Canada is deporting 700 Indian college students from Punjab. Here is why

The lives of 700-odd Indian college students, finding out in Canada, had been turned the wrong way up in March this yr after they acquired deportation notices from the Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA).

The college students had been knowledgeable that their ‘admission offer letter’ to a outstanding academic institute in Toronto, particularly Humber College, was faux. Some of them had accomplished their twelfth examination a yr earlier whereas others had been nearer to ending their diplomas and levels. The majority of the scholars are from Punjab.

Many of them had been hoping to get everlasting residence (PR) in Canada however in useless. All these college students had one factor in frequent – that they had utilized for research visas via an agent named Brijesh Mishra in Jalandhar metropolis of Punjab.

Mishra ran a consultancy agency named ‘M/S Education and Migration Services’ in Jalandhar alongside one Rahul Bhargava, now arrested for fraud. He began the corporate in 2014 underneath the Punjab Travel and Professional Regulation Act.

Lovepreet Singh, a sufferer of fraud, is ready to be deported in 5 days.

That’s 1 day earlier than the Immigration Committee will even start our research.@marcomendicino @SeanFraserMP Stop blaming the sufferer & repair this downside!#standforstudents pic.twitter.com/bXrbF5SBep

— Brad Redekopp (@BradRedekopp) June 8, 2023

A resident of Bihar, Brijesh Mishra was arrested in 2013 for sending college students overseas on solid paperwork. At that point, he used to run an organization named ‘Easyway Immigration Consultancy Services’ together with Rahul Bhargava. Back then, police raided his workplace and recovered money and passports.

Mishra is at the moment on the run from the regulation enforcement authorities. But the profession of 700-odd Indian college students nonetheless hangs within the steadiness. As per reviews, they’ve paid a whopping ₹16 lakhs to Mishra who promised to facilitate their admission to Humber College.

Besides, in addition they shelled out further money for air tickets and safety charges. The affected college students filed their functions with the agent between 2018 and 2022. According to the police, Brijesh Mishra additionally took the franchise of one other Delhi-based consultancy agency for facilitating pupil visas for Canada.

He would generate ‘fake admission offer letters’ for the scholars and pretend payment deposit receipts from Humber College. Using these two, the accused would assist his victims safe research visas from the Canadian embassy.

We acknowledge the immense contributions worldwide college students deliver to our nation & stay dedicated to supporting victims of fraud as we consider every case.

We’re additionally working intently with establishments to confirm acceptance letters are legitimate on the time of software.

— Sean Fraser (@SeanFraserMP) May 26, 2023

After the scholars would arrive in Canada and study that Humber College had made no such admission supply letter, Brijesh Mishra would inform them that their admission had been cancelled.

He would ask them to safe admission to different faculties and return the faculty payment, after deducting a fee payment of ₹5-6 lakhs per pupil. The accused did this to keep away from elevating any suspicion.

The rip-off was unearthed after some college students, who had accomplished their diplomas/levels, utilized for everlasting Residency. After scrutinising the preliminary gives letters of Humber College together with the research visas, the Canadian authorities had been in a position to unearth anomalies within the case of 700 Indian college students from Punjab.

On May 26 this yr, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser assured, “Our focus is on identifying culprits, not penalizing victims. Victims of fraud will have an opportunity to demonstrate their situation & present evidence to support their case.”

4./ Solidarity stroll and chants from @MWACCanada #StatusForAll #StopTheDeportations pic.twitter.com/TQN4Xoi1Qe

— Amardeep Kaur (@amardeepkaurPhD) June 1, 2023

Given that the Canadian authorities has to this point not withdrawn the deportation notices, the affected college students launched a protest on May 29 exterior the top workplace of the Canadian Border Security Agency in Mississauga. Similar demonstrations are being carried out in Ontario.

An Indian pupil by the title of Lovepreet Singh is ready to be deported on June 13, 2023. Some college students are preventing it out in Canadian courts whereas others are awaiting their destiny.

One pupil named Balbir Singh stated, “We are victims, not culprits. A protest has been going on in Toronto for the last 10 days. Students are spending 24 hours there without any shelter, seeking justice.”

“Students paid 40000 thousand dollars in fees and have been paying taxes for the last five years, now they are paying lawyers thousands of dollars. Can the Canadian authorities give these students half a decade and their money back?” one other pupil requested.

Innocent victims will likely be given each alternative to have their case thought of pretty. Due to the complexity of the scenario, we stay dedicated to working with CBSA to find out a good consequence.

— Sean Fraser (@SeanFraserMP) June 7, 2023

On June 8, Sean Fraser tweeted, “We are actively pursuing a solution for intl students who are facing uncertainty due to having been admitted to Canada with fraudulent college admission letters. Those who have taken advantage of people genuinely hoping to study here will face consequences for their actions.”

He added, “Innocent victims will be given every opportunity to have their case considered fairly. Due to the complexity of the situation, we remain committed to working with CBSA to determine a fair outcome.”

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party-led- Punjab authorities is just not shying away from showing ‘all concerned’, even vowing to offer free authorized help to the 700 college students going through deportation from Canada.

Kuldeep Dhaliwal, Punjab NRI Affairs Minister, introduced that the affected college students will likely be assisted by legal professionals who’re consultants in Canadian immigration legal guidelines. He additionally wrote to Punjabi-origin Canadian MPs to assist resolve the problems of the scholars.

कनाडा में 700 पंजाब के बच्चों के साथ इमग्रेशन प्रतिनिधि के द्वारा धोखे के मामले में मदद के लिए भगवंत मान सरकार पूरी कोशिश कर रही है इसके लिए भारत के विदेश मंत्री श्री @DrSJaishankar जी को मैंने पत्र और ईमेल के माध्यम से कनाडा सरकार से बात करने की अपील भी की है. #indianstudents… pic.twitter.com/1KH4KFb2Xb

— Kuldeep Dhaliwal (@KuldeepSinghAAP) June 6, 2023

While it’s evident that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) goes to take up the matter at a diplomatic degree, Dhaliwal tried to create a spectacle on Twitter about writing to EAM S Jaishankar and looking for instant intervention.

“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,” he wrote.

Dhaliwal demanded that the “Students shouldn’t be deported & given work permits considering their VISAs”.

Minister @KuldeepSinghAAP’s letter to MEA @DrSJaishankar

👉Urged to resolve the problem of 700 Indian college students trapped in Canada attributable to immigration fraud

“Students shouldn’t be deported & given work permits considering their VISAs”

—@KuldeepSinghAAP
NRI Affairs Minister, Punjab pic.twitter.com/xUcCQdHbFQ

— AAP Punjab (@AAPPunjab) June 7, 2023

Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal additionally wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar requesting him to intervene within the matter. She stated whereas 700 college students had confronted motion on the identical floor earlier, now it had come to gentle that 200 extra college students had been served deportation orders by the Canadian Border Services Agency after scrutiny of their papers.

Given that the Modi authorities has helped rescue Indians underneath extraordinarily troublesome circumstances, as evident in Operation Ganga, Operation Shakti and Operation Kaveri, it’s apparent that it’s attempting to resolve the matter via acceptable diplomatic channels.

However, determined for political clout, the AAP is exploiting a problem affecting Indian college students in Canada.