Canada’s immigration department has started sending letters to international students, including several from India, enrolled at higher education institutions to verify their compliance with study permit norms, after a report by the country’s Auditor General raised concerns over the integrity of the International Student Program.
These letters have been received by several students, including many from India, in recent weeks. The issue of fraud was addressed in International Student Program Reforms report submitted to the Parliament on March 23 by the country’s Auditor General (AG). In a statement issued at the time, AG Karen Hogan said, “The department needs to act on the information it has to address integrity concerns in the program.”
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A letter received by an Indian student from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and shared by Mississauga-based immigration consultant Kanwar Sierah, said that for compliance purposes, the student was required to provide a formal letter from their designated learning institution confirming current enrolment status with current and previous transcripts from any designated learning institution(s) they had attended in Canada. “Failing to provide the required documents within 21 days could result in the loss of your temporary resident status in Canada,” the letter said.
Sierah, however, said such action came too late, as the surge in fraud occurred in previous years and most of the students from then had already completed their courses. “They are finally acting, but it may be too late,” Sierah noted.
{{/usCountry}}Sierah, however, said such action came too late, as the surge in fraud occurred in previous years and most of the students from then had already completed their courses. “They are finally acting, but it may be too late,” Sierah noted.
{{/usCountry}}The key issue, he stressed, was with the role of these colleges. “How many got work permits with fraudulent documents?” Sierah added.
IRCC must investigate all alleged cases of international student permit fraud or non-compliance and provide a report by the 15th of each month to the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.