Canada Seeks Power to Mass-Cancel Visas for Indian and Bangladeshi Applicants

Darwin, November 5 — The Canadian government wants the authority to mass-cancel visas for immigration applicants from India and Bangladesh in order to combat large-scale immigration fraud, according to a report by Canadian news outlet CBC, citing confidential internal documents.

A recent presentation of an official document was held at Canada’s Ministry of Immigration. The document was jointly prepared by two agencies under the ministry — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) — along with several U.S. agencies. CBC did not specify which American agencies were involved.

The Canadian federal government is reportedly preparing to form an inter-agency alliance with the IRCC, CBSA, and the U.S. agencies. The main task of this alliance will be to identify and cancel visa applications that involve fraudulent practices.

Although the proposed alliance would review visa applications and documentation from all countries, it will focus particularly on applicants from Bangladesh and India. This is because the Ministry of Immigration’s internal document categorizes these two countries under “country-specific challenges.”

Under the Canadian constitution, the federal government has the authority to revoke visas en masse only during wartime or global emergencies such as pandemics. However, the recent presentation recommended that countries categorized as having “country-specific challenges” also be brought under this legal framework.

The presentation has already been submitted to the Canadian Parliament in the form of a bill, and it is expected to pass soon.

Meanwhile, over 300 civil society organizations, including the Migrant Rights Network, have expressed concern over the proposed legislation. They fear that if the bill is passed, the Canadian government could effectively turn into a “mass deportation machine.”

Notably, the number of asylum seekers from India and Bangladesh to Canada has been increasing rapidly. In May 2023, about 500 Indian nationals applied for asylum in Canada. By July 2024, that number had surged to 2,000.

Source: CBC