Brijesh Mishra, a 37-year-old Indian immigration agent, has been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to a scheme that involved issuing fake college admissions to Indian students seeking Canadian visas. His fraudulent activities spanned from 2016 to 2020, during which he provided numerous students with counterfeit acceptance letters for Canadian colleges.
Arrested in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023, Mishra expressed remorse for his actions while appearing in a Vancouver courtroom, where he was dressed in a red jumpsuit. He admitted to multiple violations of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, including misrepresentation and providing false information.
Mishra’s sentence accounts for the time he has already spent in custody, meaning he has 19 months left to serve. His defense attorney, Gagan Nahal, highlighted Mishra’s genuine remorse, noting that he could have opted for a trial instead of pleading guilty.
During the investigation by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), 12 victims came forward, revealing a pattern in Mishra’s fraudulent activities. Many of these prospective students came from modest backgrounds in Punjab, seeking educational opportunities in Canada, and were referred to Mishra by family or friends.
Mishra charged fees for various services, including application processing and immigration consulting, often demanding payments in cash without providing receipts. Once in Canada, students discovered they were not actually admitted to the schools Mishra claimed they had been accepted to.
Following his sentence in Canada, Mishra is expected to be deported to India, where he faces additional charges, including human smuggling, which carries severe penalties.
As the CBSA continues its investigation, efforts are underway to identify and assist all potential victims of Mishra and others involved in similar scams.
