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Scores of Indian students, primarily from Punjab, who entered Canada on study visas three to four years ago now face deportation after their college admission offer letters were discovered to be forged, according to media reports.
The issue was brought to light when these students applied for permanent residency in Canada in March.
Fear of deportation
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) recently served deportation notices to over 700 Indian students. The letters were sent after the CBSA discovered that the students' admission offer letters were fake, reported India Today.
Students have gathered on Airport Road in Mississauga, outside the CBSA headquarters, for an "indefinite sit-in" since May 29.
Many of the students protesting claim to have arrived in Canada in 2018, but that their application for permanent residency was denied after it was discovered that they had submitted forged letters, a ruse they claim was orchestrated by travel agencies back home.
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"When we arrived in Canada our agent told us that the seats were full in the colleges where we had received admission letters. He told us that universities were overbooking so he can transfer us to another college. Since we did not want to lose a year, we agreed," Chamandeep Singh, a protesting student, told NDTV.
“We changed colleges and finished our studies but three-four years later, we were told by the CBSA that the admission letter on the basis of which we had received our visas was fraudulent,” he added.
According to Wion News, the victims wrote an open letter in March, in which they stated: "We are desperate for justice; we are victims of fraud; we have no criminal level but are facing a removal order."
The unrest was sparked by an expulsion order received by Lovepreet Singh, a resident of Punjab's Mohali. He has been told to leave the country by June 13.
The fraud uncovered
The majority of those affected were represented by Brijesh Mishra of the Jalandhar-based counselling firm EMSA Education and Migration Services Australia, said a report by India Times.
He charged each student more than Rs 16 lakh, including the admission fee for prestigious Humber College, but not for airline tickets or security deposits.
According to Indian Express, Mishra allegedly forged the offer letters to ensure their acceptance to institutions when they arrived in Canada. Students got jobs after finishing their courses. The fraud was not discovered until they applied for permanent residency and the CBSA reported the fake letters.
So, what happens next?
The Minister of NRI Affairs for Punjab Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has requested assistance from S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs (EAM).
“These (700) students are innocent and have been cheated by the clique of fraudsters. I shall be highly grateful if you again look into the matter personally and take up the matter with concerned agencies including the High Commission of Canada and the government of Canada so that these students can be saved from being deported,” reads a letter from Dhaliwal to Jaishankar.
Speaking about the matter, EAM Jaishankar told NDTV, “From the very start, the MEA and the high commission have taken up their case. The culpable parties should be punished."
"The latest report is that Canadians accept that it would be unfair if the student has done no wrong, they accept the idea that they have to find a solution to it. I feel the Canadian system is fair in that regard," he added.
Sean Fraser, the minister of immigration, refugees, and citizenship, also tweeted, “We recognise the immense contributions international students bring to our country & remain committed to supporting victims of fraud as we evaluate each case,” which further fueled these students’ optimism that the government will positively respond to the issues they are currently facing.
Meanwhile, the all-party immigration committee unanimously voted on Wednesday to ask the border agency to waive the affected students' inadmissibility and offer them an alternative route to permanent residence based on humanitarian considerations or through a "regularisation" programme.
