Canada halts imminent deportation of international students, but with a clause

Genuine students victimized by fraud won’t face deportation and will be eligible to remain in Canada with Temporary Resident Permit. But those complicit in fraud will face removal
OTTAWA: After facing immense pressure from oppositions groups and various organizations, Canadian immigration minister finally announced to put a pause on imminent deportation of 100s of international students, majority of them from Punjab, caught in fake admission letter scandal. Canada immigration minister Sean Fraser said those students will also be issued Temporary Resident Permits (TRP) to prevent any imminent deportation.
However, this is not a sweeping order where everyone facing deportation due to fraudulent documentation, will be offered TRP. According to the minister only those students who came to Canada with a genuine intent to study, and without knowledge of the use of fraudulent documentation, will be issued the permit.
The minister said that many of these international students 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 organized crime,” he said.
Hundreds of international students have been staging a 24-hr protest in front of the CBSA office at 6900 Airport Road in Mississauga. Both Conservative and NDP leaders had stepped in to support the students and asked government to stop their deportation.
IRCC finally acted and issued a formal statement. “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,” Fraser said.
“I want to make it clear that international students who are not found to be involved in fraud will not face deportation. 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 5-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.”
NDP Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Jenny Kwan who has been supporting international students welcomed the news but said Fraser failed to say if he’ll waive inadmissibility on the basis of misrepresentation or grant a pathway to permanent status for the students as called for systematically by the NDP. New Democrats urge the Minister on act on those quickly.
“While the task force evaluates these cases, the government must also ensure that these students will be able to continue to work or study in Canada—otherwise they cannot survive. If they don’t have an Open work permit or study permit, they cannot afford rent or food. And these students have already invested everything they had to come study in Canada. The Minister must urgently act to ensure they are supported,” she said. 
Further to the minister’s instructions to officials, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) 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 our immigration programs. “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.”
“We recognize 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. All applicants must continue to ensure that, before applying for a study permit, they do their research, have an acceptance letter from a DLI, and refer to the official website to get information about our programs. If you believe you have been deceived by an unscrupulous consultant, we urge you to come forward and report fraud,” he added.
According to media reports, a batch of international students who studied in Canada were allegedly issued fraudulent college acceptance letters by dishonest consultants. IRCC failed to identify these fake letters and issued valid Canadian study visas based on fraudulent college acceptance letters.
Students came to Canada on these study visas and were further manipulated by these dishonest agents who told them their colleges of choice were full and directed them to smaller college alternatives. Although the exact number of students affected is unknown, it is estimated that hundreds of students are now being threatened with deportation by CBSA after the students submitted applications for permanent residency. Only then were proper verifications conducted by government officials.