Canada reforms its international student admission process ‘to protect students from letter‑of‑acceptance fraud’
Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller announced reforms to its international student admission process at an event in Brampton in the Greater Toronto Area or GTA. This announcement came in view of fraudulent admissions, mainly from India, involving fake documents that took place last year, reported HT.
These reform measures aim to strengthen Canada’s International Student Program and protect genuine students from fraud. From this year onwards post-secondary designated learning institutions or DLIs will need to confirm every applicant’s letter of acceptance directly with Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada or IRCC. Canada will implement these measures from December 1.
Miller said, “International students are talented, bright and deserving of a positive experience as they pursue their studies in Canada. We will continue to improve Canada’s International Student Program by protecting students and weeding out those who try to take advantage of them.”
A release from IRCC stated, “This new, enhanced verification process aims to protect prospective students from letter‑of‑acceptance fraud and to help them avoid similar problems that some students faced earlier this year as a result of fraud investigations. It will also ensure that study permits are issued based only on genuine letters of acceptance.”
IRCC will adopt a “recognised institution” framework to benefit post-secondary DLIs beginning in the fall 2024 semester. Post-secondary DLIs set a high standard for services, support, and outcomes for international students. The statement further said, “These DLIs will benefit, for example, from the priority processing of study permits for applicants who plan to attend their school.”
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The IRCC said that these measures will be in place to identify fraudulent letters of acceptance soon after submission, to protect genuine students from nefarious actors who seek financial gain
The IRCC established a task force to collaborate with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and review cases involving fake documents to prevent genuine students from facing deportation. Among the 103 cases reviewed by October 12, 63 were confirmed as genuine students while 40 were not, reported HT.
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Updated: 28 Oct 2023, 09:43 AM IST
