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'.
VPD officers were responding to reports of an assault with a weapon inside the Patricia Hotel, at East Hastings and Dunlevy Avenue, just after 4 p.m. Thursday, when they were confronted by a man. An altercation ensued and shots were fired.
The driver of the dump truck and trailer unit stayed at the scene and police say impairment is not believed to have been a factor. Burnaby RCMP’s criminal collision investigation team is leading the case.
On Thursday, May 5, 2022, at 2:24 a.m., Surrey RCMP received a report of a woman screaming and a fire alarm ringing in the 13500-block of Old Yale Road. Officers attended the area and located a woman who had been physically assaulted by a man in the staircase of an underground parking lot. The man had fled the area prior to police being called.
On Friday, April 1, 2022, just before 2 p.m., a 17-year-old girl boarded a route 335 bus headed to Newton Exchange in Surrey, made her way to the back of the bus and sat down. At an unknown point in the journey, a man boarded the same bus and began acting erratically while heading to the back of the bus, where he sat near the teen.
Gene Lahrkamp and Matthew Dupre have been accused in the Feb. 4 death of Jimi Sandhu in Phuket and police have said they fled to Canada following the incident.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai was in the national capital for a two-day visit, her first to Canada since President Joe Biden appointed her as his principal international trade emissary last March.
