Visa fraud

THE arrest in Canada of a Jalandhar-based travel agent, who is accused of duping hundreds of students with fake college admission letters for securing study visas, signals a breakthrough in the case. The initiation of efforts to bring Brijesh Mishra back to India and make him stand trial sends a strong message to unscrupulous immigration consultants. Though arrested for trying to sneak into Canada illegally and charged subsequently for the visa scam, Mishra also faces a lookout circular issued after the registration of an FIR against him in Jalandhar on March 17. Following massive protests, the Canadian government had frozen the deportation notices to the students, terming them victims of fraud, besides forming a committee to look into each case. Unearthing the contours of the fake immigration nexus is critical.

A majority of the students arrived in Canada between 2017 and 2019. During their applications for permanent residency, it was discovered that the offer letters they submitted to educational institutions were fraudulent. It is essential to reflect on the lessons learnt from the fake letter scam. A logical recourse would be a stringent review of the regulatory process. There are calls for making it mandatory for colleges to provide detailed individualised guidance to prospective international students, who are expected to pay course fee that far exceeds what locals have to. For the students keen to go abroad for studies and their parents, there can be no excuse in this digital age for not carrying out basic background checks, or not getting in touch with the educational institutions while paying huge amounts.

It is vital to realise the futility of occasional police crackdowns whenever a case, such as Mishra’s, makes headlines. Ensuring adherence to regulations has to be the standard procedure. Unless there is urgent follow-up of every complaint, the risk of immigration fraud remains high.