700 Indian students in Canada face deportation over fake admission letter

NEW DELHI: Canada's immigration minister Sean Fraser has announced the government's support for victims of fraudulent admission schemes. More than 700 Indian students were deported from the country after their college admission letters were found to be fake, but they will not be penalised for their actions. However, the investigation found out that a Jalandhar-based study abroad agency has been allegedly filing deceitful visa applications for four years.

Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA) deportation orders were issued to students after their college admission letters were revealed to be fraudulent. “The focus is on identifying and apprehending perpetrators, rather than punishing innocent victims. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is conducting an investigation into these disturbing cases of falsified acceptance letters,” the immigration minister said.

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A series of investigations pointed to a “Jalandhar-based study abroad agency that had filed approximately 700 deceitful visa applications for students over a four-year period from 2018 to 2022,” the minister said. Despite the setback, it was also found that these students took admission in less prestigious colleges and completed their course work and have even applied for permanent residency.

"To be clear, our focus is on identifying culprits, not penalising victims. Victims of fraud will have an opportunity to demonstrate their situation and present evidence to support their case," Fraser affirmed in a recent tweet.

It is acknowledged that international students have contributed significantly to Canada, and the government is committed to supporting them.