Ottawa to crack down on international student program abuse amid India’s allegations of human smuggling
The federal government says it is focused on strengthening the country’s international student program and border security in the wake of allegations from Indian authorities of links between Canadian colleges and a human-smuggling operation.
Earlier this week, Indian authorities unraveled a “well-planned conspiracy” that helped Indian nationals illegally cross into the U.S. from Canada after obtaining student visas.
They allege that a man connected to this operation was also the one who arranged the attempted border crossing of an Indian family who froze to death while trying to enter the U.S. from Manitoba in 2022.
The operation in India was coordinated over multiple cities and through two entities that allegedly referred prospective international students to more than a hundred colleges in Canada, according to a news release from India’s Enforcement Directorate, which investigates money laundering and foreign exchange laws, on Tuesday. Indian officials say they searched eight locations in Mumbai, Nagpur, Gandhinagar and Vadodara, and found “incriminating” evidence of “human trafficking.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said they have seen an increase in temporary resident visas being exploited and more abuse and fraud, including human smuggling, and are taking steps to crack down on the problem.
“Our swift actions have resulted in an 84 per cent decrease in illegal crossings into the U.S. from Canadian permit/visa holders since June 2024. They have also resulted in 61 per cent more refusals for countries in which we have been noting the highest levels of abuse,” they said.
They added that people who have been identified as abusing the system will be banned from entering Canada for five years.
News of the Indian investigation comes amid tensions between Canada and the U.S. over border security, a federal rethink of international-student policy, and diplomatic tensions with India over New Delhi’s alleged targeting of Sikh activists in Canada.
The investigation was launched after Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel, 39, his wife Vaishaliben Patel, 37, their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi, and their three-year-old son, Dharmik, were found dead near a border crossing between Manitoba and the United States on Jan. 19, 2022.
Last month, Steve Shand of Florida and Harshkumar Patel (unrelated to Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel), an Indian national arrested in Chicago, were found guilty in Minnesota of charges related to human smuggling in relation to the family’s deaths. American authorities say Harshkumar Patel coordinated the operation, while Shand was a driver. Shand was supposed to pick up the migrants in a rental van once they crossed into Minnesota from Manitoba, they said. Only seven survived the foot crossing.
They were convicted on four counts related to bringing unauthorized people into the U.S., transporting them and profiting from it.
No one in Canada has been charged in relation to this case, and the RCMP confirmed Friday to the Star liaison officers in Washington and India continue to investigate.
RCMP previously said it’s unclear how the Patel family arrived in Manitoba after arriving in Toronto on Jan. 12, 2022, but US Homeland Security said they suspected it was part of a wider human-smuggling operation.
In an emailed statement to the Star, Canada Border Services Agency said that while it could not comment on specific cases or investigations, it works closely with law enforcement partners, including RCMP and American authorities, to monitor threats and patterns at the border and “to disrupt human smuggling networks and to combat international criminal organizations that seek to profit from the desperation and vulnerability of others.”
The Directorate has alleged Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel (unrelated to Harshkumar Patel and Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel) arranged the transport of the Patel family. It claims each family member was charged between $93,000 and $102,000 to cross the border illegally.
According to the Directorate, Bhavesh Ashokbhai Patel also played a role in helping Indian nationals secure admissions to Canadian colleges and obtain student visas. These allegations have yet to be tested in court.
“Once the individuals or students reach Canada, instead of joining the college, they illegally crossed the U.S.-Canada Border and never joined college(s) in Canada,” the Directorate said.
A spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities said Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is responsible for issuing study permit applications and called for the federal government to enact more stringent border control measures.
“Any misuse of Canada’s post-secondary education system as a means to fraudulently enter the country is unacceptable,” the spokesperson said.
The IRCC says that Canada has taken a proactive approach to tackle fraud in its international student program. Since 2023, it has introduced several measures to strengthen the system, including requiring schools to verify all acceptance letters, and introducing penalties for institutions that don’t comply with student regulations. The statement says it also raised the financial requirements for study permit applicants to ensure that students can support themselves while studying in Canada.
The Enforcement Directorate’s investigation found that two entities based in Mumbai and Nagupur entered into agreements for student admission in foreign countries. It does not specify whether that included countries other than Canada.
The search has found that about 25,000 students were referred by one “entity” and over 10,000 students by another to various colleges outside India every year.
The release claims that “around 112 colleges based in Canada” have entered into agreement with one entity, while “more than 150” colleges have done so with another entity.
When asked for comment, Pari Johnston, president and CEO of Colleges and Institutes Canada, which advocates on behalf of publicly supported colleges, institutes and polytechnics, said “Canada’s public colleges and institutes are committed to student safety and to the integrity of the immigration system – including a well-managed International Student Program. Colleges and Institutes Canada has no details on the nature of the colleges reportedly involved in these recent allegations,” she said in a statement to the Star.
Colleges Ontario, which represents the 24 publicly funded colleges in the province, emphasized the rigorous process for admitting international students.
“Public colleges in Ontario process international student admission applications using a robust framework that includes oversight and monitoring of agents,” according to its statement. “Ultimately, the federal government is responsible for immigration decisions prior to any international student coming to an Ontario college for their studies.”
Ravi Jain, an immigration lawyer in Toronto, says more regulations must be put in place to protect against bad actors.
“The magnitude of fraud and malfeasance when non-lawyers can practice immigration law is staggering and more stories like this will bring to light other scams,” he said.
The Star also reached out to Career Colleges Ontario, which represents more than 280 regulated career colleges, and to the High Commission of India in Ottawa for comment but did not hear back before publication.
This article was first reported by The Star
