700 Indian students in Canada who face deportation in that country are victims of what is now emerging as a fake admission scam while they are protesting in Canada. India's Foreign Affairs Minister J. Shankar, has said the system in Canada is absolutely fair, and the spotlight now again is on middle men and immigration consultants and how not to get cheated in India. What should students do? What are the must do for students who want to pursue education abroad and how to ensure they are not cheated? That will be the focus of our question this evening. Bikram Kubal, protester and organisation organiser of that protester, joins us now from Canada. Bikram First things tell me as you protest and you go through it, what needs to be done to ensure that others who possibly are planning to leave India or wanting to come to Canada don't fall for something like this back home. Whoever asks for your sponsor, whoever wants to come to Canada, make sure please contact with your colleagues and please verify your offer letter. Because mostly so many immigration consultants they are using fake offer letters because all the all the intakes are full, so they are. So that's why they are using fake offer letters for getting Canadian visa. So please contact your please directly. Contact your college through email or WhatsApp. Whatever you have any source, please contact them, right? Prab Johan, who's a protester and supporter blogger in Brampton, is also joining us. Prab. What would you have as a message across? Now I know that you the plight of those students there is disturbing, and it is something that needs to be in. But in terms of those who are back home, it's often focused on this immigration racket that goes on here. Unregistered immigrants who are immigration consultants who end up cheating several students across the country. What should they be careful about to ensure they don't fall prey? Right? We seem to have lost prab johan again. Just take us through what your plan is right now. The external affairs minister has said categorically that the Canadian system is fair, which most people here believe it is. Who would you? What do you think needs to be done next? And who should be held responsible for your plight? First, the very first thing who is responsible Canadian immigration system and Canadian government is may responsible Is the May responsible for this? Uh, for this fraud, because loophole in the Canadian system. That's why they use this fake offer letter. We are sitting here in this tent. I will show you the tent or you can see this tent. We We are here in this tent from last, I think 12. 12 from 12 days. We are doing day and night. Protest one. We we did one rally in front of CBS, a Canadian border and service Agency office. And now today we are going to do a rally in front of public safety and deportation Minister Marco Mancino and all other three parties. They are They are giving statements like daily. They are giving statement. We are with you. We are with students. We will. We will not give punishment to to any other innocent student because they know there is a fault of Canadian government too. But they are. They are only losing statements. There is not any action. But after 12 days of protest yesterday they passed a motion in parliament and all 11 members. They give vote in the favour of this issue and today they will start the discussion, this discussion. But we don't know. What will they do? But until the any, Like a written agreement or any statement. We will not finish this protest. This protest will be continued for how long? We know a great response community. Bikram, can you just show pictures of you all there? Right right behind you. I can see. But I also want to ask a question and I'm not being insensitive here. Would you take some portion of the blame? Do you think that all of you were duped? Or is there some portion of the blame or responsibility that you must take as well for the situation that you find yourself in at the moment? But only only mistake of student is like they trust on immigration consultants. This is the only mistake, but mostly students. When they when they came, when they reach in Canada, they try to contact to the college. Some of them the who, uh, who going to be deported, like in the next 13? Uh, he went to college when he reach here in Canada in 2018. I think he went to college. And when college after 23 days. This they said this offer letter is not right. This offer letter is fake. Then they complained to C B A when C b a asked him a question. He gave all the answers. Then this After one year, he got another permit. But the most of the students they trust on immigration agents because the all immigration consultant they use they use, like so many solid reasons when when whenever any students reach Canada, they said, No, no, not go to college because your college is, uh, courses. Yeah, OK, I believe. I believe we can go across to prab Joan as well. Prab, if you can hear us, we've been having trouble getting through to the line. What should students do? I mean, you know, there are going to be several who are going to go out, and I think some part of the responsibility also lies on those who are going out to ensure that they are not duped in these situations. What should they do? Most importantly, to ensure that they don't find themselves in a situation like the way the others have found themselves in there? Uh, I think first thing they have to check if the agent is a r c IC agent or not. If it's a ghost agent, they don't have a r c AC batch or R C AC number. Right. So you can check on the website if he has a r c AC licence. So go on those agents only. And the second most important thing. If you have any doubt like, uh, if the if, If you think like they are claiming false or they are doing something fraud with you, you can check with your college. You can email your college like, uh, uh, is this offer letter is fake or is is this offer letter is, uh, issued on my name. I think these are two perspective like, uh, my own perspective, which you can follow as a new student if you are coming to Canada so you can get fraud by these fraud or these ghost agents, Yeah, and and also given that you know, how much is it really the responsibility of the Canadian government at this stage? Given the fact that the letters may not have been authentic on on the basis of which these visas were granted, what is your argument there on that? Uh, the thing is, if they have to say, they have to, uh, say like, your, uh your offer letter they are They are fake, right? I think it should be done at the time when they applied for their study permit. Like five years ago. They don't have any sort of criteria. Like how they can check if the offer letter is fake. I I think they have to like from now they have to philtre it through their system because Canadian system is so big. So they can. It's It's not a thing they cannot do, right? So I think it's the responsibility of the government and the CBS A. To ensure that all the offer letters, all the documents, they are fake or not. So I think they have to take the new precautions or they have to take new measures to it. Right, So so that, like, it doesn't happen to another students. I posed this question to Bikram as well and a quick answer to you from it. Shouldn't the students also take responsibility? Ultimately, in this process, isn't it ultimately your responsibility when you are applying for a visa. Uh, I think, uh, like my perspective is, uh uh, like, uh, I would say like students if if they are passing 12, right, And they don't have that much knowledge about the Canadian laws, they don't have that much knowledge about the immigration. They don't have that much knowledge about the offer letters or the visa process. I think that responsibility they are giving to the agents because agents they are charging them. And even those agents, they are contacted with the college and the college is representative. They came there in India and give lecture to the students. Also, this this agent is really good, but we don't know how how they, uh, many players, student and the student get caught into their scams. OK, you need to know who your agent is. You need to make sure that you go through the process properly, and I think everyone needs to take responsibility for the plight to make sure that there aren't more cases like this. Thank you so much. Bikram and Prab for joining us
