Canada announces measures to protect international students against fraudulent agents

The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Honorable Marc Miller, has unveiled a set of measures designed to enhance Canada’s International Student Program and safeguard authentic students from fraud.

According to the Minister, international students have encountered significant challenges within Canada’s International Student Program.

In June, in response to investigations involving fraudulent admissions letters, an IRCC task force was formed to collaborate with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in reviewing the cases of affected students and graduates. The primary objective of this collaborative effort was to prevent legitimate students from facing deportation from Canada.

Nairametrics learns that out of the 103 cases reviewed as of October 12, 2023, 63 were confirmed to be genuine students, while 40 were not.

This has led to the Minister announcing these new measures:

Starting from December 1, 2023, post-secondary designated learning institutions (DLI) will be mandated to directly verify each applicant’s letter of acceptance with IRCC.

This improved verification process aims to safeguard prospective students from fraudulent letters of acceptance and prevent issues similar to those encountered earlier this year due to fraud investigations.

This will ensure that study permits are only issued based on authentic letters of acceptance.

By the fall semester of 2024, IRCC will implement a “recognized institution” framework to provide benefits to post-secondary DLIs that maintain higher standards for services, support, and outcomes for international students.

These DLIs, for instance, will enjoy priority processing of study permits for students planning to attend their institutions.

In the upcoming months, IRCC will evaluate the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program criteria and initiate reforms to better align it with the demands of the Canadian labour market, as well as regional and Francophone immigration objectives.

What he said

The Minister emphasizing the importance of mitigating fraud in international student admissions, said:

• “We must address challenges to the integrity of the International Student Program.
• “Through these measures, we are taking action against nefarious actors who have preyed on genuine students for financial gain by identifying every fraudulent letter of acceptance soon after it is submitted. 
• “Institutions that demonstrate strong support for international students will be recognized and their applicants will move to the front of the line for processing, and we will be able to better select and retain those students.”
• “These important reforms mark the initial changes identified through the review of the International Student Program, as well as the broader engagement initiative, An Immigration System for Canada’s Future. 
• “This includes our ongoing work with institutions, provinces, territories, and organizations representing Canada’s colleges and universities to better detect fraud and uphold the integrity of our immigration programs”.