Canada is taking steps to assist international students who have fallen victim to fraud to support their case against deportation. Over 700 Indian students received deportation notices from the Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA) after their admission offer letters were discovered to be fake.
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has stated that the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) are actively investigating these fraudulent acceptance letters.
We’re actively investigating recent reports of fraudulent acceptance letters.
To be clear: 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.
We recognize the immense contributions international students bring to our country & remain committed to supporting victims of fraud as we evaluate each case. We’re also working closely with institutions to verify acceptance letters are valid at the time of application.
A study abroad firm based in Jalandhar has been implicated in a case of fraudulent visa applications for approximately 700 students between 2018 and 2022. The students, upon arriving in Canada, discovered that they were denied admission to their chosen colleges and were instead enrolled in lesser-known institutions. After completing their courses and fulfilling work requirements, the students proceeded to apply for Canadian permanent residency, providing supporting documents as required.
However, complications arose when the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) scrutinized the submitted documents and found that the admission offer letters were fraudulent. Subsequently, deportation notices were issued to all the students, although they were given the opportunity to present their case at a hearing.
Reports indicate that the CBSA officials did not accept the students’ claims of innocence, citing a lack of evidence to prove that the study abroad firm was solely responsible for preparing and arranging all the fraudulent documents. Additionally, the CBSA refused to acknowledge any failure on the part of the Canadian visa and airport authorities, who issued visas and allowed entry without thoroughly verifying the authenticity of the documents.
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Updated: 31 May 2023, 02:45 PM IST