In a welcome development for the immigrants awaiting their PR in Canada, the Task Force formed to review the legality and authenticity of the immigration documents has slashed 2000 tainted cases to only 300 now. Notably, a threat of deportation was looming over 700 Indians majority of whom were from Punjab after their documents did not meet the guidelines to get a PR of Canada. Later, it was unraveled, that those Indian students were victims of immigration fraud from a Jalandhar Travel Agent named Brijesh Mishra. The Canadian Border Security Agency found out that Visa documents applied by students for PR were fake. Students who were facing deportation had applied for study visa from Education Migration Services situated in Jalandhar which was headed by Brijesh Mishra. After deportation was looming over 700 Indian students, they started a peaceful protest against the government and this gained global traction and strong objections from the Government of India and even the Punjab state government. Now, it has been learned the Canada Task Force has reviewed the 2000 cases and slashed the list to 300 now.
Responding to multiple letters sent by victims of immigration fraud asking for their PR status to the Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco E L Mendicino, Branch's Vice President Aaron McCrorie reportedly wrote back to the victims updating them about the ongoing investigation. In his response, Aaron McCrorie reportedly wrote, " In 2018, CBSA was investigating organised crime groups and became aware of issues with students not attending school and becoming involved in criminality and gangs... This led to new lines of enquiry which ultimately, based on tips received from the public in 2020, led us to identify over 2,000 cases where fraudulent documents may have been used to obtain a student visa. In collaboration with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), we reviewed those cases and we narrowed them down to approximately 300 cases of concern."
The Letter written by the Vice President further stated, "The CBSA treats any case before it on a case-by-case basis based on the facts. In these 300 cases of concern, circumstances vary from genuine students to those who were allegedly complicit in the scheme, to those who have allegedly taken advantage of the system to enter Canada." McCrorie reportedly also mentioned that as announced in June, a taskforce of IRCC officials was working closely with the CBSA to identify genuine students by assessing each case's specific circumstances. "For these cases, we are pausing removals to allow the review to take place. Those who are found to be genuine students may be issued a temporary resident permit to allow them to continue their stay in Canada."
What happened to Brijesh Mishra?
Last month it was reported that Canadian Police arrested Brijesh Mishra who was trying to sneak into Canada. Brijesh Mishra is the immigration agent of Jalandhar, Punjab who allegedly issued fake Canadian college admission which was unearthed when 700 Indian students living in Canada were issued notice of deportation. Notably, Mishra was missing ever since the fake Canadian college admission letters scandal broke out. Mishra used to run an immigration agency in Jalandhar was also summoned by the DC, however, he did not appear. The Canada Border Services Agency took action against Brijesh Mishra, charging him with offering immigration advice without a license and counseling others to misrepresent or withhold information from authorities.
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The deportation notification forced the Indian students to start a peaceful protest against the Justin Trudeau government to seek justice. On the other hand in India, Punjab minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal had stated that the state government will provide free legal assistance to nearly 700 Indian students who are facing deportation from Canada having fallen prey to fake college admission letters offered by fraudulent consultants in India. Finally, , the Canadian authorities decided not to immediately deport the Indian students who were trapped in an alleged immigration scam and had reached the country with fake university admission letters. Canada's immigration minister, Sean Fraser stated that 'a task force has been formed to look into each case and help the victims of the fraud'.