Canadadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has assured nearly 700 Indian students faced with the prospect of deportation from Canada over fake admission letters that their cases will be thoroughly evaluated. In response to the protests of the students, mostly from Punjab, where, they claimed to have been deceived by an immigration consultation agency in India, Trudeau emphasized that the focus is on identifying the culprits rather than penalizing the victims. During a parliamentary debate, he expressed empathy for the defrauded students and stated that they will be given an opportunity to present evidence supporting their situation, reported news agency IANS.
"We are deeply aware of cases of international students facing removal orders over fraudulent college acceptance letters. To be clear, our focus is on identifying the culprits, not penalizing the victims," Trudeau stated. He further emphasized, "Victims of fraud will have an opportunity to demonstrate their situation and present evidence to support their case." The Prime Minister acknowledged the valuable contributions made by international students to the country and affirmed the government's commitment to supporting fraud victims as each case is evaluated.
Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the NDP (New Democratic Party) with Sikh origins, expressed concerns about the students facing deportation and raised questions regarding a potential pathway to permanent residency for them. In response, Trudeau acknowledged Singh's concerns and assured that the government will assess the situation and explore options to provide support to the affected students. IANS reported that NDP is preparing to introduce a unanimous consent motion in Parliament to scrap the removal orders and facilitate permanent residency for the impacted students, including those who may face deportation due to fraudulent enrolment procedures or offers.
According to the Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA), over 700 Indian students are currently at risk of deportation after discovering that their admission offer letters from educational institutions were fraudulent. The students arrived in Canada between 2018 and 2019 to pursue their studies. The fraud was uncovered when the students applied for permanent residency in the country.
The mastermind behind the fake admission letters, Brijesh Mishra, an agent based in Jalandhar, charged students exorbitant amounts, totaling more than Rs 16 lakh per student, in addition to admission fees, promising admission to prestigious colleges.
Meanwhile, the affected students have been staging sit-ins since May 29 on Airport Road in Mississauga, outside the CBSA's headquarters. They have been holding banners with messages such as 'Unite against deportation,' 'Stop deportation,' and 'We want justice.'