Mishra, who is charged with making false statements and communicating false information under Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, will spend just 19 more months in prison, taking into account time already served since his arrest in Surrey in June 2023.
According to sources, Mishra may be eligible for parole before the end of his sentence on May 29, 2024.
The conviction comes as a relief to hundreds of former international students who came to Canada from India between 2017 and 2020 after using false admission letters they had no idea about.
According to the students, Punjab-based Mishra signed fake admission forms while charging fees between Rs 15-20 lakhs (14,000-19,000 GBP).
Education and Immigration Services, owned by Mishra, had guaranteed confirmed admissions to public institutions such as Seneca and Humber College, but agents were told they would have to accept fewer admissions as admissions were not confirmed once they arrived in Canada. It is a prestigious second-tier institution.
After completing their studies, the students received work permits and eventually went through the permanent residency process, when the Canada Border Services Agency discovered that the original university proposal letters used to obtain study permits were fake.
This led the CBSA to send expulsion notices to former students in 2022 and 2023, leading to mass protests in the latter in Canadian cities including Brampton, Mississauga and Toronto.
In light of the protests and disaffected individuals seeking support across Canada's political lines, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will expel them for an 'interim period' until all cases can be reviewed by a joint task force comprised of officials from IRCC and CBSA. stopped.
Our testimony and the evidence submitted show that Brijesh Mishra is the one who deceived us.
Affected Student Karamjeet Sandhu
While some former students have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the fake proposal scam, others are still going through the hearing process to prove their innocence in the matter, The PIE has learned.
Karamjeet Sandhu, one of the hundreds of students who fell victim to the scam, said, “Our testimony and evidence submitted have revealed that Brijesh Mishra is the one who owns ESMA and ESM institutes who deceived us and provided us with fraudulent admission letters. “He said. .
Despite Mishra being behind bars in Canada for less than two years, he could be deported to India and face another criminal charge, including human smuggling offenses under the Punjab Travel Act, the CBC report said.
In particular, Mishra's family did not appear in court amid reports that they had been harassed by the victim's family in India.
According to the CBC, the CBSA is still looking for all victims of Mishra and other scammers involved in the scam.