CIMM – Fraud Letters of Acceptance Reported in Media – Université de Moncton – October 24, 2023
Key Facts and Figures
- The Halifax Chronicle-Herald reported on international students with fake admission documents trying to attend the Université de Moncton. According to the story, the university’s communications director “said Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is responsible for ensuring the validity of documents to issue a student permit, and it's up to them to prevent this type of fraud.”
Key Messages
- We all play a role in preventing and detecting fraud. This includes International Students, IRCC, as well as Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs).
- IRCC expects Designated Learning Institutions to work with credible recruiters who use robust ethical recruitment practices.
- Looking forward, IRCC intends to implement a Recognized Institution Framework that will clearly underline our expectations for DLIs with regard to supporting the integrity of this important program.
Supplementary Information
- Between February 2018 and December 2022, 249 verification activities were completed on letters of acceptance associated to U of Moncton.
- Of those, 12 letters of acceptance (4.8%) were confirmed by the DLI as being fraudulent.
- This is considered to be a low fraud rate compared to other DLIs.
- When fraud is uncovered, IRCC staff are required to follow rules of natural justice and procedural fairness prior to making a final decision on an application, which may include refusing the application, including on grounds of misrepresentation (A40).