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'.
A 65-year-old female has been charged in a fraud investigation resulting in over $150,000 lost in funds. In August 2020, Coquitlam RCMP received a fraud report from the Coquitlam Little League after it was discovered that over $150,000 was missing from the league’s bank account.
The ferry operator says it will add 95 extra sailings between May 18th and 23rd to accommodate the extra traffic, projected to be more than 430-thousand passengers and 170-thousand vehicles over the six-day period.
Hardik Arora was last seen on Wednesday at approximately 2:00 pm in the 13400 block of Central Avenue in Surrey. He has not been seen or heard from since. It is unusual for Arora to not be in contact. Police and family are concerned for his health and well-being.
Along with the excavators and industrial printers, hundreds of items were seized, including, numerous printers, hard drives, network storage, laser engravers, a VIN plate stamping machine and modifying tools, hundreds of fraudulent identification cards and blank identification cards, blank bank draft paper a handgun and ammunition.
The man was shot by Edmonton police last Friday after a 35-year-old woman and her 11-year-old child were stabbed outside Crawford Plains School in the southeastern part of the city.
Police say the 68-year-old was taking photos on a rock in Glen Canyon Regional Park when she slipped and fell into a creek. A friend who was with her called police.
