Canadian govt to probe visa fraud, issue temporary permits to Indian students

Bathinda, June 16

In a relief for Indian students facing deportation, the Canada government will issue temporary permits, begin probe into visa fraud and give them a chance to make their case to stay in the country.

Canada’s immigration minister Sean Fraser said international students, who were not found to be involved in the immigration fraud, would not face deportation. The international students, who had come with a genuine intent to study and had no knowledge of fake documentation, would be issued ‘Temporary Resident Permits’ allowing them to remain in Canada.

“This will ensure that these well-intentioned students and graduates can remain in Canada and they are not subject to a 5-year ban from re-entering Canada,” Sean Fraser said.

“I want to make it clear that the international students, who are not found to be involved in any fraud, will not face deportation,” the minister said.

Hundreds of students, largely from Punjab, had been caught in an immigration-related scam.

Letters of acceptance from educational institutions submitted as part of their study permit application for entry into Canada were later detected as fake. An agent in India had duped the students.

However, Fraser added that there could be some students who knowingly aided and abetted this fraud and they would face deportation. Facts would be underlined how each case would be dealt with.

India has repeatedly been urging the Canadian authorities to be fair and take a humanitarian approach since the students were allegedly the victims of some agents.

Various MPs from Punjab Vikramjit Singh Sahwney and Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has written to the MEA in support of these students.

In the last few days, Canadian parliamentarians across political parties have spoken in support of the students.

What Canada’s minister says

• International students, who are not found to be involved in the immigration fraud, will not face deportation
• The students, who had come with a genuine intent to study and had no knowledge of fake documentation, will be issued ‘Temporary Resident Permits’
• They are not subject to a 5-year ban from re-entering Canada