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'.
DARPAN is excited to announce its 12th Annual DARPAN Extraordinary Achievement Awards which is set to take place on October 7, 2022, in Surrey. We come together to celebrate the achievements and extraordinary people of the South Asian community.
Surrey RCMP Missing Persons Unit has been following up on all investigative avenues since he was reported missing, but have not been able to locate Satpal, so they are requesting the public’s assistance. Satpal Lanji, who also goes by Rai and Ray is described as a South Asian male, 5’7", 140 lbs., slim build, short grey hair, and brown eyes.
On Monday, August 1st, close to 5pm., Coquitlam RCMP received a report of shots fired at a residence in the 900-block of Foster Avenue in Coquitlam. Frontline officers attended the area and discovered bullet holes in the exterior of the residence.
About 300 properties, including the Apex Mountain resort southwest of Penticton, have been ordered evacuated as the fire showed aggressive and unpredictable growth, destroying an unoccupied cabin.
Louise Kenworthy wrapped up the Crown's closing arguments, telling a B.C. Supreme Court jury trial that the case against Aydin Coban was circumstantial, but the two devices seized by police are the link to the Port Coquitlam teenager.
In a letter posted on BC Housing’s website, CEO Shayne Ramsey says he has spent sleepless nights thinking about the recent murders of homeless and former homeless people in Langley, a vulnerable woman who was lit on fire in Vancouver and his own recent encounter with angry residents.
