The Canadian government is taking significant steps to improve its international student program and ensure that its genuine learners are protected from scams; it is also implementing advances that aim to improve overall program delivery and make the education system more robust, accessible and safe for students. All of this is part of a consistent effort to further enhance the good reputation that the country has built up over the years thanks to its excellent educational institutions, diverse society and the opportunities it offers to foreign students.

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The background behind these measures and the new improvements is presented below:

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What has been happening with Letter of Acceptance (LOA) fraud

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While scammers are the order of the day and many manage to attract their victims with flashy ads on websites, social networks and other ads, this case mentioned below became relevant in Canada because of the massive number of international students who were deceived: 700 students from India fell into a big scam by an alleged Indian consultant in the city of Jalandhar, his name is Brijesh Mishra, the consulting firm he ran was closed and he is so far a fugitive from justice. This advertisement was published in many portals around the world since the first quarter of this year, even attracting the attention of Unesco, which in its notes of May 29, 2023 echoed this scam.

It is sad to know that many of these students, who arrived between 2018 and 2022, even completed their degrees in Canada, applied for their study permits and gained work experience, but are now at risk of deportation, because the LOAs that Mishra granted were false and upon filing their permanent residency applications with the government, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) detected the fraud. 

Even though they achieved everything that a foreigner with a desire for academic improvement wants to achieve in Canada and although the case is under investigation to determine responsibilities and intentionality or not on the part of those affected, the government and serious agencies always reiterate that it is mandatory to check if an educational or immigration agent is authorized to manage your application, whatever it may be, otherwise the consequences are serious and can lead to deportation.

In this official link, you can verify if your consultant is authorized.

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Canadian government backs those affected by the scam and offers improvements for the integrity of its student body in general

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The integrity of international students is a matter of discussion in the Canadian Senate, students affected by the scam will be granted temporary leave while the case is processed and Minister Miller announced important measures to strengthen the system used by the program for international students in Canada, according to the press release of October 27, 2023: 

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1. There will now be an enhanced check for processing letters of acceptance (LOA).

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As of December 1, 2023,designated post-secondary learning institutions (DLIs) will be required to directly verify each applicant's letter of acceptance (LOA) with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), thus making the process more thorough and effective in detecting any fraudulent intent, The review staff will be greater in number and legal competence for the recognition of seals, logos, formats, among other important aspects contained in the letters of acceptance, this will also ensure that study permits will only be granted when authentic letters of acceptance are provided.

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2. It will work on the basis of a "framework of recognized institutions".

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The international student program system will benefit post-secondary DLIs that excel in providing excellent services, offer genuine support to their students, and show good results, leading to higher standards of education, and DLIs that meet certain IRCC integrity criteria will be eligible, for example, for priority processing of study permit applications by the government. This new measure will be implemented by the second half of 2024.

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3. A fairer reform of the labor and immigration criteria of the post-graduation work permit will be implemented.

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IRCC will be revising the Post-Graduate Work Permit Program (PGWP) criteria in the coming months to align it more closely with Canadian labor market needs and regional and francophone immigration objectives.

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The result of these measures and the support of the institutions

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It is hoped that these rules will reinforce the welcome system that Canada offers year after year to thousands of international students who contribute to Canada's economic, social and cultural growth. 

Minister Marc Miller and his team take on this challenge as a fair and necessary one to curb the unscrupulous illegal activity of so many bogus consultants who maliciously use genuine students for financial gain, ultimately this will be accomplished by quickly identifying bogus acceptance letters. 

Institutions that provide strong support for international students will be recognized and will be guaranteed expedited processing of their applications. These changes will allow Canada to select and retain the students best prepared to meet its economic and immigration objectives.

This is the initial stage of the changes identified during the review of the international student program to create an immigration system for Canada's future, however, to improve fraud detection and maintain the integrity of the immigration programs, this effort requires continued cooperation with educational institutions, provinces, territories and organizations representing Canadian universities and colleges.

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Immiland Canada reiterates the importance of mapping out a correct immigration destination from the beginning, remember that only licensed lawyers and consultants registered with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) can offer legal advice and immigration services and charge for it, in addition, educational agents must also be licensed by the CICC. Here are some links of your interest: How to report fraud or abuse, Find out if your immigration agent is licensed in Canada .

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If you would like to ask questions to one of our regulated consultants click here for a free evaluation or schedule a consultation.

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With love,

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Immiland

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