Some Indian students in Canada recently received stay orders on their deportation notifications, according to official sources. They also asserted that the actual number of Indian students facing deportation from Canada is much less than 700. The Indian students, mostly from Punjab, are facing deportation from Canada for allegedly submitting false admission letters. The government of India has raised the issue with Canadian authorities in both Ottawa and New Delhi.
The reports of students receiving stay orders came after the Canadian govt decided to postpone the deportation of 700 Indian students after the students launched a massive protest. Jaspreet Singh, one of the students facing deportation, said, “My and Lovepreet Singh’s deportation from Canada has been postponed. The government has to provide a pathway to permanent residency for us.”
Jaspreet and Lovepreet are among the hundreds of students who were facing deportation from Canada after being accused by Canadian authorities of obtaining visas on the basis of fraudulent admission letters for Canadian universities. It has been revealed that they were actually victims of a fake admission gang which took large amounts of money to provide the students with fake admission letters from Canadian universities enabling them to obtain visas. Once in Canada, the students were asked to get admitted to different universities under some or other pretexts, and they were studying there. However, when many of them applied for residency permits, the scam was exposed after closer scrutiny of documents.
The Canadian authorities had been exhorted on numerous occasions by New Delhi to be reasonable and show compassion toward the students because they were not at fault. It was further noted that the latter were given visas and permitted entry into Canada due to flaws in the country’s system and a lack of diligence.
The majority of these students arrived in Canada between 2017 and 2019. They were not freshmen. Some of them received work permits after completing their courses, while others continued their studies in the country. S. Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, raised the issue with his Canadian counterpart.
The Indian Consulate in Toronto, where the majority of the students are based, has reportedly met with many of them, according to the sources. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)’s Secretary (East) also brought up the issue during his visit to Canada in April of this year.
Canadian lawmakers from all political parties have spoken out in favour of the students over the past several days. In accordance with the sources, Canada is relentlessly looking for a solution for overseas students who are experiencing uncertainty, as revealed by Immigration Minister Sean Frasier. The importance of treating students fairly has also been highlighted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“It is welcome that the consistent efforts by the government of India have been instrumental in the Canadian government adopting a humane approach and taking on board the perspective of the students,” a source informed.
Over 700 Indian students received deportation orders from the Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA) in March after their admission offer letters from academic institutions were discovered to be false. These fictitious offer letters were used to obtain a Canadian visa under the pretence of enrolling in educational institutions there. The scam was discovered when these students requested permanent residence in Canada after finishing their course.
Each student was assessed between 16 and 20 lakh rupees for all costs, which included admission fees to a prestigious university. The amount paid to the agent did not include any airline tickets or security deposits.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) tried to exploit the situation when Punjab’s Non-Resident Indians (NRI) Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal recently tried to make an impression on Twitter by writing to the foreign minister and appealing for prompt action. “I shall be highly grateful if you again look into the matter personally and take up the matter with concerned agencies including the High Commission of Canada and the government of Canada so that these students can be saved from being deported.”
Harsimrat Kaur Badal, member of parliament from the Akali Dal, also wrote to S Jaishankar requesting him to intervene in the critical matter. While 700 students had previously faced action on the same basis, she claimed that it was now known that 200 additional students had received deportation orders from the Canadian Border Services Agency after a review of their documentation.