IRCC pauses deportation for international students, announces taskforce to investigate each case

The Government of Canada Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) Sean Fraser issued a statement about the next steps for the case of fraudulent letters of admission. Fraser explained that each case will be reviewed and every affected student that is subject to a removal order will have the opportunity to demonstrate whether they knew about the fraudulent scheme. “I want to make it clear that international students who are not found to be involved in fraud will not face deportation,” stated Fraser, who added that international students who “came to Canada with a genuine intent to study” will receive a Temporary Resident Permit. Fraser indicated that the government is focused on identifying those responsible for the fraudulent activity and on working with Designated Learning Institutions to “crack down on” dishonest consultants.