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'.
Social Development Minister Karina Gould says depending on when the person plans to travel, the application will either be expedited and their passport mailed to them, or their file will be transferred to a local office for printing and pickup.
Louise Kenworthy told the B.C. Supreme Court jury trial of Aydin Coban that previous expert testimony showed Todd's name and several online aliases used to harass her were also on devices seized from the home. Coban has pleaded not guilty to extortion, harassment, communication with a young person to commit a sexual offence and possessing child pornography.
On Friday, 48 year old Inderjit Sandhu was charged with first degree murder in the death of 45-year-old Kamaljit Sandhu. The accused and the deceased have two children, ages 16 and 21, who are now with their extended family.
Mounties say last Friday, an arrest warrant was issued for 30-year-old, Ana Marie Lat Chamdal of Surrey. Ana Marie Lat Chamdal has been charged with fraud over $5000, possession/use of a stolen credit card, two counts of using a forged document, identity theft, personation with intent to gain advantage and breach of undertaking.
Environment Canada's lightning danger map shows dozens of strikes early Friday in the Kamloops, North Thompson, Shuswap and North Columbia regions, while the BC Wildfire Service map shows a handful of small fires sparked since midnight, although the cause of each fire is under investigation.
The ministry says that as of Wednesday, 61 cases of monkeypox had been identified in B.C., with 54 in Vancouver Coastal, three in Fraser Health and four on Vancouver Island. Of the 14,480 doses of vaccine B.C. has received, the ministry says about half had been administered to high-risk people by Monday.
