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'.
According to the report, PM Justin Trudeau's government introduced the permit extension move to over 5,00,000 international students already in Canada to potentially work more hours, and stay for 18 months after graduation to seek employment. However, after more than a year, some of these permanent-resident hopefuls have been left without status to work or remain in the country.
The Bank of Canada hiked its key interest rate by half a percentage point on Wednesday and signalled interest rates would have to rise further to clamp down on decades-high inflation. Canada’s annual inflation rate was 6.9 per cent in September but has been steadily declining since reaching its highest rate this year of 8.1 per cent in June.
Canadian industries are facing a significant labour shortage, with about 1 million job vacancies across the country. The new plan puts an emphasis on increasing the number immigrants who will be admitted based on their work skills or experience over the next three years.
The society says it's putting the parade on hiatus again "with a great deal of regret", after the event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of pandemic precautions. The event traditionally features performances from bands and dance troupes, as well as an appearance by Santa and his helpers.
The storm prompted high streamflow advisories for waterways across Vancouver Island and the central and south coasts, but the River Forecast Centre expected levels to peak by late Monday, while another powerful rainstorm could arrive by the end of the week.
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