Don't punish int'l students over fake admission letters: advocate

An organizer with a group advocating for the rights of migrants in Canada is urging the federal government not to penalize potentially hundreds of international students facing possible deportation over fake school admission letters.

Sarom Rho of Migrant Students United appeared on CTV's Your Morning on Monday, to advocate for a number of students from India whose admission letters, which they obtained through an overseas agency, were found to be inauthentic.

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According to reports from The Toronto Star and Indian media outlets, the alleged fraud became known after affected students applied for permanent residency years later, with some reports suggesting that as many as 700 people could be impacted.

"We're calling on Prime Minister (Justin) Trudeau and Immigration Minister Sean Fraser to not punish students for something that was out of their control, and to ensure fairness and protections for migrant students by ensuring full and permanent immigration status for them and for all migrants across the country," Rho said.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) provided a statement to CTV's Your Morning that said, "The IRCC is committed to upholding the integrity of all our immigration programs. IRCC employees receive training on how to detect and combat fraud, and they work hard to protect the integrity of Canada's citizenship and immigration system."

Rho says, without permanent residency, migrants are denied basic services and protections and can be subject to exploitation.

Trudeau, she says, needs to "ensure dignity and protections and equal rights for everybody, and the only way for that to happen is with full and permanent immigration status for all."

Watch the full interview with Sarom Rho at the top of the article