Brijesh Mishra, the central figure accused in an immigration scam involving fake admission letters issued to Indian students, has pleaded guilty and received a three-year prison sentence.
Mishra was charged with misrepresentation and communicating false information under Canada’s Immigration Refugee Protection Act. Due to time already served since his arrest in Surrey in June 2023, he will spend an additional 19 months in jail, with the possibility of parole before the completion of his sentence, which was handed down on May 29, 2024.
The guilty verdict comes as a relief to hundreds of former international students who arrived in Canada from India between 2017 and 2020 on fraudulent admission letters, which they claim they were unaware of. Mishra, based in Punjab, allegedly signed the fake admission letters and charged fees ranging from Rs 15-20 lakhs (£14,000-19,000 GBP).
Students were assured by Mishra’s Education and Migration Services of confirmed admissions to public institutions such as Seneca and Humber College. However, upon arrival in Canada, they were informed that their admissions had not been verified, forcing them to accept admission to less prestigious tier-two institutions.
After completing their studies, these students obtained work permits and began the process for permanent residency. It was during this process that the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) discovered the original college offer letters used to obtain study permits were fraudulent.
As a result, CBSA issued deportation notices to the former students in 2022 and 2023, prompting large-scale protests in Canadian cities such as Brampton, Mississauga, and Toronto. In response to the protests and widespread support across political lines in Canada, Immigration Refugees Citizenship Canada (IRCC) suspended deportations temporarily while a joint task force comprising officials from IRCC and CBSA reviewed each case.
While some former students have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the fake offer letter scam, others are still undergoing hearings to prove their innocence.
“Our testimonies and submitted proofs have shown that Brijesh Mishra is the one who cheated us through his agencies ESMA and ESM, which provided us with fraudulent admission letters,” said Karamjeet Sandhu, one of the affected students.
Despite Mishra serving less than two more years in Canada, he faces potential deportation back to India, where he is also facing criminal charges, including a human smuggling offense under the Punjab Travel Act, according to CBC reports.
Notably, none of Mishra’s family members were present in court amid reports that they were being harassed by families of his alleged victims in India.
CBC reports indicate that CBSA is still locating all possible victims of Mishra and other fraudsters involved in the scam.