Canadian officials have accused an Indian man named Brijesh Mishra of giving false university acceptance letters to Indian students and other crimes relating to immigration. After learning about Mishra's immigration status to Canada and his engagement in activities involving counselling misrepresentation, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) opened an investigation into his actions.
Accused vanished before controversy surfaced
According to CBSA, Mishra is accused of five crimes under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Mishra, who owns an immigration firm in Jalandhar, reportedly vanished just before the controversy surfaced, according to a report in the Indian Express.
International students frequently choose Canada as their study abroad destination since it is very simple to obtain a work permit. In 2022, there were more than 800,000 foreign students in Canada with valid visas, including about 320,000 Indians.
Over 700 Indian students were slapped with deportation orders earlier this year for allegedly using false passports to enter Canada in an immigration scheme. Later, students flocked to the streets, alleging that they had been defrauded.
Students not found guilty will not be deported
A hold on the deportation of scores of students who entered the country using false university letters was announced last week by Immigration Minister Sean Fraser. He said, "Many of these international students sincerely came to Canada to pursue their studies at some of our world-class institutions and were duped by bad actors who claimed to be helping them in their immigration application process. I want to make it clear that international students who are not found to be involved in fraud will not face deportation. The Immigration Refugee Protection Act offers me discretionary authority which I believe should be exercised in the present context."
He also made sure that anybody who engaged in fraudulent activities would face harsh punishment.
