NDP says international students who were misled by dishonest recruiters shouldn’t have to pay the price

NDP critic for Citizenship and Immigration Jenny Kwan made the following statement in response to the pending deportation of 150 Punjabi International students:

“Right now, students who came to Canada for their university education are under threat of deportation. I wrote to the minister on Thursday, 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.

I’m glad that the minister is responding and indicating that moving forward his government’s focus will be on identifying the culprits and not penalizing the victims.

On behalf of the NDP I want to make it clear that, as the Liberal government goes after the culprits, it is critical that the pending deportations are stayed, and inadmissibility on the basis of misrepresentation waived and an alternate pathway to permanent status, whether it's Humanitarian and Compassionate application process or a broad regularization program, is provided to the students.

International students are a huge part of university towns across our country. They help our economy and contribute their time and talent to Canada. 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.”