The Honorable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC), addressed the growing concerns surrounding international student fraud in Canada.
Recent press reports have exposed a staggering estimate of 700 international students from India who now face the threat of deportation after their forged Letters of Admission (LOAs) were discovered by the federal government.
The LOAs, which serve as the foundation for their entry into Canada, were deceitfully fabricated by unscrupulous immigration consultants in India, who has since vanished, leaving these unsuspecting students in a dire predicament after charging a fee to assist the students in pursuing their studies in Canada, with the victims claiming to be completely unaware of the consultant's deceptive practices.
Minister Fraser wasted no time in addressing the gravity of the situation and emphasized the paramount importance of the affected individuals' well-being.
To tackle this distressing issue head-on, a task force comprising teams from IRCC and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has been assembled to examine:
How this situation was allowed to happen
Why fraudulent documents were not detected until years later when the students began to apply for permanent status
The significant harm experienced by students, including financial loss and distress
Measures necessary to help the students have their deportation stayed, inadmissibility on the basis of misrepresentation waived, and provide a pathway to permanent status,
How to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.
However, Fraser made it abundantly clear that international students who were unknowingly entangled in this fraud will not be subjected to deportation. Recognizing their innocence, he stated that “such students do not deserve to be expelled from the country they have come to pursue their dreams in”.
Furthermore, Fraser outlined the government's commitment to exploring solutions that provide these affected students with a fair opportunity to apply for permanent residency.
To this end, IRCC will establish a special Permanent Residency (PR) process wherein senior officials from IRCC and CBSA will carefully consider each individual case, bypassing the standard PR procedure.
They emphasized that no moral blame should be placed on these individuals, as they were mere victims of deception.
The statement also revealed that IRCC is collaborating with Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs), provinces and territories, and organizations representing Canada's colleges and universities to enhance fraud detection and prevention, thereby upholding the integrity of Canada's immigration programs.
This is a relief for the students and a reminder that it is important to vet the credibility and legality of your consultant. Finally, CLICK HERE to check if your consultant is licensed.
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