paul, etc.

My sister lives in Syria and have an refugee application to US not done yet.I meet with madam Codina and she promise to bring them within six months, I paid $2500 and have signed contract with her on April 2013 and till now nothing happened. It’s been almost 6 months, I cannot reach her or her employee (case manager). How can I get my money back or file complain at least, appreciate if somebody contact me on [email protected]. Thanks

I PAID HER ALMOST 15000 DOLLERS EVEN VERY POOR FINANCIALLY BUT JUST SHE AND HER EMPLOYERS PROMISSED ALL HAPPENING PROPER MANNER ,BUT THAN SHE SAID MORE FAST WAY URS BROTHER COME MORE FAST THAN APPLYING JOB PERMIT ,BUT JUST EVERY DAY SHE HAVE DIFFERENT STORY,

Angela Codina or Kontina the big immigration fraud was arrested in Toronto, Ontario.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-woman-accused-of-bilking-immigration-clients-1.2638194

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-woman-accused-of-bilking-immigration-clients-1.2638194

THANKFUL AND SATISFIED CLIENT OF CODINA INTERNATIONAL AND ANGELA CODINA. I am one of the MANY clients of this company who succeeded in regularizing my status. I was able to obtain my residence from within Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds which is a very difficult process and where more than 90% of these applications are not approved by the Canadian government. I do not hesitate to identify myself because I have nothing to hide. However, these other individuals who are posing as victims and posting their complaints on this site do not appear to be genuine applicants as they do not identify their names. Any one can say they are a victim but why are they not saying what their case is about and how they were victimized. To allege that Ms. Codina changed the name of the company is preposterous. CIC is the abbreviation for Codina International Consultants. This just goes to show that these individuals are just looking to slander the good name of this very hard working and professional woman. To allege that this is a fraud business is unbelievable. The company employs over 50 staff in Canada, including lawyers and certified immigration consultants who work on the files. How could this be a fraud company? I want these detractors to come out and identify themselves or they should shut up. There are always two sides to each case and we know very well that if these persons were individuals of substance they would not try to use these types of websites to write against Ms. Codina or the company but would try to resolve the matter with them directly. The only reason they are doing this is because they are not clients of the company but possible disgruntled employees of the company who were dismissed or are no longer working with the firm. It is interesting to note that the person who posted the February 14th complaint only warns people but does not say how he or she has been victimized. In my experience over the years I have concluded that it is always best to resolve matters in an amicable fashion rather than by antagonism. I recommend to anyone who has an issue here to try to resolve the matter directly with Ms. Codina and the company and to stop this childish banter. And if anyone wishes to contact me for a reference I would be pleased to provide one. I am not afraid to identify myself unlike these other posters who obviously have something to hide. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected].

This is to inform everyone who has seen Codina International’s advertisement in a newspaper. After having realized that Codina International’s name has been tarnished to an extent where merely by typing this company’s name and Angela Codina’s name on Google, you can find reports of her immigration frauds.

Always check the reputation of such immigration firms before making any commitments. Remember, not all immigration firms are legitimate. It's best to be wary of any firm that promises too much and/or costs too much. If you are thinking about using Codina International’s services, ask for references from her current clients and check the firm's reputation by making simple online search.

I am one of her MANY victims. You should be careful because she has changed her company’s name to CIC International to make it look more legitimate and so that she can stay beyond Google search’s reach. After having been sued by several clients and now being under watch list of fraud businesses, she is now using a different name for herself and her fake business. Her new name is Angele Kontina and the new name that she is using for her business is CIC International.

Canadian Government stands by all of the victims that have been defrauded by Angela Codina aka Angele Kontina. She will try her best to intimidate you to prevent you from reporting on her but if you contact the Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) at 1‑888-502-9060 and at [email protected] they will help you not only in your immigration matter but also help you recover your money that have been taken fraudulently by her.
You can also report to Law Society of Upper Canada that she presents herself as a lawyer despite the fact that due to her egregious criminal history, her license was cancelled in the year 2000 (13 years ago). You can reach their Complaints Department at Toll-free: 1-800-268-7568 General line: 416-947-3310TTY: 416-644-4886Fax: 416-947-5263.

