‘Culprits will be penalised’: Canada PM Justin Trudeau over deportation of Indian students

Indian students have been protesting against a possible deportation claiming they have been cheated by their immigration agency back home over admission.

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has assured that his government will take steps to evaluate cases of around 700 Indian students in the country who are facing deportation on grounds of ‘fake college admission offer letters’.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (AP)

"We are deeply aware of the cases of international students facing removal orders over fraudulent college acceptance letters. To be clear, our focus is on identifying the culprits, not penalising the victims," said PM Trudeau said during a Parliament debate.

Hundreds of students from India have taken to streets claiming they have been cheated by their immigration consultation agency and that they have been provided with fake documents. The matter came to light in March when these students applied for permanent residency in Canada.

According to Union foreign minister S Jaishankar, the Indian government has taken up the issue with the Canadian government and assured that ‘If there were people, who misled them (students), the culpable parties should be acted upon’.

"We recognise the immense contributions international students bring to our country and we remain committed to supporting victims of fraud as we evaluate each case," PM Trudeau added.

Similarly, A Canadian parliamentary committee has also vote unanimously to urge the border services agency to stop the deportation of those Indian students.

In a symbolic move, the all-party immigration committee voted unanimously on Wednesday to call on the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to waive the inadmissibility of the affected students, The Toronto Star newspaper reported.

(With agency inputs)