In light of hundreds of former Indian students facing deportation hearings in Canada, Brampton Regional Councillor Navjit Kaur Brar, who represents Ward 2 and Ward 6, has called Canadian colleges the ‘real culprits’ in the alleged fraudulent college enrollment scam.
"I feel the pain of these students who have been unjustly targeted by a fake college enrolment scam," expressed Councillor Brar in an official statement. "While the blame is being placed on the students, it is important to recognize that the real culprits are the colleges themselves, which have engaged unlicensed agents and ghost consultants to recruit students. It is high time that strict action is taken against these colleges to ensure accountability and prevent such incidents from recurring."
According to Brar, who visited the former students at a protest site in Mississauga, she was disheartened to witness students’ dreams being shattered ‘due to the deceptive practices employed by certain institutions.’
“These students have not only contributed to Canada's billion-dollar education industry but have also been actively contributing to the Canadian economy,” added Brar.
'Despite stringent rules, colleges engaging with ghost consultants'
Though Canadian rules mandate Canadian lawyers, RCICs, or Quebec Notaries as authorised representatives for seeking immigration and study permits, as per Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), Brar believes colleges still engage with ghost consultants on student applications.
“These unauthorised consultants who offer immigration services outside the law and create GC Keys under the student's name, bypassing accountability and credibility often leading to legal issues for students,” said the statement by Brar.
Responsibility on Ontario govt, says Brar
From urging the Ontario government to ask colleges to terminate agreements with ghost consultants to increasing accountability in the system, Brar put the onus of addressing the concerns on the Ontario administration.
“We must draw attention to this issue and seek the assistance of the media in bringing it to the attention of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Education Minister Stephen Lecce, and the opposition," stated Councillor Brar. "By doing so, we aim to prevent anyone else from enduring the hardships faced by these students. We need to protect the core values of our country and ensure that international students are treated with dignity and respect, rather than being treated as mere commodities,” she added.
What CBSA told The FPJ in March 2023 amid reports of deportation
Back in March 2023, the Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson Maria Ladoucer told the Free Press Journal, in an interview, that it is already addressing a growing pattern of unsubsidized private colleges luring foreign nationals to take admission in their colleges for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) in return.
According to Ladoucer, the eligibility criteria for the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) will be modified for certain programs at certain designated learning institutions (DLIs) Designated learning institutions list - Canada.ca from September 1, 2023, wherein the institutions have to be approved by a provincial or territorial government before receiving international students.
“In 2022 we uncovered a scheme whereby unsubsidized private college programs were leading foreign students to a post-graduation work permit (for $25,000) with the sole purpose of acquiring a permanent residence,” Ladoucer added.
The investigation led, on June 7, 2022, to the decision by the federal and provincial governments to tighten the criteria for granting post-graduation work permits. The investigation targeted 11 colleges that were implicated in the fraud. The programmes of the federal and provincial governments that issue study permits and then lead to permanent residence have also been re-examined, according to the CBSA official.
When three Canadian colleges — M College in Montreal, CDE College in Sherbrooke, and CCSQ College in Longueuil — abruptly closed their doors after collecting millions of dollars in tuition fees and filing for creditor protection in January 2022, Indian students were put in a similar situation and faced legal issues, as reported by The FPJ.
Deportation of ex student stayed but threat still looms
Though the deportation of Lovepreet Singh, one of the former students who received his removal order on June 13, has been stayed, more hearings are expected in the coming months.
The former students, who arrived in Canada between 2017 and 2020, claim that Brijesh Mishra, a consultant in Jalandhar, fraudulently signed admission letters on their behalf while charging anywhere between Rs 15 and 20 lakhs.
Despite the fact that Mishra purportedly assured them they had been accepted to prestigious Canadian universities like Seneca, Humber, etc. When they arrived in the country they learned that their admissions hadn't been validated, forcing them to accept enrollment to less prestigious, tier-2 institutions.
After completing their studies, the students obtained their work permits and eventually moved on with the PR procedure, this is when Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) discovered that the students' offer letters were false.
According to reports, Mishra is on the run from Punjab police while his associates have been arrested by the officials.
