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'.
Sidhu went through a stop sign at a rural Saskatchewan intersection and drove into the path of the junior hockey team's bus as it was on its way to a playoff game. Sidhu, who has been serving his sentence at a prison in Bowden, Alta., is asking to be released pending possible deportation.
Environment Canada says heat in the mid- to high 20s should reach the south coast and parts of the northern Interior by next week, while the Okanagan, central and southeastern B.C. could see temperatures nudging the high 30s over the same period.
The girl was standing on the sidewalk with her father and siblings when two cars collided in the intersection of Cornwall Avenue and Arbutus Street around 11 a.m. The vehicles then mounted the sidewalk and struck the girl. There were no other life-threatening injuries.
Surrey First launched its October 15 municipal election campaign today by naming former Surrey MLA and MP Gordie Hogg as its mayoral candidate, and introducing the first three of its slate of eight council nominees, including current city councillor Linda Annis, Bilal Cheema and Mary-Em Waddington.
As VPD officers responded, the suspect took off running through Chinatown, striking a 40-year-old mother and her toddler who were standing on the south side of East Pender, near Gore Avenue. The mom was knocked to the ground and struck her head. The child suffered multiple scrapes.
The June inflation rate was up from 7.7 per cent in May and marked the largest yearly change since January 1983. With public health restrictions easing and more people looking to travel in June, the cost of travel-related services surged. Prices for accommodation rose by about 50 per cent across the country compared with a year ago.
