People with knowledge of the situation said on Sunday that the actions taken by Canadian authorities to halt the deportation of some Indian students who allegedly submitted false admission letters to educational institutions are a positive move.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had stated last week that it would be “unfair” to punish the students. Indian authorities in New Delhi and Ottawa have brought up the issue of the Indian students with their Canadian colleagues in recent days.
Although the actual number is substantially lower, some reports claim that roughly 700 Indian students in Canada have received deportation threats for allegedly submitting false acceptance letters. The majority of these students studied in Canada from 2017 to 2019. Some students who had finished their studies acquired work permits, while others went back to school.
“India had raised the issue with Canadian authorities in both New Delhi and Canada. The secretary (East) from the foreign affairs ministry brought up the issue during his travel to Canada in April, according to one of the people. The external affairs minister brought up the issue with his Canadian counterpart.
The individual said, without going into further detail, “Some students have recently received stay orders on their deportation notices.” It is encouraging that the Indian government’s persistent efforts helped the Canadian government take a humanitarian stance and consider the viewpoint of the students.
People claimed that since the kids were not at fault, it was frequently urged on Canadian authorities to be fair and to act humanely.
The source stated above added, “It was also pointed out that there were holes in the Canadian system and a lack of diligence, as a result of which the students were awarded visas and allowed to enter Canada.
The students were also supported by Canadian lawmakers from various political parties, and immigration minister Sean Frasier said Canada is working to find a solution for hesitant overseas students. The need for treating students fairly was highlighted by Justin Trudeau, the prime minister.
The issue concerned students who, according to the Canadians, “did not study in the college which they should have studied,” according to Jaishankar, who addressed a media briefing last week. The students subsequently encountered challenges when they requested for work permits.
“Look, our point is that the kids did their best to study. If they were deceived by anyone, those responsible for the mistake should be brought to justice. Punishing a student who made a good faith effort to pursue their education is unfair, he claimed.
“If a pupil hasn’t done anything wrong, they embrace the notion that they must come up with a remedy. We will thus continue to advocate for [this problem], and I sincerely hope that the Canadian system is just in this regard.
