Some Indians who came to Canada on student visas involved in gang activity: Border agency

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has come up with evidence that some people, including Indians, who came to Canada on student visas were not attending universities or colleges, and were involved in criminal activity and gangs. On July 21, The CBSA told the publication The Globe and Mail that an investigation into 300 students who gained study permits with fake acceptance letters from universities and colleges identified 10 people involved in criminal activity.

The agency's investigation into the abuse of student visas dates back to a 2018 probe into organised crime. The 2018 probe led to the discovery that student visas were being used by people to come to Canada to join gangs.

Speaking to the publication, CBSA spokesperson Guillaume Bérubé said that the agency would continue to focus inland investigative resources on high-risk cases, with criminality and national security being the highest priorities.

In July, CBSA's Intelligence and Enforcement Branch's vice president Aaron McCrorie sent a letter to a group named Victimised Students of Fraud, the Hindustan Times reported on Wednesday (August 9).

The letter stated that in 2018, the agency was probing organised crime groups and became aware of issues with students not attending schools and getting involved in criminal activity.

This led to new lines of enquiry which led the CBSA to identify more than 2,000 cases where fraudulent documents may have been used to obtain a student visa, the letter said. "In collaboration with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), we reviewed those cases and we narrowed them down to approximately 300 cases of concern," it added.

Agency spokesperson Bérubé told The Globe and Mail that uncovering links to crime was a priority for the agency. The CBSA's Pacific Region team recently probed Brijesh Mishra, an Indian education agent who allegedly played a role in the scam involving fake Canadian college admission letters. He was arrested last month.

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