Fake Foreign Students Exploit Canada's Visa Loopholes

A recent tragedy in Abbotsford, British Columbia, highlights the failure of Canada's immigration policy to prioritize public safety.

In May 2022, an elderly retired couple, Arnold and Joanne De Jong, were brutally murdered in their home. The court found that two of the three perpetrators were on study visas, with one not attending a single class. Their daughter, Heather Hoogland, pointed out that if Canada had carried out routine deportations of fake foreign students, 'The crimes wouldn’t have been committed. My parents would still be here.'

This is not an isolated incident. Temporary resident streams are being used by gangs to bring criminals to Canada, and visa holders are targeted as a rich recruitment pool. The extortion crisis in communities across the country often features suspects who are non-citizens on active or expired study visas.

A report from FINTRAC highlights how extortion networks recruit 'typically financially vulnerable, young male Indian nationals in Canada on study permits' as 'foot soldiers' to intimidate extortion victims and as 'money mules' to transport proceeds of crime. The federal government's failure to enforce its own immigration rules is documented in the Auditor General's report.