The complaint should fairly and impartially summarize the action or inaction of Codina International now known as CIC International.

Canadian Government will be thoroughly pleased and will also provide you with special support if you report Angela Codina or Angele Kontina to save many people any further from this fraudster and her unethical and illegal business practices.

Hi everyone, I am also a victim of CODINA International and I am filing a complaint against this lady and her company. I have lost great money there and I am not hopeless( unlike some of you) to get my money back. There should be a mechanism to prevent these fraudulent acts in Canada and as Canadians we are responsible for the rest of the society. That would be nice to be together and file as a group and once the money is back the lawyers will take their fees. If more people file against her we can save some of the lawyer fees. SO PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT FILING AN APPEAL AGAINST CODINA INTERNATIONAL.

Angela Codina was convicted in New York State for Immigration Fraud. Do not be fooled, be warned!

I'm another victim of Codina int'l!
There are things I want to share with people who are deciding to be her new clients. Please read this carefully maybe I can change your decision! I wish someone has told me these stuffs before I become one of her victims.
The contract you sign and in the ads says if the file gets rejected we will refund you 100%! but Angela's know how to be smart! first of all they didn't mention in what period of time they will get the process done! she promised me herself to get my work done in few months cause I had a deadline and my visa was going to be expired in Canada. My case got rejected, when i went to her to ask for my money as promised she said i will do it again for you! there are files there in their office for about two years and they have done nothing about it! she didn't give me my money back as promised cause she wants my visa to expires and when i leave Canada she think I forget about her and my money!
Another important thing! Their contract says we will refund the money unless the client refuse to give us enough needed documents. Ms Angela has studied law, I've seen with many many clients she use that sentence and refused to refund when cases get rejected and claims somehow it has been the client's file!
All I'm sayin is please read this testimonials and search a lot then give her any money! I wish I did that! I gave her all the money I had, she did nothing for me and when I call her to ask for my money or follow up my file she yells and screams and say i will report you if you call me again and I know how to deport you from Canada!
I am going to the immigration service to complain about her and tell them all the truth, if anyone feels the same as me please write here so we connect and be stronger together till we get our money back and show everyone the true face of this woman and this company!
I know a lot of truth about her company and herself, contact me to report her to the government and stop this as soon as possible.

To the writer of 'She abuses a lot to the staffs':
I could not agree more with you. I have the same feeling! I wish I did some research before becoming her client!!!
Did you do anything about this company? According to the website below that you should make some official complaints. At least that's what I'm doing. I'm not sure if it will really work (get our money back), but we tell the government that what kind of business this company is running!
One more place we should go is Better Business Bureau. They will publish on their website that how many complaints have been filed against this company.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/representative/complaints.asp
If you have a complaint about:
an immigration representative
File a complaint with the regulatory body to which the consultant, lawyer, paralegal or notary belongs (e.g., the appropriate Canadian provincial or territorial law society, ICCRC, or the Chambre des notaires du Québec).

Angela, is a very smart lady that knows how to lie ppl money to her pockets.
If anyone is planning to go to her office to sign any agreements, pls read each victims experiences before! All those ate true!! When you go to the office she will give u fake smiles, tones of promises that she would do everything for you. When u pay her, she will stop doing your case. She is not gonna work on it, she will keep seeing more clients and more clients to take their money and do nothing. When those consultants ask her questions regarding the files, she never has time. When I was at her office, she yells extremely horrible to the staffs, I feel so bad about them even more to those clients that gave her money to trust her.

Just be careful, n if anyone is looking for a job at her office, please be smart n think twice before going, less than minimum Wage, work out of hours and you fight often with the staff because that job is base commission. When I go there there are always argues between staffs or Angela! She asked me to work for her as well, but I asked the consultant and they told me not to.

My personal experience: I have pay her the first payment 2 YEARS ago, and now she haven't do anything. Every time I call, she is busy, out of town and the consultant is telling me stories and stories. I don't live in toronto neither Montreal that they have offices. So can't really travel all the time!!

Did anyone file a complaint towards Codina International as indicated by this website?

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/representative/complaints.asp

Did anyone try to file a complaint as indicated by this website?

