What happens if I give false information?
It’s against the law to give Service Canada information that you know is misleading or not true. Some examples are:
- not telling Service Canada about all of your earnings
- lying about being available for work
- changing information on your Record of Employment
Penalties
Penalties for giving false or misleading information can be very serious. Here are some of the penalties you could get:
- You must pay back all of the EI money that you should not have received.
- For every false statement that Service Canada thinks you made, you might also have to pay as much as 3 times what you get each week from EI.
- You can be charged with committing a crime.
Violations
Service Canada can also give you a “violation”. Violations stay on your EI file for 5 years.
While a violation is on your file, you may have to work hundreds of extra hours before you can qualify for EI benefits again.
What can you do
If you get a penalty or violation, you have the right to ask Service Canada to reconsider. This means that you ask them to review and change the decision.
You must do this in writing within 30 days of being told about the decision.
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