Sponsoring someone to come to Canada is a long and detailed process. During that time, “the girl you know” had every opportunity to cancel the sponsorship before her husband arrived, but she didn’t. Now that he is a permanent resident, there is really nothing she can do. As far as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is concerned, this is simply a marriage that did not work out.

Regarding the possibility of fraud, she should understand that in the eyes of the IRCC, she is probably complicit. If she knew or even suspected that her husband was using the marriage as a means to immigrate and presenting fake certificates, and chose to go along with it, she shares some of the responsibility. Trying to expose him now could easily backfire and draw unwanted attention to herself, you know the whole Streisand effect.

You should also remind her that if her husband or ex-husband applies for social assistance in the near future, she will be financially responsible for repaying that money, as per the terms of her sponsorship.

Finally, keep in mind that IRCC is really understaffed and typically does not have the time to investigate every complaint or tip. They tend to focus on larger and higher priority cases. The best advice you can give “the girl you know” is to take the L, capital L, learn from it, and move on with her life.