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'.
After money was exchanged in person, a sleight of hand reportedly switched the authentic brand name phone for a counterfeit version, before the suspect left with the money. Police say both incidents happened on April 27th.
Police in New Westminster are looking for witnesses of an assault they believe may have been a targeted attack. They say it happened near the intersection of Carnarvon Street and Alexander Street early yesterday.
A small plane has crashed at the regional airport in Langley, B.C., after hitting a pickup truck while landing, sending three people to hospital. Langley Township deputy fire chief Russ Jenkins says the crash happened at about 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, when the plane came down too low over the road beside the airport.
British Columbia's auditor general has found that 45 per cent of the province's ministries have been affected by fraud. A new report form Michael Pickup says theft was the most common type of fraud that government ministries dealt with between 2021 and 2022.
Sunil Anand has been charged with sexual assault and sexual interference following an investigation by the Peel Regional Police Special Victims Unit. Anand was held for a bail hearing and attended the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton.
The 37-year-old driver remained at the scene. Police say they learned he had been prohibited from driving because of being unlicensed and impaired. Mounties say in a statement they obtained a breath sample and while the man did have alcohol in his system, it was under the legal limit.
