The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser, has issued a statement on June14, 2023, about international students and graduates who were found to have submitted fraudulent letters of acceptance as part of their study permit application. Some of these students were tricked by bad people who claimed to help them with their immigration application, while others used fake letters to take advantage of Canada’s immigration system.

The Minister has formed a task force to identify the victims of fraud and has instructed officials to issue Temporary Resident Permits to international students who came to Canada with a genuine intent to study and without knowledge of the use of fraudulent documentation. The Minister has also been working with Designated Learning Institutions, provinces and territories, and organizations representing Canada’s colleges and universities to better detect and combat fraud.

The Government of Canada is focused on identifying those responsible for the fraudulent activity and not on penalizing those who may have been affected by fraud. The Minister recognizes the contributions that international students make to Canada and urges all applicants to do their research, have an acceptance letter from a DLI, and refer to the official website for information about immigration programs.