Focus on illegal immigration from Punjab after Canada’s recent deportation threat

Illegal immigration from Punjab is back in the spotlight, after Canada set up a task force on Thursday for case-by-case scrutiny of Indians facing deportation due to their entry into the country allegedly using fake college admission offer letters. Most of those affected hail from Punjab, and are heaving sighs of relief over the reprieve from immediate deportation, but their plight has highlighted broader issues.

Illegal immigration from Punjab is back in the spotlight, after Canada set up a task force on Thursday for case-by-case scrutiny of Indians facing deportation due to their entry into the country allegedly using fake college admission offer letters. Most of those affected hail from Punjab, and are heaving sighs of relief over the reprieve from immediate deportation, but their plight has highlighted broader issues.

In March, Canadian authorities sought to evict a number of Indians who had entered Canada on student visas in 2017 and 2018 on the basis of these fake letters. It is unclear how many Indian citizens are affected, but many of them have now completed their studies and are in the process of applying for permanent residency in Canada, which is when their fake admission letters were found. They are pleading innocence, claiming to be victims of immigration consultants who falsified the letters without their knowledge.

Jagtar Chand of Mianwal Araian village in Jalandhar has filed a police complaint against Jalandhar-based immigration consultant Brijesh Mishra, who he alleges is responsible for defrauding his 32-year-old daughter Dimple Kumari. In 2017, she arrived in the Canadian city of Brampton on a student visa, to embark on a three-year programme in computer science.

“After Dimple reached Canada, the agent informed us that there was some problem going on in the college where my daughter was to be admitted. He told us that there was a strike going on in that college and that he has arranged for my daughter’s admission in another college, assuring us that there would be no problem in future,” Mr. Chand explained. “But now, when my daughter, after completing her course, applied for permanent residency (PR), the Canadian authorities raised an objection, saying that while Dimple’s visa was based on admission to a government college, she instead has completed her studies at a private college.”

Mr. Chand sought justice for his daughter. “We paid around ₹11 lakh, including admission fees, to the agent and he played fraud on us for which my daughter is now facing the consequence. I have filed a complaint with the police, and hope we will get justice. I urge Punjab and the Indian government to strongly take care of all such students who are facing the sword of deportation and find a permanent solution by giving them PR,” he added.

A large number of people from Punjab, especially the youth, travel abroad in the hope of a better life. As migration increases, illegal and irregular migration has also grown significantly. There is little authentic data on such irregular migrants in the public domain, although studies say the magnitude of the problem is “substantial” among migrants from Punjab. “Every year, more than 20,000 youth from Punjab attempt irregular migration,” according to a 2009 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

The cases of illegal migration often come to light when a prospective migrant falls prey to fraudsters and is cheated by unscrupulous agents, or on being apprehended in a foreign country. In the current case, a number of migrants have blamed Mr. Mishra for their plight. Though police have filed a case against him, the Jalandhar-based immigrantion consultant is still at large.