Ottawa/IBNS: The Canadian government has reportedly been requested by the New Democratic Party (NDP) not to deport 150 Punjabi students, who, according to the Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA), arrived on fake college admission letters.

The students, scheduled to be reportedly deported on May 29, said they were unaware of the fact that they had been by their immigration consultation agency in India that provided them fake documents.

The NDP said in a statement released on Friday that the international students who were misled by dishonest recruiters shouldn’t have to pay the price.

“Right now, students who came to Canada for their university education are under threat of deportation. I wrote to the minister (Immigration Minister Sean Fraser) on May 25 urgently calling for action to help these students who unknowingly received fraudulent travel documentation from bad actors looking to make money from their deceit,” NDP critic for Citizenship and Immigration Jenny Kwan said.

Considering Fraser’s response to the situation, Kwan said that  pending deportations orders should be waived on the basis of misrepresentation and calling for an alternate pathway to permanent status for the students, she said.

Calling for an alternate pathway to permanent status for the students, she said be it humanitarian and compassionate application process or a broad regularisation program.

Some of these students paid international tuition fees to complete their studies, and have been living in Canada for half a decade and many are now reportedly working in essential frontline jobs.

“It is crucial that anyone who considers studying here can have confidence that they will be treated well and that our processes are trustworthy and fair. I urge the minister to act immediately to stop these unjust deportations,” Kwan was reported to say.

More than 700 Indian students, according to the Canadian Border Service Agency, are reportedly facing deportation after realizing that their educational institution’s admission offer letters were fake.

Most of these students had come to the country to study in 2018 and 2019.

The fraud was discovered when the students applied for permanent residency in Canada.

A Jalandhar-based agent, Brijesh Mishra was responsible for providing fake admission letters, and charged students thousands of dollars, according to media reports.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)