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/representative/complaints.asp

VICTIMS OF CODINA INTERNATIONAL ( ANGELE CODINA, LLB ) PLEASE CONTACT US AT E-MAIL: [email protected]

We are victims of Codina International, Ms. Angele Codina represents herself as a lawyer. They offer immigration services that do not exist. Codina International takes your money and convinces you that your immigration case will be expedited through her personal sources. Ms. Codina misrepresents and gives you illegal advice such as showing that the person whom you are sponsoring resides in Canada when actually they are resident in another country. Codina International is engaging in shady and questionable practices.
Codina International is providing immigration services in Canada and the U.S.A., as well as other countries overseas. Her firm advertises in English and foreign language newspapers. Codina’s clients include individuals from Russia, Ukraine, Albania, Greece, Poland, India, Pakistan, Korea, Israel Iran and other Eastern European nations.

She was disbarred because of theft from the government of Canada.

We are taking legal action against Ms. Codina and Codina International so that other people do not become victims of her unethical practice. If you are or were a victim of Codina International, please contact us and tell us your story by E-mailing us at [email protected]
Your help and assistance in this matter will be appreciated.

Thank You

The consultants and lawyers at Codina International have been of great assistance to me. They are very competent in what they do and prove to be very professional. Ms. Codina herself is very reliable and punctual. I came to Canada as a student from Russia and applied successfully for immigration through the Quebec skilled workers’ program with the assistance of Codina International. I was interviewed at the Canadian Consulate in New York on May 18, 2012, and received my Quebec Certificate of Selection. I also used Codina International to have my offer of employment approved with the issuance of a Labour Market Opinion (LMO) in order to extend my previous work permit which expired earlier this year. Codina International was successful in obtaining my LMO and also a 3-year work permit which enables me to remain in-status in Canada while I wait to receive my permanent resident visa. I speak from personal experience and do not hesitate to recommend Codina International contrary to anything else that may have been said by some others whose postings have appeared on this site and who appear to have their own agenda to grind.

Maria Dragunova
Toronto, Ontario

I disagree with the latest unidentified person who calls himself “almost victim” and who has taken the liberty to write the March 30th review on Codina International making reference to the link which has been removed from Google. I am an attorney called to the bars of New Jersey and Virginia and work with Angela Codina and Codina International. I find these disparaging remarks to constitute very serious libel and defamation against both the company Codina International and Ms. Codina and urge the Complaints Board to remove immediately both of these unidentified individuals` reviews as a legal action is being initiated against both the Board and its editors and the two unidentified individuals cited here for making libelous and defamatory statements.

Preliminarily, it should be noted that neither of these two gentlemen have identified themselves (I assume the person who commented on March 30th is also a male). The first commentator gave his first name as Greg and only in response to Mr. Miller`s comments. And although he claims to be a victim of Codina International, he does not specify in which way he was victimized or what his case consisted of. Instead he simply makes reference to third-party articles or sites to bolster his claim. This is disingenuous at the very least.

Moreover, to say the retainer agreement entered into with Codina International is worthless and has no legal status in a court of law is absolutely false. If this person was in fact victimized or wronged he would have recourse to a court of law where he could sue for breach of contract. For him to claim otherwise is because he knows very well that he has no valid claim to pursue and that is why he vents his frustration by posting comments on this site.

I know Ms. Codina to be a very honest, responsible and professional individual, and if Mr. Greg is serious about resolving any alleged dispute between himself and the company, he should speak to her or me instead of writing malicious and anonymous comments. That is the only civil and proper way to handle these types of matters.
The second most recent commentator is also anonymous and his slanderous comments should have been edited and not printed by the editors of this site. Firstly, he has never been a client of Codina International and so for him to direct readers to the defamatory site with Spitzer`s article and then to recommend a class action suit is truly unbelievable. It certainly smells of a jealous competitor to me.

Secondly, and as already indicated in Mr. Miller`s earlier comments, the link which the commentator refers to and the article which he reprints in his comments are outdated and false because Ms. Codina was successful in that lawsuit and the link and article have since been removed from the internet and Google following a U.S. $600 million dollar lawsuit launched by Codina International and Ms. Codina in the United States District Court. In these circumstances, the reprinting of the article and the reference to the link constitute actual malice towards Ms. Codina and Codina International. These commentators and the editors of the Complaints Board were well aware of the record of the evidence in favor of Ms. Codina and yet, recklessly disregarded these facts.

