Punjab Govt. Free Legal Aid for Students Facing Deportation from Canada
Help initiated by Punjab Govt. for students facing deportation issues.
Punjab NRI Affairs Minister, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, announced that the Punjab government will offer free legal assistance to Indian students facing deportation in Canada.
Around 700 Indian students, primarily from Punjab, are currently facing deportation as Canadian authorities discovered their “admission offer letters” were fraudulent. The issue arose when these students applied for permanent residency in Canada earlier this year.
Minister Dhaliwal stated that a team of specialized immigration lawyers in Canada will be assigned to support these students, with a significant number hailing from Punjab.
Chairing a gathering with civil and police officials connected to the NRI department, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal directed all deputy commissioners and senior superintendents of police to thoroughly examine the documents of travel agents and immigration agencies, submitting a report by July 10.
He expressed his apprehension regarding the operation of numerous immigration agencies by unauthorized travel agents. Dhaliwal emphasized that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has already issued explicit instructions to enhance the system.
He further emphasized that a transparent and ethical system would significantly reduce the potential for human trafficking facilitated by illegal travel and immigration agencies.
Punjab is set to initiate a dedicated campaign aimed at combating fraudulent travel agents and immigration agencies, with the primary objective of preventing any involvement in human trafficking, announced Dhaliwal. Additionally, he urged individuals to report any instances from the past decade where Punjabi immigrants have been deliberately falsely implicated in criminal cases. The government will thoroughly investigate into the matter.