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Visa scam: Canadian mission launches programme to educate students about frauds
Bruce Grundison, area director, IRCC, South Asia, said the system they have (to deal with frauds) will work and take care of what has happened in the past
Days after a one-of-its-kind visa scam involving fake admission offer letters issued by an agent to approximately 700 students in recent years surfaced, the Consulate General of Canada here has launched a programme in Punjab to educate students about fraudulent agents and immigration consultants.
A presentation was held by officials of the Consulate General for government officials, representatives of educational institutions, mediapersons and other stakeholders in Chandigarh on Thursday on the initiatives of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on ‘fraud prevention’.
Bruce Grundison, area director, IRCC, South Asia, said the system they have (to deal with frauds) will work and take care of what has happened in the past.
“We are now trying to run a campaign to ensure that going forward, we have much better success and results in protecting students from frauds,” he said.
The presentation focused on the steps students need to follow while engaging a visa agent and submitting their application to study as their agent’s advice and actions can have serious consequences, including ban from Canada for at least five years and a permanent record of fraud.
Prof Devinder Singh, pro-vice chancellor, Chandigarh University, who was among the stakeholders present, expressed concern over the problems posed by uncertified consultants in India and the lack of a system to identify proper ones.
“You can put a list of some certified consultants on your website so that students can consult them,” he said, pointing out how some colleges in Canada had made it a business and only have prospective immigrants as students.
He also suggested that a system should be put in place by the consulate to interview all those who apply for work permit so as to ascertain whether they are fit to study in Canada or not.
Another stakeholder said that misleading advertisement campaigns should be monitored to check frauds. Another person suggested that universities and colleges should be asked to set up student portals so that students can check the status of their applications. Patrick Hebert, consul general of Canada in Chandigarh, was among those present.
