Brijesh Mishra, an Indian immigration agent accused of defrauding more than 700 international students by providing fake admission letters for Canadian colleges, appeared in Vancouver provincial court on Aug. 8, New Canadian Media reported.
The accused now remains in custody until his next court date on Aug. 25.
Most of the students arrived in the country in 2018 and 2019, and the scandal came to light in March 2023 when the students tried to apply for permanent residency in Canada. After an examination of their documents by the Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA), the students discovered their letters were fake and faced the threat of deportation.
According to reports, the students had applied for study visas via Education Migration Services located in Jalandhar. Mishra, 37, headed the consulting firm and charged students thousands of dollars to cover the fees related to handling the college and visa application, as well as tuition fees.
After weeks of protesting, Sean Fraser, who was the federal immigration minister at the time, said on June 16, that the defrauded students would be allowed to stay in Canada.
Students from Punjab protesting deportation
Mishra was reported inadmissible by Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) immigration division on April 20, four days after his Canadian Visa expired, New Canadian Media reported. He is accused of allegedly misrepresenting his credibility as a licensed immigration consultant.
An immigration warrant for Mishra was issued in May, following which Canada Border Services Agency officers arrested him in British Columbia six weeks later.
Mishra was arrested and charged with four charges from the CBSA under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act – four in Jalandhar, India from 2016-2020, and one in Surrey, B.C. from April 17 to June 14 this year.