By: Surjit Singh Flora
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) have laid charges against Jalandhar agent Brajesh Mishra. The charges are a result of the revelation that Canadian educational institutions had issued false letters of admission to 700 students from India. The fraud came to light after numerous students had already finished their studies, acquired Canadian work experience, and were in the process of applying for permanent residence in the country.
Most of the troubled students are from Punjab. Surprisingly, the accused himself was living illegally in the city of Surrey in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is evident from the filing of the charge sheet against him within a month of his arrest that the Government of Canada will now quickly reach a conclusion in this case of fraud and punish the real culprit. The Canadian Border Services Agency is investigating this immigration fraud.
Who does not want to study and live abroad? Every year, thousands of Punjabi students come to Canada abroad for higher education and a better future, a large number of them from India and China. Most of them also like Canada because it is understood that the highest value of Punjabis in the world falls in Canada.
Now, the fake letters that the fraudulent agent gave these victimized students for admission to the university resulted in their initial rejection when they applied for their permanent residency PR. In such a case, no immigrant has ever been heard of in Canada because the law over here does not tolerate fake documents. If the media in India and Canada had not raised the issue of hundreds of students now stuck in Canada, then the government would have deported them back to India, and their dreams would have turned to dust. Parents don’t know how much debt they have incurred by selling or mortgaging their land and sending it to Canada.
In this way, not only the students but also their parents will have so many dreams that are still half-hung. Due to media activity, other students were saved from such fraud. For the sake of these disappointed students, while the Punjab government had also offered to provide legal assistance, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Immigration and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser had also assured them of all possible help.
But these International students are frequently targeted by individuals seeking to exploit them, resulting in instances of fraud. In the recent series of incidents, approximately 700 students have reportedly fallen victim to what has been referred to as a “ghost consultant.” These consultants are unlicensed immigration representatives who masquerade as legitimate professionals and provide services to international students. Once students have paid the exorbitant fee, the consultant abruptly severs all communication and absconds with the funds. Other common frauds include phishing, fake job offers, and housing scams. Actually, in the name of going abroad, unauthorized travel agents play the dirty game of greed by ensnaring innocent people in their nets and making fun of the poor.
Mishra arrived in Canada in October 2022, despite his visitor visa being cancelled due to allegations of “ghost consulting.” He crossed the border from the United States through the Douglas port of entry at the Washington state border.
On June 14, 2023, however, CBSA ultimately stopped Mishra during his second attempt to cross the U.S.-Canada land border.
In fact, since the last one and a half decades, the Punjab and Canadian governments have started taking legal action against such rogue and fraudulent agents, but there are still many such anti-social elements where one or the other gets trapped. The government should use its resources to spread awareness among the people on a larger scale so that the existence of such immigration robbers ends forever.