I would also like to remind this latest commentator that even though he believes he is posting his comments anonymously, his identity and that of the Greg commentator will eventually have to be disclosed in the upcoming lawsuit against the Complaints Board and the two of them. Indeed, the Complaints Board sets out its disclosure policy on its site and warns complainants that “ComplaintsBoard.com may disclose information about its users if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such disclosure is reasonably necessary to:
• Respond to a legal process (e.g., subpoenas, court orders).
• Respond to claims that a listing or content violates the rights of third parties.
• Enforce our Terms of Use.
• Protect the rights, property or personal safety of ComplaintsBoard.com, its users or the general public.”

The Complaints Board also provides a libel notice on its site warning complainants that “[i]n case if a court defines that a consumer complaint constitutes libel or defamation, the mentioned consumer would be held legally responsible for damages to the reputation of the business, mentioned in complaint.” Nor should the editors of the Complaints Board and owners of this site think they are exempt from any legal liability themselves because they are not.

Please govern yourselves accordingly.

James J. McGuire Jr., Esq.
[email protected]

I disagree with the latest unidentified person who calls himself “almost victim” and who has taken the liberty to write the March 30th review on Codina International making reference to the link which has been removed from Google. I am an attorney called to the bars of New Jersey and Virginia and work with Angela Codina and Codina International. I find these disparaging remarks to constitute very serious libel and defamation against both the company Codina International and Ms. Codina and urge the Complaints Board to remove immediately both of these unidentified individuals` reviews as a legal action is being initiated against both the Board and its editors and the two unidentified individuals cited here for making libelous and defamatory statements.

Preliminarily, it should be noted that neither of these two gentlemen have identified themselves (I assume the person who commented on March 30th is also a male). The first commentator gave his first name as Greg and only in response to Mr. Miller`s comments. And although he claims to be a victim of Codina International, he does not specify in which way he was victimized or what his case consisted of. Instead he simply makes reference to third-party articles or sites to bolster his claim. This is disingenuous at the very least.

Moreover, to say the retainer agreement entered into with Codina International is worthless and has no legal status in a court of law is absolutely false. If this person was in fact victimized or wronged he would have recourse to a court of law where he could sue for breach of contract. For him to claim otherwise is because he knows very well that he has no valid claim to pursue and that is why he vents his frustration by posting comments on this site.

I know Ms. Codina to be a very honest, responsible and professional individual, and if Mr. Greg is serious about resolving any alleged dispute between himself and the company, he should speak to her or me instead of writing malicious and anonymous comments. That is the only civil and proper way to handle these types of matters.

The second most recent commentator is also anonymous and his slanderous comments should have been edited and not printed by the editors of this site. Firstly, he has never been a client of Codina International and so for him to direct readers to the defamatory site with Spitzer`s article and then to recommend a class action suit is truly unbelievable. It certainly smells of a jealous competitor to me.

Secondly, and as already indicated in Mr. Miller`s earlier comments, the link which the commentator refers to and the article which he reprints in his comments are outdated and false because Ms. Codina was successful in that lawsuit and the link and article have since been removed from the internet and Google following a U.S. $600 million dollar lawsuit launched by Codina International and Ms. Codina in the United States District Court. In these circumstances, the reprinting of the article and the reference to the link constitute actual malice towards Ms. Codina and Codina International. These commentators and the editors of the Complaints Board were well aware of the record of the evidence in favor of Ms. Codina and yet, recklessly disregarded these facts.

I would also like to remind this latest commentator that even though he believes he is posting his comments anonymously, his identity and that of the Greg commentator will eventually have to be disclosed in the upcoming lawsuit against the Complaints Board and the two of them. Indeed, the Complaints Board sets out its disclosure policy on its site and warns complainants that “ComplaintsBoard.com may disclose information about its users if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such disclosure is reasonably necessary to:
• Respond to a legal process (e.g., subpoenas, court orders).
• Respond to claims that a listing or content violates the rights of third parties.
• Enforce our Terms of Use.
• Protect the rights, property or personal safety of ComplaintsBoard.com, its users or the general public.”

