Genuine students victimized by fraud won’t face deportation: Canada minister

The Canadian minister said there have been recent reports of international students and graduates facing removal from Canada, after letters of acceptance submitted as part of their study permit application were determined to be fraudulent.

Chandigarh, June 14 (IANS)

Recognising the contribution of international students, especially students from Punjab who have been facing deportation from Canada over a case of fake documents, Canada's immigration minister Sean Fraser on Wednesday said the focus is on identifying those who are responsible for the fraudulent activity and not on penalizing those who may have been affected by fraud.

Going humanitarian, he announced that the genuine students would be issued a Temporary Resident Permit. "We recognise the immense contributions that international students make to our country, and we are committed to providing a path to Canada that is honest and transparent," Fraser said in a statement.

Asking the future students to be alert and not to become the victims of fraud, he said all applicants must continue to ensure that, before applying for a study permit, they do their research, have an acceptance letter from a Designated Learning Institutions (DLI), and refer to the official website to get information about our programmes.

"If you believe you have been deceived by an unscrupulous consultant, we urge you to come forward and report fraud."

Many of these international students, he said, sincerely came to Canada to pursue their studies at some of "our world-class institutions and were duped by bad actors who claimed to be helping them in their immigration application process".

Other foreign nationals had no intent of pursuing higher education, and used fraudulent acceptance letters to take advantage of Canada's immigration system. Within this cohort of individuals, some have been involved in organised crime.

"I understand that this situation is distressing for those affected by unscrupulous actors, and I want to assure them that their well-being is of paramount importance. As a result, I have already struck a taskforce of my officials and have asked them to work closely with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to identify the victims of fraud; that is, those students who came to study here in Canada and did exactly that.

"I want to make it clear that international students who are not found to be involved in fraud will not face deportation," Fraser clarified in a statement in Ottawa.

"The Immigration Refugee Protection Act offers me discretionary authority which I believe should be exercised in the present context.

"Therefore, if the facts of an individual case are clear that an international student came to Canada with a genuine intent to study, and without knowledge of the use of fraudulent documentation, I have provided instructions for officers to issue a Temporary Resident Permit to that individual.

"This will ensure that these well-intentioned students and graduates can remain in Canada, and ensure that they are not subject to the five-year ban from re-entering Canada that normally follows in cases of misrepresentation.

"While this process runs its course, preliminary Temporary Resident Permits will be issued if they are required in order to prevent an imminent deportation for anyone under review."

Also the immigration minister asked officials of the Immigration,

Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which has been working even closer with Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs), provinces and territories, and organizations representing Canada's colleges and universities to better detect and combat fraud, and uphold the integrity of the immigration programmes.

"We are taking every opportunity to crack down on dishonest and fraudulent consultants who seek to abuse Canada's immigration system and take advantage of those seeking to visit, work, study or settle here in Canada.

"The government of Canada's focus is on identifying those who are responsible for the fraudulent activity and not on penalising those who may have been affected by fraud.

Earlier, the CBSA (Canada Border

Services Agency) has issued deportation notices to students whose admission offer letters to educational institutions were found to be fake.

They filed visa applications 2018 onwards till 2022 through Jalandhar-based Education Migration Services headed by one Brijesh Mishra, who is on the run and has shut all his operations operating from Jalandhar.

He is also accused of cheating students of tens of thousands of dollars.

The students had gone to Canada on a study visa but the fraud came to light after they applied for permanent residency (PR) recently.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at gulatiians@gmail.com)

Iconic Luminous Lantern Parade illuminates Queensland as it welcomes new inhabitants

Brisbane, June 9 (MCNA Newsdesk)

Queenslanders were all decked up to get back to the celebratory mood as the Luminous Lantern Parade showcased the very best of all it had. This was the 16th year of Luminous Parade celebrations, and is being recognized as one of Queensland’s largest welcome events mesmerizing Queenslanders with its use of light in a manner which symbolizes hope and creates an ambience that welcomes new Queenslanders in a glorious way. It all began with a modest candlelight gathering 16 years ago. Now this annual event has developed into a movement of solidarity and support by the public at large for refugees, migrants, and people coming from outside the state. The annual Luminous Lantern Parade sees tens of thousands of people flocking to the event from across the state in a spirit of warmth and friendship, showing the outstanding zeal of the Queenslanders who are always in readiness to welcome others to the state.

This Parade has now assumed an iconic status among the various events which are organized according to the annual Queensland events calendar.

The Parade also coincides with Queensland Day, a day that celebrates Queensland’s birthday and its unique culture, heritage, people, places, and its industrial network.

According to the schedule, the spectacular lantern procession began at Flowstate, South Bank, taking a short and symbolic walk down the promenade, and moving in the sites of the city skyline. Finally, the Parade concluded at the South Bank Piazza, where a vibrant World music concert was organized. Meanwhile, the lanterns were full of luminous light in a symbolic gesture welcoming a large number of people from all over the world, particularly the newest Queenslanders.

The Luminous Parade is an occasion that attracts its supporters from across the community, which comprises besides the people in general, all levels of government, corporate, and community organizations also. It is an occasion that sees the intermingling of communities and is a welcome occasion for all, including indigenous elders, migrant and refugee communities, service providers, education and training providers, church organizations, schools, various stakeholder groups and the wider community. All of them in large numbers walk in the Parade or take part in a range of Luminous satellite events.

This year Multicultural Australia has taken the Luminous Parade to the neighbourhood across Brisbane and in Toowoomba and Rockhampton, aiming to propagate the message of welcome across Queensland. Luminous Lantern Parade was organized on June 9 from Little Stanley Street, with the World Music Concert featuring diverse musicians and dancers commencing in the South Bank Piazza after the Parade.