Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) last week laid 12 criminal charges against two individuals, alleged to have taken over CA$126,000 from international students, falsely promising the funds would go towards tuition fees.
The investigation began in February 2025 after a tip from Lambton College, Ontario. It emerged victims were provided with fraudulent enrolment documents but were never enrolled in the college programs.
“Those seeking to profit from fraudulent financial schemes are being held to account and brought to justice,” said Canadian minister of public safety, Gary Anandasangaree, adding CBSA was “protecting vulnerable individuals”.
Both individuals were charged with four counts of fraud, four counts of misrepresentation and of knowingly passing off forged documents.
One of the accused appeared in court on July 10, while the other is believed to have fled the country and is wanted on an arrest warrant.
Neither the institutions nor the government is doing enough to tackle wrong doing in the sector
Gautham Kolluri, RCIC
The case highlighting continuing integrity issues in the Canadian sector and beyond, despite efforts from the government to crack down on fraud and exploitation of the student route.
“Fraud was a major driver in the implementation of the 2024 reforms that limited the number of international students in Canada,” Fragomen partner Jack Kim told The PIE News.
Following the study permit caps, the government also introduced provincial attestation letters. “Related to direct evidence that certain international students were being admitted to Canada on fraudulent admission letters, working longer hours than authorised, or even not going to school at all,” said Kim.
He emphasised instances of wrongdoing likely constituted a “small percentage” of student activity in Canada. But Kim said integrity issues remained an “acute concern” for the government, citing reports of organised crime elements, such as the Bishnoi gang, exploiting the international student pathway.
Other stakeholders say the problem of unregulated subagents recruiting students is so widespread – in Canada and beyond – that it is difficult for prospective international students to differentiate genuine consultants from scammers.
“There are more than 30,000 unregulated subagents in Canada, India and other countries recruiting prospective international students through edtech aggregators,” regulated Canadian immigration consultant (RCIC), Gautham Kolluri, told The PIE.
He said such cases have been “happening for decades”, not just in Canada but across other top destinations and traditional sending countries.
“This is not just scamming students but has grown into a very complex human trafficking chain,” added Kolluri, citing similar incidents of international student recruitment being exploited by criminal gangs.
Since 2024, Canada’s international student population has shrunk significantly, following extensive government measures to curb inbound flows of students, driven by public concerns about immigration and reports of unethical student recruitment practices.
Earlier this year, Canada’s Auditor General issued a damming verdict on the IRCC’s failure to properly manage inbound international mobility, laying out an extensive set of recommendations for policymakers.
But Kolluri said, “neither institutions nor the government is doing enough to tackle wrong doing in the sector” calling for a stronger clamp down on unregulated subagents.
