CIMM – Opening Statement – October 24, 2023

Michèle Kingsley, Assistant Deputy Minister, Economic, Social and Family Immigration Sector, IRCC

CIMM Committee International Student Fraud Taskforce

October 24, 2023

600 words (5 minutes)

Introduction

• Thank you, Mr. Chair.^{Tablenote 1}

[Chair often makes the land acknowledgement:

• I want to start by acknowledging that we are meeting today on the traditional and unceded territories of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Peoples.]
• First of all, thank you for the invitation to appear before the Committee today.
• International students make important contributions to our communities—they support our local economies and bolster the skilled workforce across Canada.
• To study in Canada, foreign students must receive a letter of acceptance from a Canadian learning institution, apply for a study permit and have that application approved.
• This year alone, we have received and processed over 600,000 study permit requests. These students benefit our communities, campus life, as well as contributing well over $20 billion to our GDP annually.
• Media reports surfaced earlier this year of fraudulent letters of admission being used by international students, unbeknownst to them, to come here and study.
• Concerns were raised by this committee and others that genuine students were being taken advantage of by unscrupulous actors. That is why a taskforce was struck, to review the facts of cases for individuals connected to fraudulent letters.
• The task force examines cases once the Immigration and Refugee Board had completed its proceedings. The task force worked to identify genuine students that were impacted by fraud in a facilitative, practical manner.
• In particular, if a student had enrolled within 3 semesters of their arrival and there were no other problems or issues with their applications (such as criminal activity), the task force assessed that person to be a genuine student.
• Earlier this year, we reported to the committee that there were 309 cases of interest to the Task Force; further review reduced this number to 285 after removing duplicates.
• The taskforce has reviewed all cases of students in Canada at risk of removal, as well as cases still before the IRB so that action can be taken swiftly as the IRB concludes hearings.
• In all, the Task Force has reviewed 103 cases and determined that 63 were genuine students. To date, 30 have been approved for temporary resident permits of up to 3 years. In the 40 cases where we deemed them not to be genuine students, individuals have the opportunity to present additional information to support their case.
• The remaining cases are still before the IRB, and the task force will intervene where appropriate once adjudicative processes are concluded. Therefore these numbers will continue to change.
• Progress has also been made in law enforcement action to find and bring to justice the perpetrators of fraud. In June, the Canadian Border Services Agency laid charges against one man connected to facilitating fraudulent admissions letters.

Improving the system

• The work of the Task Force continues in parallel as we work to improve the International Student Program more broadly.
• We have added information on our “How Report Fraud” webpage with specific support and instructions for genuine international students who may have been duped by unscrupulous actors.
• We are looking at program integrity, reducing student vulnerability, and the problem of dishonest consultants.
• Our work to develop a recognized institutions model is continuing. We’ve been seeking input from provinces, territories, education associations and postsecondary institutions as we continue to refine the framework.

Conclusion

• To conclude, I would reiterate that the impact of international students in our communities is significant.
• Thank you for your interest in this, and we are happy to take your questions.