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'.
Surrey RCMP is releasing two short videos from the scene that shows three suspects who are believed to be involved in the assault. The first video shows a suspect who is described as a South Asian man in his mid-20s to early-30s, with a long black beard, wearing all dark clothing, blue vest and a small blue turban.
Rob Stutt is a former R-C-M-P officer and the Surrey municipal police union says Stutt's children are currently employed by the Mounties. The union says Stutt was in a conflict of interest when he voted to keep the R-C-M-P in Surrey, noting that the vote passed by a razor-thin margin of five to four.
Vancouver police have arrested a 51-year-old man for drug trafficking in connection with an illicit drug dispensary. Officers say the suspect was selling cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin out of a mobile trailer in the city's Downtown Eastside.
Mandeep Singh Dosanjh last spoke with family members at approximately 11 a.m. on April 29th. He is believed to have been staying at a hotel along the 8600 block of Alexandra Road in Richmond that evening, but checked out in the early morning hours.
Environment Canada has issued an air quality advisory for Prince George and the surrounding area due to high concentrations of coarse particulate matter, or dust. It says dust levels tend to be highest around busy roads and industrial operations.
The Canada Border Services Agency says a man from the United States has been sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to the possession of loaded, restricted and prohibited firearms without a license. A statement from the service says the man was referred for secondary screening while trying to enter Canada at the Pacific Highway border crossing in March.
