Blaming Shady Agents: Inquiring About Parents of Students Facing Deportation from Canada

Lovepreet Singh's parents are shocked and confused that their son, who went to Canada on a study visa six years ago, is now at risk of being deported because his educational documents were found to be fake. They wonder what their son did wrong. Lovepreet Singh is among 700 Indian students, mostly from Punjab, who are facing deportation from Canada because their "admission offer letters" were determined to be fake. Lovepreet's family says he is scheduled to be deported on June 13.

The issue came to light in March when these students applied for permanent residency in Canada after completing their studies. The Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA) discovered that their documents were fraudulent. Families in Punjab blame education consultants for deceiving them with fake admission letters. Most of these students went to Canada between 2017 and 2018.

Lovepreet moved to Canada in 2017 after finishing his mechanical engineering degree. His mother, Sarabjit Kaur, from Chatamli village in Punjab's Rupnagar district, tearfully asks why her son is being punished when he excels in his studies. She expresses her desire for him to stay in Canada, mentioning that they invested their life savings to send him abroad. Sarabjit Kaur has filed a police complaint against the consultant who facilitated Lovepreet's journey to Canada. Lovepreet and other affected students have been protesting against the deportation orders by camping outside the CBSA building in Mississauga, Canada.

Amritpal Singh's parents in Ferozepur are equally worried about their son, who is also facing deportation. Gurdev Singh, Amritpal's father, explains that his son went to Canada in 2018 after completing high school. He studied at a college in the city of London, Canada, for two years and later worked there. When Amritpal applied for permanent residency, they discovered that his admission letter was fake. Gurdev Singh, a farmer from Peer Mohammad village, filed a police complaint against the consultant in Jalandhar who allegedly deceived his son and several other students. Gurdev Singh explains that he never met the consultant directly, but another person in the office reassured him that everything would be fine, and he believed them.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has provided hope to the students by stating that his government is focused on identifying the culprits rather than punishing the victims. He acknowledges the cases of international students facing deportation due to fraudulent college acceptance letters and assures that fraud victims will have the opportunity to present evidence to support their cases.

A Canadian parliamentary committee unanimously voted to urge the border services agency to halt the deportation of the nearly 700 Indian students who were deceived by unscrupulous education consultants in India. In Punjab, Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal announced that the state government would offer free legal assistance to the affected Indian students facing deportation. Dhaliwal has also written to all Members of Parliament of Punjabi origin in Canada, requesting their help in resolving the deportation issue. He has sought intervention from India's Union External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, who has already raised the matter with Canadian authorities. Jaishankar emphasizes that if there were individuals who misled the students, those responsible should be held accountable, rather than punishing students who pursued their education in good faith.

The president of the National Students Union of India's Punjab unit, Isherpreet Singh, calls on the Punjab government to take strict action against fraudulent consultants to safeguard the future of aspiring youth who wish to study abroad.