, earlier this year. It found that around 1,485 had been issued bogus admission letters to Canadian colleges and universities by overseas immigration consultants.
The CBSA probe into abuse of the student visa system dates back to a 2018 investigation into organized crime, which led to the discovery that student visas were being used by people to come to Canada to join gangs. Aaron McCrorie, the CBSA’s vice-president of intelligence and enforcement, told MPs on the Commons immigration committee last month that the discovery of the link between student visas and gangs dated back to 2018 when it had become concerned by “what we were seeing in terms of a pattern of individuals coming into Canada, potentially using the student visa process to join criminal gangs.”
“Student visa applications must be thoroughly vetted to prevent fraud, criminality, and ensure students aren’t being taken advantage of,” Mr. Kmiec said in an interview.