Indian immigration agent Brijesh Mishra, accused of cheating students by issuing fake college admission letters to procure Canadian visas, was arrested by Canadian authorities on 23 June, reported Reuters.
As per details, around 700 students — facing deportation from Canada — filed visa application from 2018 till 2022 via Mishra’s Jalandhar-based Education Migration Services.
When these students applied for permanent residency (PR) recently, the fraud came to light. Following this, the Canada Border Services Agency charged Mishra with immigration-related offences.
Brijesh Mishra, a citizen of India, is facing five charges under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, Reuters quoted the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) statement.
CBSA said it had launched an investigation after receiving information about Mishra’s status in Canada.
As per official data, there were more than 800,000 foreign students with active visas in Canada in 2022, including some 320,000 from India.
Earlier in 2023, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported that several students from India had been served deportation papers for using forged documents to enter Canada in an alleged immigration scheme.
As per the report, the acceptance letters appeared to have been written by universities but the Canada Border Services Agency informed the students the documents were fake and warned them that they could face deportation.
“Our government is taking action against those who are responsible for fraud, while protecting those who’ve come here to pursue their studies,” Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said in a statement on Friday.
Last week, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced a freeze on the planned deportation of dozens of students who entered the country using fraudulent university letters.
With agency inputs.
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Updated: 24 Jun 2023, 10:33 PM IST