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'.
On Thursday, May 26, 2022 at 8:43 pm, Surrey RCMP was called to Hazelnut Meadows Park located near 140 Street between 68 Avenue and 70 Ave. Upon police attendance, a deceased man was located, whose injuries were consistent with suspected foul play.
They say officers had responded to a shots-fired report in the 13,700-block of Grosvenor Road around 9:49 a.m. last Saturday, when they found Brown injured and took him to hospital, where he died on Wednesday.
The fraud charge against Craig James was stayed last week because it was related to the same set of evidence involving nearly $1,900 in claims he made for work attire, so a conviction was not entered on that count.
Councillors have voted unanimously in favour of a ban on the noisy, fume-producing tools, including chainsaws and lawn mowers. Users, from homeowners to professional landscaping companies, will have three years to phase out gas-powered items.
RCMP Cpl. Andres Sanchez describes the items as looking and feeling like "the real thing," but lacking the internal parts required to explode. He says airport security staff called 911 and held the bag in the X-ray machine until police arrived and found that a second bag belonging to the same man was also inside the machine, but it had yet to be scanned.
The city says in a written statement that the RCMP and firefighters responded to the scene and several businesses were evacuated. It says police and WorkSafeBC are investigating how the ammonia was released, and the coroners service has also launched an investigation.
