As Indian students face deportation risk, Canada and India try to find a solution

Our focus is on identifying the culprits, not penalising the victims, Trudeau said

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar addresses the media after the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting | PTI External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar | PTI

There is a glimmer of hope for the 700 Indian students in Canada facing the possibility of deportation. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Parliament that authorities will evaluate each case and the “victims of fraud will have an opportunity to demonstrate their situation and present evidence” to support their case.

Trudeau was responding to a question raised by Sikh-origin NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. An evocative issue, NDP is hoping to move a motion to stop the removal order and help the students get permanent residency. The students have been in Canada since 2018 and 2019.

“We are deeply aware of cases of international students facing removal orders over fraudulent college acceptance letters. To be clear, our focus is on identifying the culprits not penalising the victims," Trudeau has been quoted as saying. He added that the victims of fraud will have an opportunity to demonstrate their situation and present evidence to support their case. “We recognise the immense contributions international students bring to our country, and we remain committed to supporting victims of fraud as we evaluate each case,’’ he has been quoted as saying.

India, too, has been pushing diplomatically to find a solution. The students were duped by an agent as their letters of admission to the colleges were fake.

At a press conference, Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar said India had been actively involved with the case from the inception. “For some time now, there is this case of students, who the Canadians say, did not study in the college in which they should have and when they applied for a work permit, they got into difficulties,’’ he said. “From the very start, we have taken up this case and our point is, the students studied in good faith. If there were people who misled them, the culpable parties should be acted against. It is unfair to punish a student who undertook their education in good faith. I think the Canadians also accept that it would be unfair if a student has done no wrong...We will continue to press."

The relationship between the two countries continues to be less than warm. While the frostiness plays out in visa delays and students, it is clear that the ghost of Khalistan continues to loom large over India and Canada. Jaishankar hit out at Canada for the recent incident where a float in a parade in Brampton ‘celebrated’ the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi. Pictures of the float went viral on Twitter.

“Frankly, we are at a loss to understand other than the requirements of vote bank politics why anybody would do this. I think there is a larger underlying issue about the space which is given to separatists, to extremists, to people who advocate violence. I think it is not good for relationships, not good for Canada,” Jaishankar said. The past few months has seen a spate of incidents where India has expressed concern over the rising incidents involving Khalistani sympathisers.

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