Feb 13, 2018 – Canada’s international student immigration pathways continue to be exploited by fraud marriages, mainly originating in India.
The scam works like this: Families wishing to achieve Canada immigration for their sons pay the tuition fees of a female candidate, and the two get married.
The son is then able to enter Canada as a spouse on the Canada study permit and qualify for a Canada work permit.
Read More
Quebec Offers Fast Permanent Immigration Pathway to Canada for International Students
Significant Rise in International Students at Canadian Universities
Fraud Marriages Target Canada International Students
Government Guidelines to Detect Sham Marriages Are Racist and Discriminatory
While here, the son gains valuable Canada work experience for the duration of his phoney spouse’s studies. After the student’s studies are complete, the son’s experience counts towards an application for permanent residence. The two then seek a divorce and go their separate ways.
The female student is happy because she gets to study in Canada as an international student with her tuition fees paid. The son is happy because he gets permanent residence, and could qualify to bring the rest of his family here.
Indian newspapers are running ads shamelessly requesting brides for fraud marriages to exploit Canada’s international student visa system.
Source: IRCC
Families are requesting young women, with the required qualifications to come to Canada as international students, to marry their sons. The sons then qualify for a spousal visa as part of the application. In most cases, the son’s family offers to cover all the education expenses of the bride.
The arrangement can last for years, until the son is able to achieve permanent resident status and eventually citizenship off the back of time spent working in Canada.
It shows the lengths families are prepared to go to give their sons the opportunity of moving to a western country.
It also shows the dark side of Canada’s attempts to welcome more international students, with graduates from Canadian universities described as blue chip new permanent residents by former immigration minister John McCallum.
Making it easier for international students to get here is also making it easier for fraudsters to exploit the system.
A typical ad includes the man’s cast, religion, and age, while expressly stating the woman requires a high level of English language, without which her international student application would fail.
Recent rule tightening by the Australian government means Canada now has one of the most generous immigration systems for international students who wish to bring their families.
Source: IRCC
It means there is now a thriving industry for sham weddings where the bride facilitates the entry of the groom into Canada or other western nations.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) figures show numbers of international student study permit holders have increased dramatically in the three years.
In 2017, nearly 320,000 international student permits became active, according to IRCC figures. That number compares to 265,000 in 2016 and 220,000 in 2015.
The rise in the number of Indian citizens coming to Canada on study permits is even more marked. In 2017, nearly 84,000 study permits became active for Indian students compared with 53,000 in 2016 and 32,000 in 2015.
Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has put international students front and centre when it comes to immigration policy.
Canada has made changes to its immigration system that provide further incentive for students to consider coming here over other competing destination countries. Foreign students are able to work while they study in Canada.
Among the changes made to the Canada Express Entry System in November 2016, Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points are awarded for a Canadian education for the first time.
Candidates for permanent residence are awarded 30 points for a three-year degree, master’s or PhD, and 15 points for two years of qualifying post-secondary education.
CRS Points Awarded for Canadian Education Under Canada Express Entry
| High school | 0 |
| One or two-year post secondary | 15 |
| Three-year post secondary, master’s, professional degree or doctorate | 30 |
Source: IRCC
These points significantly increase the chance of an Invitation to Apply under Express Entry, when combine with other factors.
Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.
Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.
Read more news about Canada Immigration by clicking here.
