Canada: Migrant advocacy group calls Indian students' deportation halt 'temporary step in the right direction'
File Photo - Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser
Canada's Immigration Minister, Sean Fraser, on Wednesday, announced that the country will suspend the planned deportation of dozens of students who had entered Canada using fraudulent university acceptance letters. However, organisations advocating for the affected students call the announcement "a temporary step in the right direction" andstressed the urgent need for a permanent solution through regularisation.
Wednesday's decision comes after reports by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp (CBC) revealed that a group of students from India had received deportation notices for using counterfeit documents as part of an alleged immigration scheme.
Fraudulent University letters
In March, a CBC report revealed that the students entered Canada using acceptance letters from universities that appear to be authentic.
However, as per the Canada Border Services Agency, the documents were fake. The Indian students were warned that they face potential deportation.
Also read |Indian students not to be deported immediately, task force to investigate: Canadian minister
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The students claim they were unaware of the forgery and have attributed the alleged fraud to immigration agents based in India who assisted them in the application process. Advocates and the affected students have since requested a halt to the deportations.
Planned deportations and a special task force
As per a Reuters report, without specifying the exact number of individuals involved, Fraser said that a special task force will review each case of thestudents facing deportation.
He added that "any pending removals will be halted in the interim, and there will be a temporary permission to stay over the course of this period of consideration."
A temporary step
Supporting the affected students, the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change has been advocating for their cause, highlighting the years they have spent in Canada.
Sarom Rho, an organiser, expressed cautious approval of the recent announcement, calling it a temporary step in the right direction.
"Today's announcement seems like a temporary step in the right direction. What is urgently needed is a permanent solution through regularisation of these students and all undocumented people who through no fault of their own have been deprived of their rights."
Canada and foreign students
Reuters reports that as per official data in 2022, Canada hosted over 800,000 foreign students with active visas. Approximately 320,000 of these students hailed from India.
Canada is a popular choice for international students due to the relatively straightforward and easy process of obtaining a work permit.
Students interviewed by the CBC recounted that after arriving in Canada, the agents informed them that they could not attend the institution mentioned in the acceptance letter. Instead, they were redirected to private colleges. The fraudulent scheme was uncovered when the students completed their studies and subsequently applied for work permits or permission to remain in Canada.
What will now happen to these students?
Fraser assured that "those international students who are genuine applicants that came to Canada to study and were victimised by fraudsters will be permitted to remain in Canada."
He further emphasised that those complicit in the fraudulent scheme would be held accountable, with authorities investigating individuals who arrived in Canada and immediately started working rather than pursuing their studies."Those who are complicit in a fraudulent scheme will be held accountable."
(With inputs from agencies)
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