Finding refuge in Canada from war-torn Ukraine, couple Oksana Hrabova and Oleg Lomanov say they didn't think twice about trusting their Hamilton immigration lawyer to help them stay permanently.

Last summer, they met Victoria Bruyn in her downtown office and paid her a retainer of nearly $3,000 to help them file their permanent residency (PR) applications, said Hrabova.

But after they sent Bruyn all of the necessary documents, she stopped responding to their emails, calls and texts in early January, said Hrabova. More than four months later, they say they never finalized the application with her and have given up hope that she will help them as promised.

"She simply disappeared," Hrabova said. "I understand $3,000 is not an enormous amount, but for us it is money that we worked hard for

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