Some ex-Indian students deported or have left Canada: Immigration minister
A person aware of the matter said that seven former students have been deported.
Some of the former Indian students, who allegedly arrived in Canada on study permits based on fake documents, have been removed or have left voluntarily, a Canadian official said.
“There were few people who were removed, some others have left voluntarily. To the extent someone has already left Canada, and can demonstrate they too were a victim of fraud, they will have access to the same remedies as those who are already here,” Canadian immigration, refugees, and citizenship minister Sean Fraser said on Thursday.
The matter came to light a day after Fraser said these former students will receive temporary residence permits until a task force considers each case on its merits.
A person aware of the matter said that seven former students have been deported. Two removal orders were placed on hold as the task force is taking into account each case separately. The process is expected to take about eight weeks. The former students have been given permission to remain in the country during that period.
The number of former students, mainly from Punjab, has been put at 700. This may be an exaggeration as about 30 such students are facing removal proceedings. An additional 130 or so cases were being investigated. Fraser has put the number at dozens.
India has raised the matter and flagged the issue of those who have left. An official said the Indian high commission hopes the review will cover those who have returned to India.
Several of the former students, who were staging a protest in the Greater Toronto Area, called it off after 18 days. In a statement, they said the fight is not over. They pointed out the deportations were postponed temporarily and the Canadian government could attempt to remove some ex-students after investigations are complete. “If that happens, the students and community have vowed to restart this morcha [protest] and maintain it until the deportations are permanently cancelled.”
The statement called the temporary residence permits a tremendous victory, which was unthinkable a month ago. “The students achieved it through courage, unity, and resilience.”
These students arrived in Canada between 2017 and 2020. They started receiving notices in 2021 and 2022 as the authorities concluded the letters of offer of admission to Canadian higher education institutions, which formed the basis of their study permits, were fake.
Agents in India allegedly used fraudulent documentation to procure study permits for them and they started receiving notices from immigration authorities once these were detected.
