Sean Fraser says international students who fell prey to immigration fraud will not be deported from Canada
Numerous students and graduates are facing deportation from Canada for submitting fraudulent letters of acceptance in their study permit applications. (Photo by Fotos on Unsplash)
In the wake of international student fraud in Canada, immigration minister Sean Fraser has declared that students who are found to not be involved in fraudulent application process will not face deportation. Lately, there have been several reports of international students and graduates facing removal from Canada after letters of acceptance submitted as part of their study permit application were determined to be fraudulent.
Efforts are underway to crackdown on scammers and fraudsters who claim to help overseas applicants with the immigration processes required to come to Canada, but in reality, are only duping them of large amounts of money. A joint team from IRCC and the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) is now looking into identifying the victims of fraud, namely those students who intended to study in Canada.
Immigration Minister’s statement against student fraud
Speaking of those under investigation, Fraser stated, “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. Other foreign nationals had no intent of pursuing higher education and used fraudulent acceptance letters to take advantage of Canada’s immigration system. Within this cohort of individuals, some have been involved in organized crime.”
‘The Government of Canada’s focus is on identifying those who are responsible for the fraudulent activity and not on penalizing those who may have been affected by fraud.’
– Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
He added: “I understand that this situation is distressing for those affected by unscrupulous actors, and I want to assure them that their well-being is of paramount importance. I want to make it clear that international students who are not found to be involved in fraud will not face deportation.”
Measures to protect international students in Canada
Students who are under investigation and are cleared of suspicion of fraud will be issued a Temporary Resident Permit to ensure that students and graduates can remain in Canada, and are free from the five-year ban that prevents people found guilty of misrepresentation from returning to the country. Temporary Resident Permits will also be issued as a matter of urgency to prevent the imminent deportation of those under review.
“Further to my instructions to officials, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has been working even closer with Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs), provinces and territories, and organizations representing Canada’s colleges and universities to better detect and combat fraud, and uphold the integrity of our immigration programs,” said Fraser.
Read more: International Student to PR – Advice from those who have done it
While recognizing the immense contributions made to Canada by international students, the immigration minister reminded aspirants who wish to come to the country to do their diligent research into academic institutions and have an acceptance letter from their DLI before applying for a study permit.
If you are a prospective student, click this link to learn how to protect yourself from immigration fraud. Those who wish to report incidents of fraud can visit this page.
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