The government of India has raised the issue with Canadian authorities in both Ottawa and New Delhi
Some Indian students in Canada recently received stay orders on their deportation notifications, according to official sources, reportedopindia.com. They also asserted that the actual number of Indian students facing deportation from Canada is much less than 700. The Indian students, mostly from Punjab, are facing deportation from Canada for allegedly submitting false admission letters. The government of India has raised the issue with Canadian authorities in both Ottawa and New Delhi.
The reports of students receiving stay orders came after the Canadian government decided to postpone the deportation of 700 Indian students after the students launched a massive protest. Jaspreet Singh, one of the students facing deportation, was quoted saying, “My and Lovepreet Singh’s deportation from Canada has been postponed. The government has to provide a pathway to permanent residency for us.”
Jaspreet and Lovepreet are among the hundreds of students who were facing deportation from Canada after being accused by Canadian authorities of obtaining visas on the basis of fraudulent admission letters for Canadian universities. They were actually victims of a fake admission gang which took large amounts of money to provide the students with fake admission letters from Canadian universities enabling them to obtain visas. Once in Canada, the students were asked to get admitted to different universities under some or other pretexts, and they were studying there. However, when many of them applied for residency permits, the scam was exposed after closer scrutiny of documents.
The Canadian authorities had been urged on numerous occasions by the Indian government to be reasonable and show compassion toward the students because they were not at fault. It was further noted that the latter were given visas and permitted entry into Canada due to flaws in the country’s system and a lack of diligence.
“It is welcome that the consistent efforts by the government of India have been instrumental in the Canadian government adopting a humane approach and taking on board the perspective of the students.”
The majority of these students arrived in Canada between 2017 and 2019. They were not freshmen. Some of them received work permits after completing their courses, while others continued their studies in the country. S. Jaishankar, Indian Minister of External Affairs, raised the issue with his Canadian counterpart.
The Indian Consulate in Toronto, where the majority of the students are based, has reportedly met with many of them, according to the sources. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)’s Secretary (East) also brought up the issue during his visit to Canada in April of this year.
Canadian lawmakers from all political parties have spoken out in favour of the students over the past several days. According to sources, Canada is relentlessly looking for a solution for overseas students who are experiencing uncertainty, as revealed by Immigration Minister Sean Frasier. The importance of treating students fairly has also been highlighted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“It is welcome that the consistent efforts by the government of India have been instrumental in the Canadian government adopting a humane approach and taking on board the perspective of the students,” a source informed.
Each student was assessed between 16 and 20 lakh rupees for all costs, which included admission fees to a prestigious university. The amount paid to the agent did not include any airline tickets or security deposits.
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