Just weeks after a task force composed of officials from Immigration Refugees Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) was set up to tackle cases involving Indian students with fake offer letters, many of them are now raising funds to avoid any chance of deportation.
Stand For Students, an organisation of Indian and international students, set up a donation link on July 7 for hundreds of Punjabi students who are fighting ‘unjust deportation’ from Canada after fake admission letters were offered to them between 2017-2020.
"The fight will continue for the students. This GoFundMe campaign aims to provide financial aid for legal representation for these former students. By joining forces and demonstrating our collective solidarity, we can help these individuals access resources crucial for their fight to remain in the communities they have grown to consider their home,” said Jassa Sengh, the organiser behind the donation link.
The student group has already raised around 2500 Canadian dollars (CAD) intending to collect 70,000 CAD as the individual hearings begin soon. The former students are in for a long legal battle with the Canadian authorities as they aim to prove their innocence regarding the offer letters.
“Any pending removals will be halted in the interim with temporary permission to stay throughout this consideration,” Fraser had remarked in a press conference on June 14 about the deportation orders. The individuals will also be receiving a temporary residency permit, if required, during the scrutiny process to prevent imminent deportation for anyone under review.
Though there’s no confirmation or official announcement on when exactly the outcome of these reviews will see the light of the day, the Canadian government has already stepped up efforts to arrest the main accused. With one already under their wing, Brijesh Mishra.
Mishra was arrested on June 14 by the Canadian authorities, when he tried to re-enter the North American country through a land border with the United States. As per sources, Mishra is still under custody as he faces five criminal charges under Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Many of the students, who entered Canada between 2017-2020, claim that the Jalandhar-based consultant signed their letters and informed them that they have been enrolled in top Canadian colleges. But when they arrived in the country, they were asked to take admission in tier-2, tier-3 institutions instead.
While many of them received their work permits after their studies, CBSA initiated investigations against them for producing fake offer letters during the permanent residency (PR) process.
