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Jalandhar agent Brijesh Mishra arrested in Canada admission-letter scandal
An Indian immigration agent, allegedly behind preparing fraudulent documents for international students, has been arrested and charged by Canadian authorities.
An Indian immigration agent, allegedly behind preparing fraudulent documents for international students, has been arrested and charged by Canadian authorities.
The charges against Brijesh Mishra were announced on Friday by the Canada Border Services Agency or CBSA. The outlet Toronto Star reported that Mishra was taken into custody as he attempted to enter Canada and was found to be inadmissible. He is believed to be in pre-trial detention in British Columbia, according to a Canadian source.
The CBSA, in a statement, said Mishra was charged with “immigration-related offences.”
There were about 30 such students facing removal proceedings, with an additional 130 or so cases that were being investigated. These students arrived in Canada between 2017 and 2019, and in rare instances, 2020. They started receiving notices from the CBSA in 2021 and last year, for a hearing as the agency concluded the letter of offer of admission to a Canadian higher education institution, which formed the basis of their study permits, was “fake.” Agents in India used fraudulent documentation to procure study permits for them and they started receiving notices from immigration authorities late last year once these were detected. The majority of those affected were represented by Mishra of the Jalandhar-based counselling firm EMSA Education and Migration Services Australia, but others were also involved.
CBSA Criminal Investigations Section laid five charges against Mishra, including those for counselling misrepresentation, misrepresentation and unauthorised representation or advice for consideration.
“Following information provided to the CBSA concerning Mr. Mishra’s status in Canada, as well his alleged involvement in activities related to counseling misrepresentation, the Agency launched an investigation,” the release said.
“The charges announced today by the CBSA’s Pacific Region Criminal Investigations Section reflect our commitment to maintaining the integrity of Canada’s immigration system,” CBSA’s regional director general, Pacific region, Nina Patel said.
Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendocino said, “Our government is taking action against those who are responsible for fraud, while protecting those who’ve come here to pursue their studies.”
Earlier this month, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser gave the former students a reprieve as he placed a hold on deportations until a task force completed investigation of each case.
Toronto-based lawyer Sumit Sen, who is working with several of these students, said that they will ask for a court-ordered appearance so that Mishra can be cross-examined during ongoing hearings for the cases related to fraudulent documentation.
“I want to make it clear that international students who are not found to be involved in fraud will not face deportation,” Fraser said at the time of the announcement on June 14.
