In a significant development, the Canadian government has decided to postpone the deportation proceedings initiated against Lovepreet Singh, bringing relief to the protesting Indian students in Canada.
The decision comes in the wake of a series of protests that erupted in Toronto on June 5, sparked by the authorities' initiation of removal proceedings against Singh, who hails from the Chatmala village in Punjab's SAS Nagar.
The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) had previously directed Singh to leave the country by June 13 after uncovering that the offer letter on which he had entered Canada six years ago on a study permit was counterfeit. Singh was among the approximately 700 students who received deportation notices from Canadian authorities over fraudulent documents.
Aam Aadmi Party MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney, who also serves as the International President of the World Punjabi Organization, announced on Friday that the Canadian government, in collaboration with the Indian High Commission, has decided to put the deportation of 700 Indian students on hold.
Sahney had personally appealed to the Canadian government, emphasizing that the students were victims of fraud perpetrated by unauthorized agents who issued fake admission letters and payment receipts.
"These students have not engaged in any forgery or fraud. They fell prey to fraudulent practices when unscrupulous agents provided them with counterfeit admission letters and receipts. Visas were granted without proper verification, and upon arrival, the immigration department allowed them to enter," explained Sahney.
Investigations into the matter revealed that a Jalandhar-based consultant named Brijesh Mishra duped approximately 700 students, mostly from Punjab, by sending them to Canada based on fake offer letters from prestigious colleges and universities. The students acquired study permits, and it was only upon their arrival at their respective institutions that they discovered they had not been registered.
Mishra, who operated the firm Education and Migration Services, managed to deceive embassy officials as well, who failed to detect the forgery. Only when the affected students applied for permanent residency in 2016 did they uncover the fraudulent nature of their documents.
Following a thorough investigation, the CBSA identified Mishra's firm as the source of the fake documents, leading to the issuance of deportation notices to all students who had come through his agency between 2016 and 2020.