An Indian immigration agent, Brijesh Mishra, has been sentenced to three years in jail in Canada after pleading guilty to issuing fake college admissions to Indian students to obtain Canadian visas. Mishra, 37, was implicated by a Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) investigation that linked him to dozens of fraudulent acceptance letters provided to prospective international students from India between 2016 and 2020.

Mishra, dressed in a red jumpsuit, stood in a Vancouver courtroom and apologized for his immigration offenses, which included misrepresentation and providing false information. Arrested in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023, Mishra had entered Canada on a tourist visa that had expired by the time of his arrest. The judge accepted a joint sentencing recommendation from the Crown and defense lawyers, concluding that a three-year prison term was appropriate. With time already served, he will spend an additional 19 months in jail.

Mishra’s defense lawyer, Gagan Nahal, stated that Mishra showed genuine remorse for his actions, as evidenced by his decision to plead guilty rather than proceed to trial. After completing his sentence in Canada, Mishra is expected to be deported to India, where he faces further criminal charges, including a serious human smuggling offense that carries a potential maximum penalty of death.

The CBSA continues to work on identifying all possible victims of Mishra’s fraudulent scheme. According to an agreed statement of facts, Mishra typically targeted students from modest backgrounds in Punjab who aspired to study in Canada. He advised them to apply to multiple schools and handled their applications, collecting fees for services, including application fees, tuition costs, immigration fees, and consulting fees, often paid in cash without receipts.

Upon arrival in Canada, the students would discover that they were not actually enrolled in the schools they had been told accepted them. Mishra’s responses to the victims varied, ranging from assisting them in enrolling in other institutions to completely avoiding them and their families. Despite the challenges, many victims attempted to make the best of their situation by applying to alternative schools and waiting for the next available semesters to start.

Mishra’s family in India has reportedly been harassed by the families of his alleged victims. Meanwhile, the CBSA emphasized its commitment to helping the genuine students affected by Mishra’s actions complete their studies in Canada. “Our focus will continue to be on helping individuals assessed as genuine students as part of the task force so they can complete their studies in Canada,” the agency stated in a release last year.

Source: PTI

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