Will evaluate each case: Trudeau on Indian students facing deportation
Darpan News Desk IANS, 08 Jun, 2023 11:02 AM
New Delhi/Ottawa, June 8 (IANS) Assuring the 700 Indian students who are facing deportation from Canada over fake admission letters, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said they will evaluate each case and the victims of fraud will have an opportunity to demonstrate their situation and present evidence to support their case.
The remarks came as hundreds of Indian students, mostly from Punjab, have been taking on to the streets in Canada saying they were cheated by their immigration consultation agency in India that provided them fake documents, of which they were unaware of.
"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 penalising the victims," Trudeau said during a parliament debate on Wednesday.
"Victims of fraud will have an opportunity to demonstrate their situation and present evidence to support their case," the Prime Minister said, while responding to Sikh-origin NDP leader Jagmeet Singh's concerns on the state of defrauded students, who are set to be deported his month.
"We recognise the immense contributions international students bring to our country, and we remain committed to supporting victims of fraud as we evaluate each case," Trudeau said.
Singh's NDP is reportedly preparing to introduce a unanimous consent motion in Parliament to cancel removal orders to support these students while also facilitating a pathway to permanent residency for them.
It will also assist students who could face deportation due to bogus enrollment offers.
"So my question is... will the Prime Minister stay the deportation of all these students that are impacted and provide a pathway to permanent residency for these students?" Singh asked Trudeau, presenting the case of victims.
According to the Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA), more than 700 Indian students are reportedly facing deportation after finding that their educational institution's admission offer letters were fake.
Most of these students had come to the country to study in 2018 and 2019.
The fraud was discovered when the students applied for permanent residency in Canada.
Brijesh Mishra, a Jalandhar-based agent, was responsible for providing fake admission letters, charging students thousands of dollars.
He charged more than Rs 16 lakh per student in addition to admission fees claiming to get them to prestigious colleges.
Meanwhile, students have been continuing with their sit-ins since May 29 at Airport Road of Mississauga, outside the CBSA's head office, holding banners saying, 'Unite against deportation', 'Stop deportation' and 'We want justice'.
Vancouver firefighters say a man suffered life-threatening injuries in a fire that broke out early Monday morning on West Sixth Avenue. The fire service says a 34-year-old man was taken to V-G-H with serious and life-threatening injuries.
The City of Vancouver says it's made significant changes to speed up new housing construction by moving to clear a backlog of applications. Mayor Ken Sim says the changes voted on yesterday by council will streamline the application process and speed up new housing construction city-wide.
Surrey R-C-M-P say they want the public's help locating 25-year-old Terry MacDonald and 26-year-old Joseph Gregory, who are both wanted for allegedly breaching their bail conditions. Investigators say McDonald is five-foot-six, weighing 150 pounds, while Gregory is six-foot-two and 220 pounds, and both men are considered armed and dangerous.
Canada Place will get the second name to acknowledge historical discrimination against South Asian communities. The Komagata Maru docked near the current location of Canada Place in 1914 with 340 Sikh, 27 Muslim and 12 Hindu passengers on board, most of whom were denied entry into Canada despite having valid travel documents.
Police in West Vancouver say a bus got away from a driver trying to fix a door problem in Horseshoe Bay today. Police say as the bus began to roll the driver fell out. The bus ended up on the front lawn of a house.
The intersection of 168 Street and Fraser Highway is closed in all directions and traffic is being rerouted. Fraser Highway is closed westbound at 176Street and 168 Street is closed northbound just south of Fraser Highway.
