How 700 Indian students were duped by fake admission letters and now face deportation from Canada

It can be challenging to apply to universities abroad. Planning, gathering data, assembling the necessary paperwork, submitting the application, and then the exhausting period of waiting that can occasionally test your patience. After the admission paperwork is delivered to your door, verifying the documents is a crucial step that the majority of people overlook. Although it isn’t always a fraud case, it is inevitably your job to confirm the documents’ legitimacy. Scores of Indian students, especially from Punjab, who entered Canada on study visas three to four years ago are facing deportation in a similar situation after their college admission offer letters were found to be bogus, according to media reports. The matter came to light when these students sought Canadian permanent status in March. However, how were the students tricked? How did the racket work? Let’s look more closely. Also read: A 500-day wait for the US visa in India: What’s going on? Deportation fears Up to 700 Indian students have lately received deportation notices from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The letters were sent out when the CBSA discovered that the admission offer letters for the pupils were fake, according to India Today. Students have gathered at Airport Road in Mississauga, outside the CBSA headquarters, for the “indefinite sit-in” since 29 May.

Many students who are protesting say they arrived in Canada in 2018, but that their application for permanent residency was turned down when it was discovered that they had submitted phoney letters, a racket they claim was concocted by travel agencies back home. “When we arrived in Canada our agent told us that the seats were full in the colleges where we had received admission letters. He told us that universities were overbooking so he can transfer us to another college. Since we did not want to lose a year, we agreed,” said Chamandeep Singh, a protesting student told NDTV. “We changed college and finished our studies but three-four years later, we were told by the CBSA that the admission letter on the basis of which we had received our visas was fraudulent,” he added. According to Wion News, under the name Victim Students, they wrote an open letter in March of this year in which they stated: “We are desperate for justice; we are victims of fraud; we have no criminal level but are facing a removal order.” The unrest was triggered by an expulsion order received by Lovepreet Singh, who hails from Punjab’s Mohali. He has been told to leave the country by 13 June. Also read: Amid visa fraud concerns, Australian universities ban students from certain Indian states The fraud uncovered Agent Brijesh Mishra of the Jalandhar-based counselling company EMSA Education and Migration Services Australia represented the majority of those who were affected, reported India Times. He had charged each student more than Rs 16 lakh for all costs, including the admission fee to the prestigious Humber College, but not for airline tickets or security deposits. Mishra allegedly forged the offer letters in order to ensure their acceptance to institutions when they landed in Canada, as per Indian Express. After finishing their courses, the students secured jobs. The fraud wasn’t detected until after they applied for permanent residency and the Canadian Border Security Agency reported the fake letters. Over 2.5 lakh students from Punjab have been moving to other countries, primarily Canada, every year for the past few years, according to Times of India. Also read: Why is a Russian tourist facing deportation in Indonesia? The racket India Times explained many students work with an agency to apply for a study visa. They provide the organisation with their academic documents, IELTS certificate, and financial records. The consultant compiles a dossier with the students’ preferences for educational institutions and courses based on this information. The expert also makes suggestions for universities and academic programmes. The bulk of students prefer public universities and a select number of elite private institutions. The consultant subsequently submits applications on behalf of the students to the desired colleges. The student must deposit a fee after obtaining an offer letter from the university (which in this case was forged), which is paid to the agent, who then pays the college. The student then receives a letter of acceptance (LoA) and a fee deposit receipt (also forged) from the college. A Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC), which includes a one-year advance payment and covers living expenses, is furthermore required for students, according to the newspaper. Based on these credentials, students can apply online for visas, which must then be approved or denied by the embassy after they undergo biometric testing. It is also significant to remember that the letters escaped the attention of staff at the Canadian Embassy. Experts were cited by Indian Express as noting that Canadian Embassy personnel must carefully scrutinise all related papers, including college offer letters, before awarding a visa. According to a professional educational counsellor who has been sending students to Canada for more than ten years and spoke to the Indian Express, Mishra must have known that offer letters from reputable universities are rarely examined. The adviser did, however, also express amazement at how many offer letters from a “certain college” had been disregarded at the embassy level. Also read: One out of every five US student visas issued in India last year, says US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti What happens next The Minister of NRI Affairs for Punjab Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has requested the assistance of S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs (EAM). “These (700) students are innocent and have been cheated by the clique of fraudsters. 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,” reads a letter from Dhaliwal to Jaishankar.

According to NDTV, speaking about the matter, EAM Jaishankar said, “From the very start, the MEA and the high commission have taken up their case. The culpable parties should be punished. The latest report is that Canadians accept that it would be unfair if the student has done no wrong, they accept the idea that they have to find a solution to it. I feel the Canadian system is fair in that regard.” Sean Fraser, the minister of immigration, refugees, and citizenship, recently tweeted, “We recognise the immense contributions international students bring to our country & remain committed to supporting victims of fraud as we evaluate each case,” which further fueled these students’ optimism that the government will positively respond to the issues they are currently facing.

The all-party immigration committee, according to The Star, unanimously voted to ask the border agency on Wednesday to waive the affected students’ inadmissibility and offer them an alternate route to permanent residence based on humanitarian considerations or through a “regularisation” programme. “These students, I’ve met with many of them, now are just in such a terrible state. They’ve lost money and they are stuck in a terrible situation. And some of them have deportation orders. Others have pending meetings with CBSA,” said MP Jenny Kwan, the NDP immigration critic, who tabled the motions. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .