On Wednesday June 14, 2023, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser held a media event and released a statement after an incredible 18 day permanent protest by Punjabi students in Toronto outside of immigration enforcement headquarters. These students have been “deemed inadmissible” or are facing inadmissibility hearings and several dozen are facing deportation.
Continue reading to learn what was announced. Permanent solutions are still needed: permanent cancellation of deportation orders, immediate access to regularization and permanent resident status for all – sign the petition to send a message to decision makers: MigrantWorkersAlliance.org/StopDeportations
Based on the information available as of June 14, here is what we know:
- There will be an 8 week case-by-case investigation by a task force of immigration and immigration enforcement officials (IRCC and CBSA) to determine who was tricked and misrepresented by these recruiters.
- Migrant students who have pending deportation orders will be given a temporary resident permit (TRP) and will have their deportation halted for 8 weeks as the investigation is underway.
- Within these 8 weeks, migrant students who are considered by the task force to be “genuine applicants’ and deemed to not know of the fraud will have their inadmissibility waived and their temporary resident permits will be extended for 3 years.
- Those students already deported will have a process to return to Canada.
This is a significant victory that is a direct result of sustained, courageous action by migrant students and their supporters.
There are a number of very important issues that are unaddressed and concerns that have not been resolved:
- Many of the impacted students have not yet gotten a decision on their admissibility hearings and/or have not yet been issued deportation orders. The Minister did not say that they would receive temporary resident permits (TRP). This leaves the majority of affected students in limbo.
- It is unclear if and how students will be able to apply for the TRP. Students may receive communication from Immigration Canada.
- There are no clear details on how students who will be investigated will participate in the proceedings. It is unknown if they will be able to present a case, or have a lawyer present. The criteria has not been announced, and it is not known who the burden of proof will fall onto; i.e. it is not known if students will have to prove that they did not engage in fraud or not.
- The investigative process is individualized on a case-by-case basis, even as the impacted students took action collectively and demanded a political response.
- It is not clear what remedies or right of appeal will be available to those deemed to have conducted fraud.
- Even with TRPs extended for students, there is no clarity on how people will get justice and permanent resident status. Some are already undocumented. And a 3 year temporary permit means that exploitation, denial of equal rights and protections will continue, with no guarantee that students will be invited for PR at the end.
As more information becomes available, we will continue to update this page. Permanent solutions are still needed. We deserve a permanent cancellation of deportation orders, immediate access to regularization and permanent resident status for all – sign the petition to send a message to decision makers: MigrantWorkersAlliance.org/StopDeportations
Follow the students at Stand for Student and Naujawan Support Network for more.