Relief for students facing deportation in Canada over fake college acceptance letters

The much-anticipated official announcement by the minister brought relief to Indian students, particularly Punjabi students, who were facing deportation from Canada due to the “fake offer letter” mess.

Since the exposure of the deportation cases in March of this year, Brijesh Mishra, a travel agent based in Jalandhar, has been identified as the main perpetrator of the scam (Express)

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In a significant development, Sean Fraser, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship (IRCC) in Canada, has announced a reprieve for international students who were facing deportation due to fraudulent letters of acceptance submitted with their study permit applications.

The minister said, “I want to make it clear that international students who are not found to be involved in fraud will not face deportation. The Immigration Refugee Protection Act offers me discretionary authority which I believe should be exercised in the present context. Therefore, if the facts of an individual case are clear that an international student came to Canada with a genuine intent to study, and without knowledge of the use of
fraudulent documentation, I have provided instructions for officers to issue a Temporary Resident Permit to that individual. This will ensure that these well-intentioned students and graduates can remain in Canada, and ensure that they are not subject to the 5-year ban from re-entering Canada that normally follows in cases of misrepresentation.”

He added, “While this process runs its course, preliminary Temporary Resident Permits will be issued if they are required in order to prevent an imminent deportation for anyone under review.”

Fraser said that he has established a task force comprising officials from the IRCC and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to identify the victims of fraud. The minister assured that international students who are found not to be involved in fraudulent activities will not face deportation.

He further added, “The Government of Canada’s focus is on identifying those who are responsible for the fraudulent activity and not on penalising those who may have been affected by fraud.”

The official announcement by Minister Sean Fraser has brought immense relief to Indian students, particularly those from Punjab, who were entangled in the “fake Offer Letter” controversy and facing deportation from Canada.

Balbir Singh, originally from Dhardeo village in Baba Bakala, Amritsar, expressed his happiness and relief at the Canadian minister’s decision.

Speaking from Surrey, Balbir, who completed his degree in Arts and Science from Langara College, has been fighting against deportation for nearly a year. He also participated in recent protests alongside other affected students in Ontario. Balbir was a victim of the Jalandhar-based travel agent Brijesh Mishra, along with hundreds of others.

Balbir’s father, Ajmet Singh, shared the sentiments of relief from their native village. “I can finally have some peace of mind, knowing that my son is safe,” he told the Express.

Dimple, another student from Nakodar, also expressed her elation over the announcement. She said they are now waiting for the details, as they have already spent a substantial amount on their cases. “We hope that we will no
longer have to bear the financial burden of pursuing the legal course since we are genuine students who have completed our studies and worked legally in Canada,” she said.

Students Gurpreet Singh, Vinay Sally, Parkash, Charandeep Singh, Karamjit Kaur, Inderjit Singh Aulakh, and several others were in a jubilant mood after this announcement. Karamjit Kaur said she believes in the Canadian system of justice, and today’s announcement is a step towards that.

Hundreds of students from Punjab are facing deportation in Canada due to the fake offer letter scam.

Since the exposure of the deportation cases in March this year, Brijesh Mishra, a travel agent based in Jalandhar, has been identified as the main perpetrator of the scam. The Jalandhar police have filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Brijesh Mishra and his associates. Look Out Circulars (LOC) were issued against Mishra on March 21.