No deportation for now; Canada forms task force to look into the fake admission letter scam

Fake admission letter scam: Indian students who were trapped in an alleged immigration scam and had reached the country with fake university admission letters will not be deported for now, Canadian authorities have announced.

Canada's immigration minister Sean Fraser on Wednesday announced that the country has constituted a task force to look into each case and help the victims of the fraud.

"International students, who are genuine applicants who came to Canada to study and were victimised by fraudsters, will be given permission to remain in Canada. Those who are complicit in a fraudulent scheme will bear the full consequences under Canadian law," Fraser said.

Fake admission letter scam

Approximately 700 Indian students, primarily from Punjab, are at risk of deportation from Canada due to fraudulent admission offers.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the high commission have been actively engaged in finding a solution to the problem, following an appeal for intervention by Punjab's NRI Affairs Minister Kuldip Singh Dhaliwal.

The students in question had received fake admission offer letters to Canadian educational institutions, and their predicament came to light when they applied for permanent residency in Canada earlier this year.

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar emphasised that the MEA and the high commission have been diligently working on behalf of the affected students.

The issue also reverberated in the Canadian parliament and PM Justin Trudeau said his focus was on "identifying the culprits and not penalising the victims."

"Victims of this fraud will have an opportunity to demonstrate and present evidence for their case. We recognise the immense contributions that the international students bring to our country," Trudeau stated.

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