The Complaints Board also provides a libel notice on its site warning complainants that “[i]n case if a court defines that a consumer complaint constitutes libel or defamation, the mentioned consumer would be held legally responsible for damages to the reputation of the business, mentioned in complaint.” Nor should the editors of the Complaints Board and owners of this site think they are exempt from any legal liability themselves because they are not.

Please govern yourselves accordingly.

James J. McGuire Jr., Esq.
[email protected]

Many thanks to people who posted their stories about how they had been victimized by Codina International. I was going to refer her firm to my relative for their immigration needs. They wanted to immigrate to Canada under the Investors Program. I'm so glad I did a research and looked more into this company. I think the best you can do to help people from falling victim to this fraudulent company is to make your stores searchable on search engines, particularly Google. I know you have helped me. These scams have been going long enough and it's about time we help put a stop on it. Another way to help, I suppose, is to write your stories as a victim and publish them on your community newspaper. People usually have very good memmory with the bad names and so they can immediately avoid it and help spread the words out. Maybe you can look into a class action lawsuit just like the one in this article where Angela Codina was indicted for victimizing thousands of people.

Fraudulent Immigration Lawyer Sentenced


Attorney General Spitzer today announced that Angie Codina, who fraudulently portrayed herself as an immigration lawyer and victimized hundreds of people seeking to become United States citizens, was sentenced to a term of 9 1/3 to 28 years in prison and ordered to pay $108, 840 in restitution by Manhattan State Supreme Court Judge Laura Visatacion-Lewis . Codina, 42, is a Canadian national, who operated a law office in the Helmsley Building on Park Avenue.

Following a ten day trial that ended on May 12, Codina was convicted of two counts of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree; ten counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, one count of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree and 14 counts of Practicing as an Attorney at Law without being admitted and registered in New York State.

Testimony at the trial indicated Codina defrauded as many as 1, 000 victims. Witnesses testified they each lost from $7, 000 to $178, 000 and that Codina stole more than $260, 000 in legal fees from the 17 victims named in the charges against her. One victim who was scheduled to testify was unable to do so because he was stranded in the Czech Republic as a result of an exclusion procedure for which he had originally sought Codina's legal assistance.

"My office will vigorously prosecute those who prey upon those who are looking to improve their lives. This defendant boosted the hopes of those least able to afford legal representation. What resulted were falsehoods and shoddy representation, " said Spitzer. "Codina turned the dream of American residency and citizenship into nightmares for those who hired her."

The defendant held herself out as lawyer even though she was not authorized to practice law in New York State. Her firm, known as Codina Partners International Attorneys-at-Law, advertised in English and foreign language newspapers. The ads falsely stated that the firm was qualified to provide legal assistance on work visas, green cards, and refugee applications and Codina had offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Paris, Miami, Montreal, London, Toronto and Washington, D.C.

Codina's clients included individuals from Russia, the Ukraine, Albania, Greece, Poland, India, Pakistan, Korea and Israel and other Eastern European nations.

The case was handled by Assistant Attorney General Bernadine Agocha, of the Attorney General's Criminal Prosecution Bureau, under Bureau Chief Janet Cohn.

The link to the above article is

http://www.ag.ny.gov/press-release/fraudulent-immigration-lawyer-sentenced

Codina International is a big fraud. Angela Codina fraudulently represent herself as a lawyer.She was disbarred because of theft from the government of Canada. She takes your money and offer immigration services which doesn't exist. Don't be a victim. Be carefull.see the link below:
http://www.ag.ny.gov/media_center/2000/jul/jul24a_00.html

I cannot agree with the response from this so called guy named "Jack Miller" being a victim myself.

All I can suggest from my personal experience being a victim of Codina International DO NOT engage with Codina or believe in Ms. Angela Codina. You will risk all you money and your future if you go with them just like what I had experienced.

One more important shabby practice by Codina International that I want to bring to your notice. Kindly check the agreement documents when you pay them, because they will try to provide some piece of shit paper documents with warranties that they would refund your money in case they cannot fulfill your case. This piece of shit paper is not a legal bonding and it is not even worth a toilet paper because you cannot use it to sue them or make a complaint or take it to court.

Greg